7 and 8 · Peek
See your fate
Privately look at one of your hidden cards.
The hidden-card classic
Four cards.
Lowest score wins.
Play Four Card Golf online for free. No signup, no download—just a clever little card game you can learn in a minute.
Free to playWorks on mobileNo account
Set up your table
How do you want to play?
Choose your rules and you’ll be dealt in straight away.
Classic rules
Simple to learn. Tricky to master.
Remember your low cards, trade away the bad ones, and knock at just the right moment.
Play against computersStart instantly · 2–6 players
How to play Four Card Golf
A minute to learn.
A lifetime to remember.
Four Card Golf is a two-to-six-player memory game played with a standard deck. Your four cards stay face down in a 2×2 grid, so every smart swap begins with remembering what you saw. The lowest score wins.
- 01
Peek
Look at your two nearest cards once. Put them back face down and remember them.
- 02
Draw
Take the top card from the deck or the face-up discard pile.
- 03
Swap
Replace a hidden card without peeking first. A discard-pile pickup must be kept; an unwanted deck draw can be discarded.
- 04
Knock
Think you are lowest? Knock instead of drawing. Everyone else gets one final turn, then reveal and score.
Your opening peek
See it before you play
Know the card.
Remember the place.
Start with two known cards and two mysteries. Swap high cards for lower ones, watch what other players discard, and choose when to knock.
Detailed rules & printable guides Illustrated hands · Classic & Extreme · Free Word downloadsCard values
A1 point
2–10Face value
J · Q10 points
K0 points
Our default rules
Nine holes. Lowest total wins.
We use the established draw-or-discard version: kings score zero, jacks and queens score ten, and number cards score face value. If the player who knocks is not lowest, they add a 10-point penalty.
Read the complete rules and variations →Four Card Golf Extreme
Same four cards.
More ways to meddle.
Extreme draws on the traditional power-card family often called Cambio, Pablo, Cactus, and other regional names. Use power cards to peek, spy, and switch—or match the discard to burn one of your cards or steal from an opponent.
9 and 10 · Spy
See a friend
Privately look at one of an opponent’s hidden cards.
Jack and Queen · Switch
Switch between
Swap one of your cards with an opponent’s—without looking.
Matching ranks · Burn or steal
Match the discard
Burn your matching card, or match theirs and hand over one of yours. Any suit counts. Miss and you gain a card.
Use a power when you discard a card drawn from the deck. The rank matters, not the suit.
Beginner strategy
Three ways to cut your score
Track places, not just values
Say “bottom-left is a three” in your head. In Extreme, follow that card when it moves.
Certainty beats hope
A known four can be better than gambling on an unknown card near the end.
Read the table
Knock before rivals finish improving—but only when your own total can survive their last turn.
Four Card vs Six Card Golf
What is the difference?
Four Card Golf is the compact, memory-first game played with a 2×2 layout and commonly ended by knocking. Six Card Golf uses a 2×3 grid, usually turns replacement cards face up, and often cancels matching vertical pairs. Both reward low cards, but the hidden information makes Four Card Golf feel quite different.
FAQ
Good questions, short answers
How do you score Four Card Golf?
Aces score 1, number cards score their face value, jacks and queens score 10, and kings score 0. Add all four cards; the lowest total wins the hole.
Is Four Card Golf the same as the Golf solitaire game?
No. Four Card Golf is a multiplayer memory game built around drawing and swapping hidden cards. It is unrelated to the solitaire game also called Golf.
How many people can play Four Card Golf?
Four Card Golf works well with two to six players online. Four makes a particularly lively table. For larger in-person games, some groups combine two decks.
Can I look at my cards again?
Not in Classic. You get one opening look at the two cards nearest you, then rely on memory. Extreme power cards can earn extra private looks.
Do matching pairs cancel?
That is a common house variation, but it is not enabled in our default Classic rules. Keeping all four cards scoring makes the online game clear and consistent.
What is Four Card Golf Extreme?
Extreme keeps the same low-score goal and adds special actions. You can peek, spy, switch cards, or try to burn a hidden card that matches the top discard. A wrong match adds a penalty card.