Tried Playing "Worse Shot" for the First Time Today

[ChetlovesMer]

Okay, not sure if this already exists... I suspect it does.

My neighbor and I played today... yeah, January 4th. It was almost 50 degrees for most of the round. Yay!

Since there was only 2 off us and the only course around that was open was actually packed we decided to play "worst ball" against each other.

Basically we each hit 2 tee shots, than he'd pick the worst of mine and I'd pick the worst of his. You had to play the worst ball. 2 approach shots, play the worst one, etc...

I have to say it was kind of a cool way to work on your game. If you hit a good shot, you were not off the hook, you had to follow it up with another good shot. It seemed to put a little more pressure on you. 

It felt like a really good way to improve your game. Seems like if you played this a lot, then played regular golf in which you only need to hit one good shot, it would seem easier. 

So, did we invent this? Of is this already a thing? 

[dennyjones]

It really is a thing.   I've done this many times when playing alone and you are right, it's a great way to work on your game.  

[colin007]

Tiger shot a 66 playing worst ball. SMDH.

Apparently, Tiger Woods recently shot a WORST-ball 66 at his home course - Golf Digest

---

This is not an April Fools' Day joke. At least, we don't think. Golf Digest senior...

 

[Shindig]

I think Stewart Cink has a variant of this he plays with his friends who are amateurs.  They get handicap strokes as usual and the ability to call back a few of his shots during the round.  

[HJJ003]

I am scored to know what I would shoot. It would be way north of 100 even on a good day lol. 

[sjduffers]

Are you saying you are hitting his worst shot and he is hitting yours? That makes no sense, as it would be so easy to just duff one a few yards forward and leave him basically with the same shot. Then he could do the same to you, and you'd be just barely better off than when you started. A whole round of that could lead to a score of several hundreds!

Now, one person playing their own worst ball, yes. That is a great way to work on one's game. To get a birdie on the card, you actually need to make it twice, with both balls. So, Tiger's 66 at worst ball is really impressive!

[colin007]

8 minutes ago, sjduffers said:

Are you saying you are hitting his worst shot and he is hitting yours? That makes no sense, as it would be so easy to just duff one a few yards forward and leave him basically with the same shot. Then he could do the same to you, and you'd be just barely better off than when you started. A whole round of that could lead to a score of several hundreds!

Now, one person playing their own worst ball, yes. That is a great way to work on one's game. To get a birdie on the card, you actually need to make it twice, with both balls. So, Tiger's 66 at worst ball is really impressive!

The latter.

[ChetlovesMer]

4 hours ago, sjduffers said:

Are you saying you are hitting his worst shot and he is hitting yours? That makes no sense, as it would be so easy to just duff one a few yards forward and leave him basically with the same shot. Then he could do the same to you, and you'd be just barely better off than when you started. A whole round of that could lead to a score of several hundreds!

Now, one person playing their own worst ball, yes. That is a great way to work on one's game. To get a birdie on the card, you actually need to make it twice, with both balls. So, Tiger's 66 at worst ball is really impressive!

Yeah, sorry if that was unclear. I played my worst ball (as picked by him), he played his worst shot. 

 

And believe it or not I actually made 3 birdies. On the 8th hole I made 2 GIR's, he selected the longest putt for me. It actually kind of lined up with the shadow of the flag. I rolled it parallel to the flag's shadow and made the birdie. The other 2 birdies were both chip ins from just off the green. 

 

I was 5 over on the front, 9 over on th he back. 

[Beastie]

For bounce games we used to play a “reverse mulligan”. Each player could at any time in the round, call on any other player a reverse mulligan. - 180 yards from the bunker, over water and you’ve hit it to 3 feet. “Sorry Bob but that’s a reverse mulligan” ...../casually flicks ball into bunker at Bobs feet......../ “try that again”

[sjduffers]

18 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Yeah, sorry if that was unclear. I played my worst ball (as picked by him), he played his worst shot. 

Yeah. That makes sense: thanks for clarifying! 

18 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

And believe it or not I actually made 3 birdies. On the 8th hole I made 2 GIR's, he selected the longest putt for me. It actually kind of lined up with the shadow of the flag. I rolled it parallel to the flag's shadow and made the birdie. The other 2 birdies were both chip ins from just off the green. 

