Golf Card Game Scoring
Every card value in Six-Card Golf, how column pairs cancel to zero, and how a hole and a nine-hole game are added up — with worked grids. For how a turn is played see the Golf rules.
Play Golf NowCard values
Lower is better. Each of your six cards is worth the following at the end of a hole, unless it is part of a column pair:
| Card | Points | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Two | −2 | The best card — it lowers your score |
| King | 0 | Free — never swap one out |
| Ace | 1 | Aces are low |
| 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 | Face value | A 7 is 7 points |
| Jack, Queen | 10 | Same as a ten — the cards to get rid of |
| Two cards of equal rank in one column | 0 | Whatever their individual values |
Suits never matter in Golf — a 5♠ and a 5♥ pair just as well as two black fives.
Column pairs
Your grid has three columns, each with a top card and a bottom card. If the two cards in a column share a rank, the column scores 0. That is the biggest lever in the game: a column of two Queens is worth 0 instead of 20, and a column of two nines is worth 0 instead of 18.
- Only vertical pairs count. Matching cards side by side in a row score their normal values.
- Pairing twos is a mistake: two twos in separate columns score −4, but paired in one column they score 0.
- Pairing Kings gains nothing — each is already 0 — but it costs nothing either.
- Pairs are scored on the revealed grid at the end of the hole, so a pair made with a face-down card you never saw still counts.
Scoring a hole: worked examples
Score each column, then add the three columns together.
Example 1 — a typical hole
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 7♠ over 7♥ | K♣ over Q♠ | 2♦ over 9♣ |
| Pair → 0 | 0 + 10 = 10 | −2 + 9 = 7 |
Hole score: 0 + 10 + 7 = 17.
Example 2 — an excellent hole
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| J♦ over J♣ | 2♠ over K♥ | A♣ over 2♥ |
| Pair → 0 | −2 + 0 = −2 | 1 + (−2) = −1 |
Hole score: 0 − 2 − 1 = −3. Note that the two twos are in different columns, so both count.
Example 3 — a bad hole
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Q♥ over 8♠ | 10♣ over J♠ | 6♦ over 6♠ |
| 10 + 8 = 18 | 10 + 10 = 20 | Pair → 0 |
Hole score: 18 + 20 + 0 = 38. Without the paired sixes it would have been 50.
Hidden cards count too
When a hole ends, every face-down card is turned over and scored like any other. There is no penalty and no bonus for a card being hidden — but an unseen card is, on average, worth about 5.5 points, so leaving cards face down is a gamble against the odds. The strategy guide covers when to flip and when to swap blind.
The nine-hole scorecard
Each hole's score is added to a running total. After nine holes the lowest total wins; an equal total is a tie. There is no bonus for winning individual holes, so a single disastrous hole of 40 can outweigh several small wins.
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| You | 17 | −3 | 12 | 8 | 38 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 96 |
| Opponent | 9 | 14 | 6 | 15 | 5 | 11 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 90 |
You won five of the nine holes, but the 38 on hole 5 handed the game to your opponent, 90 to 96. Consistency beats occasional brilliance in Golf.
Scoring variations you may meet
- Twos at face value: some tables score a two as 2 and use jokers as the −2 card.
- Jokers: worth −2 or −5 where they are used.
- Going-out penalty: a player who ends the hole without having the lowest score is charged double, or 10 extra.
- Row pairs: a few groups also cancel matching cards in a row; most, including CardCouch, count columns only.
- Four-of-a-kind bonus: in some versions two adjacent paired columns of the same rank score −10 or −20.
CardCouch uses the classic Six-Card Golf scoring above: Ace 1, Two −2, King 0, Jack and Queen 10, number cards face value, vertical pairs 0, nine holes, lowest total wins.
Frequently asked questions
What is a King worth in the Golf card game?
Zero. Kings are the second-best card in Golf: they never cost you anything, and pairing two Kings in a column is no better than a single King, so a lone King is already perfect.
What are twos worth in Golf?
Minus 2. A two is the only card that actively lowers your score, which makes it the best card in the deck. Two twos in a column pair for 0, so it is better to keep them in different columns for −4.
Are Jacks and Queens worth 10 in Golf?
Yes. Jacks and Queens each count 10 points, the same as a ten. They are the cards you most want to swap out or pair up.
What happens when two cards in a column match?
The column scores 0, whatever the cards are worth individually. A pair of Queens goes from 20 to 0. Only vertical pairs count — cards next to each other in a row do not cancel.
Can you have a negative score in Golf?
Yes. Twos count −2 each, so a grid of three twos and three Kings would score −6. A hole at zero or below is an excellent result.
Is the lowest score the winner in Golf?
Yes. Each hole's score is added to your running total, and the player with the lowest total after nine holes wins the game.