I have wondered for a while now, what is the closest anyone has ever come to playing a perfect game of golf? And indeed has anyone ever done this?
I know it happens in bowling all the time apparently. So what about golf? That would be a hole in one for every green, no? So has anyone ever done this?
Thank you in advance to all who reply:)
[This will likely be moved soon]
I’d say a round of 18 birdies (or eagles) would qualify as “perfect”-only in miniature golf will someone ace all 18 holes.
Indeed. While the question requires factual answers, sports/games have their own forum. Moved.
samclem Moderator, General Questions
It’s not possible under any circumstances on a PGA course. First of all, holes-in-one are absurdly lucky, rare is the player that manages to get one in his lifetime, let alone multiple times in a single round. Also, you have the distance factor. Nobody playing competitive golf can drive a 500-yard hole (typically a par-5, sometimes even a par-6 hole). That means that at least 5 holes a round are impossible to ace. A par-4 hole requires an albatross (or double eagle, same thing), 3-under for the hole. That has happened on a few of the shorter par-4 holes, if I recall correctly. Practically speaking, an ace is only realistic on par-3 holes with big hitters and stupendous luck.
Anyway, the lowest score in PGA history for a single round is 59, all on par-72 courses (Cite). That means that they were 41 strokes over a “perfect round”.
There’s a few answers to this question. But the score recognized by Guinness is apparently 58, recorded twice in competition. Lower scores on shorter courses and friendly rounds aren’t counted in their criteria.
The lowest “verified” round of golf in friendly competition is 34. The verification comes from from Kim Jong Il’s bodyguards.
A single hole in one would possibly be equivalent to a perfect game in baseball. 18 consecutive hole in ones is not possible on a standard course, because many of the holes are longer than anyone can hit in one swing.
Beat me to that one. Still I suspect that his score might be slightly fudged.
Actually, it’s somewhat misleading to assert that a “perfect” score for a par-5 hole is a “1”, because the thing that makes it a par-5 is the assumption that you will be forced to take three shots just to get onto the green. Thus, the score you would need on a par-72 course would be 72 - 36 = 36. This would be a “perfect” score, in the sense that you needed no putts to complete the round.
Well, you learn something every day. Not only is there a name for a hole-in-one on a par-5 (a condor, for the record), there have been 4 in history, 3 cutoff doglegs and one stupendous 517-yard drive at a country club in (surprise, surprise) Denver. Home runs at Coors Field have nothing for this guy.
So please allow me to revise my previous assertion. There are people that have aced par-5 holes. 4 of them. That’s fewer than the number of pitchers who pitched a perfect game, the number of unassisted triple plays, Hell, that’s fewer than the number of stadiums the Pirates have played in since 1880, but it’s still 3 more than the number of home runs Hoyt Wilhelm hit in his 1,070 game career (1, in his very first at-bat in the majors).
How’s that for trivial?
Denver or not, I’d buy that guy a drink.
Man, I’d like to see that, and I don’t even like golf. I can’t even visualize what such a shot would look like.
Prospective visitors to Green Valley Ranch Golf Club are advised that an iron won’t do the job.
You’ll need your No.1 wood.
Downhill, with the wind, a rock hard fairway, and an Act of God would be my guess.
A good criteria for a “perfect” game of golf would be under par at every hole, so a round of 54 on a par 72 course. Hasn’t been achieved yet, but is within the bounds of possibility.
Or a well hidden, pre-paid child standing just around the bend…
I think the best criterion would be to take some major course, and then look at the best recorded score for each hole. I can’t really say that I played a perfect game if somebody did better than me on hole 7, or whatever.
YOU would buy HIM a drink? Why? He’s the one that hit the hole in one. I’m sure he’d have been a little bit hurt if you tried.
There have, of course, been lots of perfect games in miniature golf championships.
Here. In fact, there have been perfect 54s in 3 rounds.