Nine holes for up to six players, with the six-card values on the sheet — kings zero, twos minus two, pairs cancel — and the one-more-turn ending that decides most holes.
| Hole | P1 | P2 | P3 | P4 | P5 | P6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 3 | ||||||
| 4 | ||||||
| 5 | ||||||
| 6 | ||||||
| 7 | ||||||
| 8 | ||||||
| 9 | ||||||
| TOTAL |
| Card | Value | Card | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| King | 0 | 3 – 10 | Face value |
| Two | −2 | Jack / Queen | 10 |
| Ace | 1 | Pair in a column | 0 — they cancel |
Card Golf is scored like the sport: nine deals — holes — and the lowest total wins. Each hole you tend a 2×3 layout of six cards, most of them face down, swapping to shrink your score before someone ends the hole.
Kings are the prize at zero. Twos are better than zero at minus two. Aces are one, number cards face value, jacks and queens ten. And the layout rule that defines the game: a matching pair in the same column cancels to zero — two eights stacked are worth nothing, even though eights are otherwise expensive.
Six cards each, only two turned face up to start. On your turn, draw from the stock or the discard and either swap it into your layout — flipping the replaced card away — or discard it. Knowledge is the currency: four of your six cards start unknown even to you.
When someone turns their last card face up, everyone else gets exactly one more turn. Then all cards flip and the hole is counted. Ending the hole early with a good layout — before opponents fix theirs — is most of the strategy.
Golf travels under many rulesets: four-, eight- and ten-card layouts, knocking instead of flipping, one-eyed jacks wild, twos at minus five. The sheet's values are the common six-card game; the note on the sheet says exactly what to agree on first.
Why play a two instead of a king? Twos score minus two — the only negative card. Kings are zero.
Do pairs cancel across columns? No — only two matching cards in the same column cancel.