Golf's "Perfect Game"

A perfect game in baseball is no hits, no runs, no one gets on base.

What would the golf equivalent be? Hit every fairway, every green, and don't make a bogey?

Have any of you ever done this or come close?

My best stats are 12/14 FW, 16/18 GIR, and one bogey. Those didn't happen on the same day though, so I'm not even close! Anybody ever sniffed "perfection" here??

Carding a nice, tidy 18.

I can do that in 2 or 3 holes on a bad day.

54 (birdie every hole on par 72) is the universal idea of a perfect game I believe. as golf is scored on total strokes to get the ball in the hole and not whether you hit fairways on the way in, though those usually do help lol.

I'll go with 50...14 birdies and 4 eagles on par 5s.

For me, it would be a bogey free round. :-)

Didn't feel like perfection, but I went 12/14, 16/18, all two putts (one birdie) in a qualifier for a state competition.

Why didn't it feel like perfection? Because I realized on the last tee that I was in contention, which resulted in the missed fairway, the missed green (I hit the clubhouse), and a steaming pile of two-putt 8.

But to answer your question, perfection for me is no bogeys.

I think every fairway, every green and no 3 putts would be pretty good as definition of this. I have never done it. My best is 16 greens and no bogeys. I didn't keep record of my fairways hit that day. I do know that the two greens I missed were both on the fringe.

Bobby Jones I think it was playing at Sunningdale way back when shot 66 with 33 on the front nine and 33 on the back nine. He hit 33 shots from off the green and 33 putts. I've heard that posited as the perfect round.

A "perfect game"... would be 72, after hitting every fairway, every green in regulation and two putting every green. That means you did everything you were supposed to do per the scorecard. One of golf's dynamics that makes it so unique, is the fact that you can do better than perfect, by shooting under par. Not sure what you'd call better than perfect, and there's quite a bit of literature out there arguing that "golf is not a game of perfect.".... translation: you don't need to hit every shot pure in golf... to be "perfect"

[quote name='drewtaylor21' timestamp='1392750714' post='8695329']
A perfect game in baseball is no hits, no runs, no one gets on base.

What would the golf equivalent be? Hit every fairway, every green, and don't make a bogey?

Have any of you ever done this or come close?

My best stats are 12/14 FW, 16/18 GIR, and one bogey. Those didn't happen on the same day though, so I'm not even close! Anybody ever sniffed "perfection" here??
[/quote]
A perfect pitching game in baseball is 3 pitches per inning. 1 pitch, a hit and catch the fly ball for an out. But know one has ever thrown 27 pitches in 9 inning for a perfect game.
I'm not sure any one has ever considered this possibility, in baseball.
As far as golf, perfect is, the very best of your human skill, and physical limits, all coming to meet.
So, if I can only hit a drive so many yards, and my second shot is able to reach the green, perfect for that hole is a drive and then holing out the second shot.

Have I ever had a perfect game? Yes, but my definition of perfect, is just being able to get out of bed and play golf.
My other definition of perfect game. Is finishing the round without loosing a golf ball.

[quote name='Grumpy bumpy' timestamp='1392752745' post='8695575']
[quote name='drewtaylor21' timestamp='1392750714' post='8695329']
A perfect game in baseball is no hits, no runs, no one gets on base.

What would the golf equivalent be? Hit every fairway, every green, and don't make a bogey?

Have any of you ever done this or come close?

My best stats are 12/14 FW, 16/18 GIR, and one bogey. Those didn't happen on the same day though, so I'm not even close! Anybody ever sniffed "perfection" here??
[/quote]
A perfect pitching game in baseball is 3 pitches per inning. 1 pitch, a hit and catch the fly ball for an out. But know one has ever thrown 27 pitches in 9 inning for a perfect game.
I'm not sure any one has ever considered this possibility, in baseball.
As far as golf, perfect is, the very best of your human skill, and physical limits, all coming to meet.
So, if I can only hit a drive so many yards, and my second shot is able to reach the green, perfect for that hole is a drive and then holing out the second shot.

Have I ever had a perfect game? Yes, but my definition of perfect, is just being able to get out of bed and play golf.
My other definition of perfect game. Is finishing the round without loosing a golf ball.
[/quote]

I disagree with the idea of a perfectly pitched baseball game is only 27 pitches.

Golf I think it would have to be more than going bogey free right? I mean, if someone plays a perfect bogey free round in a PGA tournament and shoots 72 they would probably still be down a few strokes going into the next round. I think the perfect round depends on course conditions, weather, and pin location in addition to going bogey free and hitting everything in regulation.

