What's the lowest score that a machine could get in golf?

[Rain Man]

To help clarify assumptions, let's set the following ground rules:

1. The machine uses current technology.
2. The machine swings a club at the ball.
3. The machine is mobile and can ambulate to the ball at any point on the course.
4. All equipment is current golf technology. Current clubs, current ball, current tee. The machine also sports a natty pair of plaid pants.
5. The machine has no human assistance once turned on. However, it can include any sensors that are currently available - optics, radar, weather, etc.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

To help clarify assumptions, let's set the following ground rules:

1. The machine uses current technology.
2. The machine swings a club at the ball.
3. The machine is mobile and can ambulate to the ball at any point on the course.
4. All equipment is current golf technology. Current clubs, current ball, current tee. The machine also sports a natty pair of plaid pants.
5. The machine has no human assistance once turned on. However, it can include any sensors that are currently available - optics, radar, weather, etc.

What does the robot do if the ball rolls into high and difficult grass - or a pot bunker? That's entirely possible even with the best shot. That's where the human brain does thousands of calculations for the next best shot. Are all scenarios for every situation programmed?

If the robot is in a pot bunker the best shot may be backwards. Is the robot's software so refined to make that judgement? On every single pot bunker in the world... or heck, on a course that has 200 pot bunkers?

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Stewie

What does the robot do if the ball rolls into high and difficult grass - or a pot bunker? That's entirely possible even with the best shot. That's where the human brain does thousands of calculations for the next best shot. Are all scenarios for every situation programmed?

If the robot is in a pot bunker the best shot may be backwards. Is the robot's software so refined to make that judgement? On every single pot bunker in the world... or heck, on a course that has 200 pot bunkers?

How well can you program the robot?

Personally, I think we have a lot of GPS, optics, data storage, and angle programming available for our use, and there are a finite number of golf courses. I wouldn't think this would be a problem.

[Squalor]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

To help clarify assumptions, let's set the following ground rules:

1. The machine uses current technology.
2. The machine swings a club at the ball.
3. The machine is mobile and can ambulate to the ball at any point on the course.
4. All equipment is current golf technology. Current clubs, current ball, current tee. The machine also sports a natty pair of plaid pants.
5. The machine has no human assistance once turned on. However, it can include any sensors that are currently available - optics, radar, weather, etc.

Gotta give you a Main Ran on this, I don't believe under these criteria that your golfer is no more than a device. It cannot play par.