Golf's Perfect Game

[fixyurdivot]

So what is golf's version of the "perfect game".  Bowling has the 300 score, baseball has one, but what about golf?  For me, I'd say it's hitting every fairway and green in regulation and two putting or better.  How would you define it?

[Siamese Moose]

Annika once said that birdieing every hole was not just possible, but with the right weather would happen, sooner than we think. She thought she would be the first to do it.

[Preeway]

I’d say being under par on every hole. So -18 or better. 

[TSauer]

Every FIR, every GIR, and shooting a perfect par or better.

[Preeway]

18 minutes ago, TSauer said:

Every FIR, every GIR, and shooting a perfect par or better.

I think that’s an interesting take and was leaning that way at first. But given how bad breaks can happen, or bad bounces, I could see a ball just barely missing the fairway or just barely in the fringe. Would that make it not a perfect round?

[cnosil]

2 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

So what is golf's version of the "perfect game".  Bowling has the 300 score, baseball has one, but what about golf?  For me, I'd say it's hitting every fairway and green in regulation and two putting or better.  How would you define it?

You mention stats as part of the perfect game, but IMO stats don't  really define a perfect game.   Is a 300 score in bowling considered less perfect if every roll didn't curve and hit between the 1 and 3 pin?  

I'd say 54 is a "perfect" round of golf....tee shot, approach shot, one putt.   Could it be better if we hit every par 5 in 2 or made an eagle or better? sure,  but is we look at how holes are designed 54 is the "perfect" round.  

 

 

[TSauer]

3 minutes ago, Preeway said:

I think that’s an interesting take and was leaning that way at first. But given how bad breaks can happen, or bad bounces, I could see a ball just barely missing the fairway or just barely in the fringe. Would that make it not a perfect round?

Hmmm... yeah, that does make it tough. I would say it doesn't count if I missed a fairway or green.

[Preeway]

1 hour ago, cnosil said:

You mention stats as part of the perfect game, but IMO stats don't  really define a perfect game.   Is a 300 score in bowling considered less perfect if every roll didn't curve and hit between the 1 and 3 pin?  

I'd say 54 is a "perfect" round of golf....tee shot, approach shot, one putt.   Could it be better if we hit every par 5 in 2 or made an eagle or better? sure,  but is we look at how holes are designed 54 is the "perfect" round.  

 

 

That’s a good point. A perfect game in baseball doesn’t mean only strikes and no balls. Just 27 outs in a row. But then the question remains, is perfect making par or is perfect making birdie?

[cnosil]

29 minutes ago, Preeway said:

That’s a good point. A perfect game in baseball doesn’t mean only strikes and no balls. Just 27 outs in a row. But then the question remains, is perfect making par or is perfect making birdie?

I guess I always considered it as making birdie because  of the Vision 54 concept.   Heck even wikipedia (without citation) says it is a birdie on every hole and the wikipedia is always right.  

[fixyurdivot]

4 hours ago, cnosil said:

You mention stats as part of the perfect game, but IMO stats don't  really define a perfect game.   Is a 300 score in bowling considered less perfect if every roll didn't curve and hit between the 1 and 3 pin?  

I'd say 54 is a "perfect" round of golf....tee shot, approach shot, one putt.   Could it be better if we hit every par 5 in 2 or made an eagle or better? sure,  but is we look at how holes are designed 54 is the "perfect" round.  

 

 

I considered score 54 but it's never been officially accomplished and highly unlikely it ever will.  While really elusive, the 300 game in bowling and the perfect game in baseball have been achieved.  For that reason, I felt like the 72 or better with all FIR's and GIR's was more the perfect game.  I say that because, to the best of my knowledge/research, no professional golfer has ever achieved the 18 FIR & 18 GIR.  I've read that just hitting 18 GIR is rarer than an ace... that surprised me.

 

[cnosil]

1 hour ago, fixyurdivot said:

I considered score 54 but it's never been officially accomplished and highly unlikely it ever will.  While really elusive, the 300 game in bowling and the perfect game in baseball have been achieved.  For that reason, I felt like the 72 or better with all FIR's and GIR's was more the perfect game.  I say that because, to the best of my knowledge/research, no professional golfer has ever achieved the 18 FIR & 18 GIR.  I've read that just hitting 18 GIR is rarer than an ace... that surprised me.

 

Does perfect have to be achieved?   Isn't golf a game that can't be "perfected"?   I can also hit all 18 FIR and 18 GIR and have multiple bogies and birdies and score below par.  Does having a bogey on the card still mean perfect golf?  

55 has been scored and there have been multiple rounds under 60 so it could potentially be achieved.  Once someone achieves a 54 does that change the classification that it is now perfect golf?  

[fixyurdivot]

1 minute ago, cnosil said:

Does perfect have to be achieved?   Isn't golf a game that can't be "perfected"?   I can also hit all 18 FIR and 18 GIR and have multiple bogies and birdies and score below par.  Does having a bogey on the card still mean perfect golf?  

55 has been scored and there have been multiple rounds under 60 so it could potentially be achieved.  Once someone achieves a 54 does that change the classification that it is now perfect golf?  

Well yes, as perfect as we can but also be achieveable. That's the key for me.  I mean if we use only score, why not 50? 