As defined by Major League Baseball a perfect game is a pitcher facing 27 batters and having 27 outs In 9 innings and not allowing a base runner. But there is no mention of how many pitches are thrown. So how do you define a perfectly pitched game? For me, throwing the absolute minimum number of pitches required for a single out, and the absolute minimum number for 27 outs. That's 27 pitches.
A lot of sports, perfection is measured objectively.
But perfection for golf is incredibly subjection.

The course architect defines the perfect game (par). Anything more than that is icing on the cake.

For an accomplished player though, I'd be inclined to agree that a bogey-free round would be a better measure.

[quote name='Grumpy bumpy' timestamp='1392755314' post='8695911']
As defined by Major League Baseball a perfect game is a pitcher facing 27 batters and having 27 outs In 9 innings and not allowing a base runner. But there is no mention of how many pitches are thrown. So how do you define a perfectly pitched game? For me, throwing the absolute minimum number of pitches required for a single out, and the absolute minimum number for 27 outs. That's 27 pitches.
A lot of sports, perfection is measured objectively.
But perfection for golf is incredibly subjection.
[/quote]

I think your definition discredits those who have pitched a perfect game. You're assuming that every hitter is going to swing at the first pitch. That's not fair at all to the pitcher, or to the hitter because that means a lack of discipline. A lot of teams go in with a mindset to take pitches and make the pitcher work so it's impossible to get 27 out on 27 pitches.

Obviously, you guys have never been to North Korea.

http://www.cybergolf.com/golf_news/alltime_golf_scoring_record_goes_with_death_of_kim_jong_il

There is no such thing as a perfect score in golf. In bowling if you get 12 strikes you have rolled a perfect game. There's nothing else you could possibly do. In golf there are too many variables. Take as example a remax long drive guy. Its possible for him to drive many par 4's on a middle of the road course. So he could hole out on every par 4 he could reach. Would it happen? no, but the point is it could.

For a normal hitter he would have to eagle every hole and get a hole in one on all the par 3's. The remax guys comes along and drives greens and holes out and shoots a lower score.

The closest thing to a perfect score in golf is sitting in the clubhouse with your buddies after a round and you have the low score and someone else picks up the check for dinner. That is the perfect score in golf.

[quote name='Grumpy bumpy' timestamp='1392755314' post='8695911']
As defined by Major League Baseball a perfect game is a pitcher facing 27 batters and having 27 outs In 9 innings and not allowing a base runner. But there is no mention of how many pitches are thrown. So how do you define a perfectly pitched game? For me, throwing the absolute minimum number of pitches required for a single out, and the absolute minimum number for 27 outs. That's 27 pitches.
A lot of sports, perfection is measured objectively.
But perfection for golf is incredibly subjection.
[/quote]

You clearly know absolutely nothing about baseball.

[quote name='Mr. Herbert' timestamp='1392765757' post='8697193']
[quote name='Grumpy bumpy' timestamp='1392755314' post='8695911']
As defined by Major League Baseball a perfect game is a pitcher facing 27 batters and having 27 outs In 9 innings and not allowing a base runner. But there is no mention of how many pitches are thrown. So how do you define a perfectly pitched game? For me, throwing the absolute minimum number of pitches required for a single out, and the absolute minimum number for 27 outs. That's 27 pitches.
A lot of sports, perfection is measured objectively.
But perfection for golf is incredibly subjection.
[/quote]

You clearly know absolutely nothing about baseball.
[/quote]
Ok. How so?

birdie on every hole....the vision54 philosophy

Grumpy Bumpy... com'on man... . Baseball is not a game that requires a batter to swing at the first pitch, which by your logic/definition, would be absolutely necessary for a "perfect game". Unfortunately your definition of a "perfect game" is not how the MLB defines it. A perfect game can be thrown in 10,000 pitches if necessary.

The perfect game? About 75 degrees, wide open course, good friends, golf all day. That's about perfect.

The perfect game? About 75 degrees, wide open course, good friends, golf all day. That's about perfect.

gxDD. As I stated. 27 batters, 27 outs, 9 innings, no hits. This is a perfect pitching game as defined.

Then i just stated 27 pitches, 27 batters, 27outs, and 9 innings.
I said this to make the comparison of the absurdity of this to the absurdity of a perfect round of golf.
But somehow it got missed.

[quote name='Grumpy bumpy' timestamp='1392766143' post='8697239']
[quote name='Mr. Herbert' timestamp='1392765757' post='8697193']
[quote name='Grumpy bumpy' timestamp='1392755314' post='8695911']
As defined by Major League Baseball a perfect game is a pitcher facing 27 batters and having 27 outs In 9 innings and not allowing a base runner. But there is no mention of how many pitches are thrown. So how do you define a perfectly pitched game? For me, throwing the absolute minimum number of pitches required for a single out, and the absolute minimum number for 27 outs. That's 27 pitches.
A lot of sports, perfection is measured objectively.
But perfection for golf is incredibly subjection.
[/quote]

You clearly know absolutely nothing about baseball.
[/quote]
Ok. How so?
[/quote]

As others have said, the pitcher has no control over whether or not the batter swings.

