★ How to Play
Ready? Let’s
tee off!
The lowest score wins. That’s the whole idea. Learn the 4-card golf game in about a minute — then good luck putting it down.
2–6 Players
Ages 7+
60 Sec to Learn
72 Cards
60 seconds to learn
1
Get four cards
Everyone’s dealt 4 cards face down. Peek at 2 (don’t forget them!) — the other 2 stay a mystery.
2
Draw & swap
Draw from the deck or discard, then swap it in to go lower — or toss it and flip one of your own.
3
Lowest wins
Play 9 holes (or 18). Add up your cards each hole — the lowest total at the end takes the game.
Deal 4 face down.
Each player gets four cards in a 2×2 grid — all face down.
Peek at two.
Secretly look at any 2 of your 4 cards — once only — then put them back face down.
Deck & discard.
Remaining deck goes in the center. Flip the top card face up to start the discard pile. Player left of the dealer goes first.
Peel back to peek — at two, once
Draw → Decide → Done
Option A
Swap it in
Replace one of your face-down cards with the card you drew. The new card goes face up; the old one gets discarded. Trade high for low.
Option B
Toss & reveal
Don’t want it? Discard the drawn card, then flip one of your own face-down cards face up to lock in what you’ve got.
Face up = locked (until a FORE or Mulligan says otherwise). The mission: swap out high unknowns and chase matching pairs.
Golf Card
Worth 0 points — the best card in the deck. Always keep it.
Wild Card
Acts as any number you need — perfect for finishing a match.
FORE! Card
Yell “FORE!” and swap it with any opponent’s face-up card. The steal.
Mulligan
A bonus 5th card on holes 1 & 10. Your do-over — swap it in before scoring.
A hole ends when any player gets all 4 cards face up. Everyone else gets one final turn, then score. Reshuffle, deal, and play the next hole — lowest total after 9 (or 18) wins.
Optional variation
No score pad · no math
Deal one hole, skip the adding entirely. Here, matching is how you win — the player who builds the best matched set takes the pin. Perfect for a quick round, teaching new players, or settling a tie.
Ties? Closest to the pin
Same rank? The lower number wins — three 4s beat three 9s; a pair of 2s beats a pair of 8s. The Golf card is a 0, so it’s as close to the pin as it gets.
Ending the hole
When any player has all 4 cards face up, everyone gets one final turn. Reveal, play any Mulligans, then compare sets. Want longer? Play best-of-3 or 5 pins.
Fair Warning!
This one’s Ridiculously Replayable — “just one pin” turns into ten. You’ve been warned.
Still have questions?
Stuck mid-hand? The Caddie is your instant rules helper — just ask.