 

I was 5 over on the front, 9 over on th he back. 

Very good. I see that you only played the worst ball of the two (playing it twice from there). In another version of that game, you play both balls, not only the worse one, and pick the worst result for the score, so in order to get a birdie you have to hole out 2 putts, not just the longest.  Just the same, this is a hard game: you did well!

[David in FL]

It’s fun to play as a 4-ball too.  The worst score counts for the team score on each hole, rather than the best.

[Mr22putt]

22 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

And believe it or not I actually made 3 birdies. On the 8th hole I made 2 GIR's, he selected the longest putt for me. It actually kind of lined up with the shadow of the flag. I rolled it parallel to the flag's shadow and made the birdie. . 

I've played worst shot with a friend by we only gambled and played it for only 5 holes....it got a bit grueling.

But we played it differently...worst shot for all shots and putts.....so if one drained the 1st putt...he would still have to make a 2nd putt....if that 2nd putt didn't go in...then he would continue until two putts from the same spot where holed...same with chip shots.

It made pars difficult...I made 2 pars in the 5 holes played.

Edited January 7, 2019 by Mr22putt

[klineka]

On 1/5/2019 at 9:21 PM, ChetlovesMer said:

And believe it or not I actually made 3 birdies. On the 8th hole I made 2 GIR's, he selected the longest putt for me. It actually kind of lined up with the shadow of the flag. I rolled it parallel to the flag's shadow and made the birdie. The other 2 birdies were both chip ins from just off the green. 

In a true worst ball you would have to make the birdie putt twice and the chip ins twice. 

Once he chose the longest putt for you, you would then putt twice from that distance, just like you hit twice from the tee and twice from the fairway. If you made the first putt but left the second putt 4 feet short, then you'd have to make the 4 footer twice in order to count as a par.

 

[ChetlovesMer]

3 hours ago, klineka said:

In a true worst ball you would have to make the birdie putt twice and the chip ins twice. 

Once he chose the longest putt for you, you would then putt twice from that distance, just like you hit twice from the tee and twice from the fairway. If you made the first putt but left the second putt 4 feet short, then you'd have to make the 4 footer twice in order to count as a par.

 

Yes, You are right.

We didn't think of that. We'll have to try that next time we have a chance. As far as we knew we made up the game on the spot. So, we just played it until any ball was holed. 

I think your way would really add to the challenge in the short game. Hitting an 8 footer, okay... hitting it twice, well? Plus, I don't think I'd be likely ever to hole out chipping twice from the same spot.

[p1n9183]

The other day a saw a game in youtube that was hard and funny.

it was a foursome playing together worst ball in every shot till all off them holes the last distance.
Example: All of them hit tee shot, chose the worst driver. From there, all of them hit and choose the worst. same with every shot till let say.. on 5th shot every one of the group sink a 2 foot putt for bogey.
In the group I saw all of them were scratch player and a pro. I think they shoot 4 over in 4 holes. Really difficult.   

[gbogey]

Peter Kostis wrote a good article several years back about things like this to improve your game.  He mentioned

1. Worst Shot with two balls
2. Best Shot with two balls - helps you understand your potential.
3. Single ball - hit two shots whenever you have a shot game shot such as a chip, pitch, putt or sand. If the 2nd shot is routinely better than the first your short game needs work.

[dennyjones]

1 hour ago, gbogey said:

Peter Kostis wrote a good article several years back about things like this to improve your game.  He mentioned

1. Worst Shot with two balls
2. Best Shot with two balls - helps you understand your potential.
3. Single ball - hit two shots whenever you have a shot game shot such as a chip, pitch, putt or sand. If the 2nd shot is routinely better than the first your short game needs work.

When I play a practice round alone, I have been known to do all three.

[iacas]

4 hours ago, gbogey said:

• Best Shot with two balls - helps you understand your potential.

I disagree.

I mean, I get it, but… no.

It might be somewhat better if you always took the second shot, because there are going to be times you hit a better first shot than a second shot.

And yeah, a guy who normally shoots 90 and who shoots a best-ball 81 might be seeing his "potential" but a guy who shoots 72 with a best-ball 64 isn't really seeing his potential, he's playing a small scramble.