Not to mention the fact that if a pitcher never made anyone swing and miss, or at least foul it off, he wouldn't really be that good.

These are things that wouldn't have to be explained to someone who understood the game.

Bob Hendley faced fewer batters(25) in his loss to the Sandy Koufax perfect game.

A perfect game in golf should only count on a major tour when a player has the low or tie for low score on all 18 holes. Hitting every green and fairway is overrated. In the 2000 US Open at Pebble the par 3's on the back where impossible to hit both. Tiger played 17 perfectly by going in the bunker just short left then getting it up and down winning by 15.

i have a had a day where i hit 18 greens and shot 72. Was a very weird day, because when it's over you feel like you putted poorly

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1392771118' post='8697839']
i have a had a day where i hit 18 greens and shot 72. Was a very weird day, because when it's over you feel like you putted poorly
[/quote]

Nice! I can imagine there would be some putting frustration after a day like that...

Anyone else come close? I know the semantics of a perfect game of golf are throwing people a bit here, but for the definition I clearly made up, how close have you all come? It may seem silly to think of what makes a perfect game of golf, but I know I would be pretty happy with accomplishing something like all FW, all GIR and no bogeys! Seems like it'd be pretty cool

I once had 9 pars with 20 putts, hitting every fairway. The 2 par 5s, I had 80 foot eagle putts. I did not miss a putt inside 10 feet. It was a cool 9, but not anything close to perfect with the 20 putts. It is easier for us mortal non-tour players to have fantastic 9's than 18's. My close to perfect days putting have never come with my best ball striking days. I once had 8 putts for 9 missing a 3 footer, but holing a 50 yarder for par on the 3rd followed by a 160 yard shot for eagle on the 4th. That was only a 2 under 34 and I could not begin to remember my tee to green stats for that 9 holes.

I think in terms of comparisons to baseball's perfect game for golf, it'd have to be shooting below 60. I haven't done either but very few people have pitched perfect games or shot below 60. Pretty sure that for both accomplishments, you get more and more nervous as the game/round progresses because you know the unachievable is getting closer and closer to becoming a reality.

Nobody remembers who was bogey-free at Riviera (well, Bubba did do pretty well on the weekend) but everyone remembers Furyk's 59 from last year.

[quote name='tstephen' timestamp='1392773034' post='8698057']
I once had 9 pars with 20 putts, hitting every fairway. The 2 par 5s, I had 80 foot eagle putts. I did not miss a putt inside 10 feet. It was a cool 9, but not anything close to perfect with the 20 putts. It is easier for us mortal non-tour players to have fantastic 9's than 18's. My close to perfect days putting have never come with my best ball striking days. I once had 8 putts for 9 missing a 3 footer, but holing a 50 yarder for par on the 3rd followed by a 160 yard shot for eagle on the 4th. That was only a 2 under 34 and I could not begin to remember my tee to green stats for that 9 holes.
[/quote]

Great point, I definitely agree that having a stellar 9 holes happens a lot more frequently! I've come within 1 FW of a "perfect" 9 so far, so thanks for making me feel better

[quote name='drewtaylor21' timestamp='1392774180' post='8698193']
[quote name='tstephen' timestamp='1392773034' post='8698057']
I once had 9 pars with 20 putts, hitting every fairway. The 2 par 5s, I had 80 foot eagle putts. I did not miss a putt inside 10 feet. It was a cool 9, but not anything close to perfect with the 20 putts. It is easier for us mortal non-tour players to have fantastic 9's than 18's. My close to perfect days putting have never come with my best ball striking days. I once had 8 putts for 9 missing a 3 footer, but holing a 50 yarder for par on the 3rd followed by a 160 yard shot for eagle on the 4th. That was only a 2 under 34 and I could not begin to remember my tee to green stats for that 9 holes.
[/quote]

Great point, I definitely agree that having a stellar 9 holes happens a lot more frequently! I've come within 1 FW of a "perfect" 9 so far, so thanks for making me feel better
[/quote]

My best 18 scores I can remember focusing on fairways and greens for about the last 6-7 holes. If I was having a great round because of my ball striking I was successful and if it was due to my short game I would do whatever it took to keep the ball in play not putting pressure on my long game even it it meant a 200 yard or longer shot left to the green. Riviera CC is one of my 66's and I couldn't get up to the next tee quick enough to drill a drive down the fairway and an iron to the green. Some courses can actually bring out your absolute best! The best round of golf I ever witnessed was a 64 by David Edwards at Riviera in the '84 LA Open when the greens were as rock hard and fast as I have ever seen them. My 66 would have been at least a 76 that day.