While playing a few days ago, we got to talking about how cool it would be to hit all fairways and greens.  One of the guys thought for sure that has happened on tour, the rest of us honestly did not know (come to find out...nope).  From there we concluded doing so and making par or better with the flat-stick would be "the perfect game".  

Either of our definitions have never been accomplished whereas the other sport "perfects" have.  So perhaps we need to lower and widen the goal post?   It's an interesting question/discussion.

[Josh Parker]

5 hours ago, Preeway said:

That’s a good point. A perfect game in baseball doesn’t mean only strikes and no balls. Just 27 outs in a row. But then the question remains, is perfect making par or is perfect making birdie?

I would say "even" par doesn't make it perfect, it means you have achieved "par".  I have to agree with @cnosilon his take of perfect.

[Preeway]

7 minutes ago, Josh Parker said:

I would say "even" par doesn't make it perfect, it means you have achieved "par".  I have to agree with @cnosilon his take of perfect.

I would agree. Shooting 72 can’t be considered perfect. But is I it arbitrary to say 54 is the perfect individual score? 

[cnosil]

9 minutes ago, Preeway said:

 But is I it arbitrary to say 54 is the perfect individual score? 

Probably since course pars aren't standard.  54 is probably used since most courses are par 72.

[Rob Person]

For me, simply put,  would be setting a goal for that particular round, and accomplishing that.

Now if you want to get deeper into it,  add FiR and GiR and no traps and no 3 putts etc.

[fixyurdivot]

17 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

For me, simply put,  would be setting a goal for that particular round, and accomplishing that.

Now if you want to get deeper into it,  add FiR and GiR and no traps and no 3 putts etc.

Well, thus far we have two descriptions which have never been achieved... and we really don't know which would be more challenging.  At least yours is doable.

[Rob Person]

1 hour ago, fixyurdivot said:

Well, thus far we have two descriptions which have never been achieved... and we really don't know which would be more challenging.  At least yours is doable.

I'm a newer golfer, and setting a specific "obtainable" goal allows me to believe that particular round was perfect. 

Perhaps I misjudged the OP, which was meant to be more analytical than practical in my reading it?

[fixyurdivot]

1 hour ago, Rob Person said:

I'm a newer golfer, and setting a specific "obtainable" goal allows me to believe that particular round was perfect. 

Perhaps I misjudged the OP, which was meant to be more analytical than practical in my reading it?

I was just trying to see what might be equal in golf to the "300" in bowling and "perfect game" in baseball.  It was a topic that came up in one of my golf groups and thought it might be an interesting discussion for the forum.

[cnosil]

@fixyurdivot  getting closer to 54:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C3GILOst1ZA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

[fixyurdivot]

52 minutes ago, cnosil said:

@fixyurdivot  getting closer to 54:  https://www.instagram.com/p/C3GILOst1ZA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

But did he hit all fairways and greens? 

[cksurfdude]

20 hours ago, cnosil said:

Does perfect have to be achieved?   Isn't golf a game that can't be "perfected"? 

Totally with you on that, when we're talking non-scoring specific goals.
(..it's the journey not the destination; it's a game for life; etc etc...)

Speaking of which -- I firmly believe the "perfect" game is soon to be accomplished by not one, but by a *group* of golfers...

???

I'm referring to the upcoming MGS Kingsmill Outing where yeah some of the numerical scoring will still kinda suck (:: poster raises his hand ::) but the overall experience of the game will be "perfect"! 

[Kenny B]

On 2/7/2024 at 3:06 PM, fixyurdivot said:

While playing a few days ago, we got to talking about how cool it would be to hit all fairways and greens.  One of the guys thought for sure that has happened on tour, the rest of us honestly did not know (come to find out...nope).  From there we concluded doing so and making par or better with the flat-stick would be "the perfect game".  

 

I can't believe that no one hasn't hit all fairways and greens in a round.  Not sure how you would go about finding out for sure.

Many LPGA players hit better than 80% of fairways over the course of a year, and Adam Long was 56 for 56 fairways hit last year at the World Wide Technologies Championship.  Heck, I've hit every fairway at our local muni several times; and Bill , you know how hard that is!!!    GIR is a different animal, but it can be done.  In 1995 Peter Jacobson hit 69 out of 72 GIR at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am... missing only 3 of those small greens all week!  Wow!

If it hasn't been done yet, I'm betting that it will be an LPGA player that does it first.  

[fixyurdivot]

4 hours ago, Kenny B said:

I can't believe that no one hasn't hit all fairways and greens in a round.  Not sure how you would go about finding out for sure.

Many LPGA players hit better than 80% of fairways over the course of a year, and Adam Long was 56 for 56 fairways hit last year at the World Wide Technologies Championship.  Heck, I've hit every fairway at our local muni several times; and Bill , you know how hard that is!!!    GIR is a different animal, but it can be done.  In 1995 Peter Jacobson hit 69 out of 72 GIR at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am... missing only 3 of those small greens all week!  Wow!

If it hasn't been done yet, I'm betting that it will be an LPGA player that does it first.  

Yea Kenny, our group was quite surprised that it had not been accomplished on tour.  I've read that the odds are better getting an ace... hard to believe.  Oh, and as you know, I don't have one of those either