Golf, The Card Game.

Rules

Nine card Golf is a card game for two or more players, in which the object is to score as little as possible, much like in the actual sport. In front of each player is a layout of cards arranged in a rectangle. Players improve their scores by drawing new cards to replace unwanted cards, and discarding the old. Each hand (deal) is the equivalent of a hole of Golf. A complet game consist of 9 or 18 hands. The scores at the end of each hand represent the number of strokes taken to play a hole of golf. At the end, the player with the lowest total score wins.

Players, Cards and Deal

Three standard 52-card decks with Jokers are needed if there are two to five players. Another deck should be added for every four additional players. The deal and play are clockwise.

The dealer deals nine cards to each player, one at a time. Each player's cards are arranged face down in a three by three square in front of each player like this:

The remaining undealt cards are placed face-down in the center of the table to form a draw pile. The top card of the draw pile is turned face up beside the draw pile to start the discard pile.

Before play begins, each player turns any three of their layout cards face-up. The remaining cards may not be looked at until they are turned over or discarded during play, or are scored at the end of the play.

Play Golf

Play passes clockwise, begining with the person to the left of the dealer. The player must either draw the top card of the face-down draw pile, or draw the top discard.

The drawn card may be used to replace any of the cards in the layout. It may replace one of the face-down cards of of the layout, but the face-down card must not be seen before deciding to replace it. Place the drawn card face-up in the layout, and discard the card that previously occupied that position. Put the discard face-up on top of the discard pile. Play then passes to the next person

NOTE: An unwanted card drawn from the draw pile may be discarded, face up on the discard pile. However, a card drown from the discard pile must be used replace one of the layout cards. A card drawn from the discard pile cannot be put back on the discard pile, leaving the situation as it was. When a player discards, play passes to the next person.

Ending the play

After a player's last face-down card is exposed, each of the other players get one more turn before the hand is scored.

Scoring

At the end of the play, any remaining face-down cards in each player's layout are turned face-up. Pairs of horizontally and vertically adjacent cards are considered to be zeroed out. A card may be used in more than one pairing. For example, in the illustration below three 3s in a triangle would be paired both horizontally and vertically.

Example with the three 3s creating 2 pairs, zeroing them all out.

The remaining single cards are scored as follows:

Each numeral card scores face value (Ace=1, Two=2, etc.)

Each Jack or Queen scores 10 points.

Each King scores zero points.

Each Joker scores -2 points.

End of the game

The player who has the lowest cumulative score after nine, or eighteen, holes (deals) wins.

Variations:

After turning up the three cards, each player rearranges the cards of their layout. Of course looking at any of the face-down cards is still not allowed.

When all cards in a row, or column, are the same value and suit, that row, or column, are removed from the hand.

If the player who first turns up their last card and goes out, turns out not to have the lowest score, they get 25 points added to their score..

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