heyloTHE HEYLOBUDDY PLAYBOOK
Fairway NineRules, tips & a good first game.
A golf-inspired card game where a smaller total is better. Replace high cards, match columns, and decide when to reveal the last hidden card.
YOUR CONTROLS
Reveal two cards to start. On each turn, select the deck or discard pile, then choose a card in your two-row grid.
Take a turn
Your grid has eight cards in two rows of four. Draw a hidden deck card or take the top discard. Replace a card in your grid with it. A card taken from the discard pile must be used. If you discard a deck draw instead, reveal a hidden card, except that you may skip that reveal when exactly one remains hidden.
Make matching columns
Two equal cards in the same column score zero. Two, three, or four matching columns of the same number earn an additional −10, −15, or −20. The −5 cards are special: they each subtract five, even when paired. Two columns of −5s therefore score −30 including the bonus.
End a hole carefully
Revealing all eight cards triggers one final turn for everyone else, then every card is revealed and scored. A low visible total can be tempting, but a hidden high card may change it. Decide whether another turn offers enough improvement to justify delaying the finish.
Finish the course
Choose a 3-hole or 9-hole match. The lowest combined score wins, with tied totals sharing the win. Progress is stored in the current browser when storage is available. Pass & play means sharing one device; this game does not use online rooms.
Why a lower card can make your score worse
In Fairway Nine, the smallest individual card is not always the best replacement. You score a two-row grid of eight cards, and equal cards in a column can cancel. Several matching columns of the same value add a further bonus.
Read the sample below from top to bottom in each column. All eight cards are assumed to be revealed. The calculator accepts the game’s card values: −5 and 0 through 12.
Experiment with a revealed hand
This is a scoring exercise, not a prediction of hidden cards or a live-game assistant. No information is sent to a game room.
Build the score in two passes
First, score each column. The first two columns are 7 over 7, so each scores zero. The third is −5 over −5; these special cards keep their negative value, contributing −10 together. The final column is 10 over 2, contributing 12.
Second, count matching columns of each value. There are two matching columns of 7s, earning a −10 bonus. The complete score is 0 + 0 − 10 + 12 − 10 = −8. A lower total is better.
Compare two ways to use a zero
Imagine you draw a 0. Replacing the top-left 7 might look like an improvement from seven to zero. In fact, that column now scores seven, and only one matched 7-column remains. You also lose the −10 bonus. The hand rises from −8 to 9, a change of 17 strokes in the wrong direction.
Reset the example, then replace the top-right 10 with 0 instead. You keep both matched 7-columns and their bonus, while the last column falls from twelve to two. The total becomes −18. The same drawn card produces very different outcomes depending on where you put it.
Keep the bonus groups separate
Two matching columns of the same value earn −10, three earn −15, and four earn −20. Two matched columns with different values still cancel their own cards, but do not form a two-column bonus group. Negative-five pairs remain special: two columns each containing two −5s contribute −20 from the cards and another −10 bonus.
Do not mistake the visible score for the final score
During play, some cards are hidden. A low visible total does not establish the full value of your hand. Revealing all eight cards triggers a final turn for everyone else, after which the remaining hidden cards are revealed and scored.
Before ending a hole, compare the value of finishing now with the improvements you might make on another turn. You cannot know your hidden cards or your opponents’ hidden cards from the visible total alone. The examples above deliberately reveal every card so their arithmetic can be checked.
Check yourself: do a matched column of 4s and a matched column of 7s earn −10 together?
No. Each column contributes zero, but the extra bonus needs multiple matching columns of the same value. One 4-column and one 7-column are separate groups.
Play a three-hole practice match → Before swapping, check the other card in the column.
A couple of good questions
Are negative scores good?
Yes. Lower scores are better, so −5 cards and matching-column bonuses help.
Can I invite friends on separate devices?
Use the same-device mode for this game. Online rooms are available in other HeyloBuddy games.
Worked examples checked against the current game rules · November 8, 2026