Hole in One (...or Two)

1977 - Present

Next to Plinko, Hole in One may be the most famous game on TPiR. The game is a golf game played for a car. The contestant is shown six grocery items and is asked to identify them from lowest to highest. Flags representing the six items are placed along a putting green with six lines placed equidistant from each other. The models reveal the cost of the items one by one and as long as the series continues in ascending order, the contestant moves up the putting line. The point where the contestant first messes up the order determines the position from which the contestant will putt. The closer the contestant is to the actual order, the closer the contestant is to the hole. Should the contestant get the order exactly right, s/he wins a $500 bonus ($1000 on the nighttime specials) and gets to putt at the line closest to the hole. After the putting location is determined, the contestant has one shot to putt a golf ball in a hole at the end of the green. A successful putt wins the contestant the car.

A drum roll was played during the contestant's putt during the very first playings of the game. Now the audience remains silent during the contestants' putt(s).

This may be Bob's favorite game of the 70 or so currently being played. Bob's inspiration putts that proceed the contestants' putts have become legendary. At points, the staff kept statistics to track Bob's success rate with the putts, and Bob often jokes that the models take bets prior to the show on whether or not he will sink the putt. After awhile, Bob allowed others to take inspirations putts for him, including all the models and a large portion of the production staff.

Hole in One has had some pretty spectacular putts in its 20+ year history. Many self-proclaimed bad golfers have nailed the putt from the back line. A few lucky contestants have overshot the hole but had the ball bounce off the end of the green and pop back in--that still counts!

In 1998, the Game Show Network aired a hilarious commercial for a fictional video tape in which Bob offers advice (such as "Just shake it into the hole!") to Hole in One contestants.

Hole in One...or Two was played on Gameshow Marathon in 2006 and as aired, viewers may have thought the rules were temporarily changed, since celebrity Kathy Najimy appeared to receive only one putt attempt.  In reality, she was given two putts and missed both, and the producers elected to edit out the first miss (as well as the reference to game allowing two tries).

Name Change: The unfortunate detraction to this game is that not every contestant who plays this game is an avid miniature golf fan, and even a short putt can be tough for a really bad golfer. To allow a little extra room for error, the name of the game was changed to Hole in One...or Two beginning with the nighttime specials in 1986. After this point, contestants were given two shots to make the putt, but from the same line each time.

Set Changes: The podium that houses the six prizes received spiffy golf balls to enhance the golf motif of the game early in the game's existence. A placard displaying the $500 bonus was added at the end of the green shortly after the game's inception. At first it was a tacky white sign, followed by a tacky yellow flower, followed by an equally tack blue flower. Since the early '80s, it has been a spiffy golden banner. The nighttime specials used a banner with the $1000 bonus. Although the name changed with the nighttime specials, the traditional set didn't change until the rule was instituted on the daytime series. The sign stating Hole in One now features a golf ball with the word "One" that can be switched to "or Two" should the contestant need another putt. In addition, the stand for the grocery items was given a touchup that altered it from one row of six items to two rows of three items each.

Here's the classic Hole in One set. There's the tacky white $500 sign at the end...	This weed needs to be picked.

Johnny, tells about these six fabulous grocery items.	Ooh...so close! This contestant messed up on just one item and nearly won a $500 bonus! Still, she gets to putt close to the hole.

Bob is ready to make his classic inspiration putt. Note that the contestant is holding his microphone for him.	Bob sunk his putt, but will the contestant have the same luck?

Yep! She nailed it!	Tacky flower #2.

Those golf balls were a good addition.	Here's the $1000 pennant from the nighttime specials.

Here's Hole in One from 1998. That's the $500 flag at the end of the green.	Kathleen really gets into her inspiration putt! This split screen is a great addition to the game.

Here's the current podium for the grocery items.	The contestant missed his first putt, but the name of the game can go from Hole in One...

...to Hole in or Two. Well, just Hole in Two.	This contestant is thankful he got a second chance. He nailed it the second time around!