Circle of Friendship

[SNIPERBBB]

I think it's about 4" around here, it's kinda earth colored as the grounds crew doesn't believe in painting anything at my home courses and neighboring courses

[golfpunk59]

Gimmie threads are my favorite.

My club has a marker on the flag stick for whats considered good in our games. You can putt it out if you want but if you rake it away no one cares.

[antip]

This thread is such a laugh. "The Circle of Friendship" is simply "The Cheating Circle" in competition golf outside explicit case by case agreement in match play.

[Halebopp]

If you want to speed up the game, skip hitting your tee shots and drop a ball on the fairway. If you want to make it more realistic, throw a dice to see if you need to drop a ball into a PA, fairway, rough, bunker, OB or behind a tree. If OB, throw again and add two strokes to your score. It'll save a lot more time than picking up putts.

[8602081]

I remember while back..

Davis Love III gave away putts on sudden death, I can't remember the other player..

 

 

 

 

[llewol007]

Didn’t mean anything by it Hawkeye77. My golf buddy sees it the same way you do. We just give gimmie putts where in we hope you wouldn’t miss it if you had to putt it. It does bite some people in the but though during a tourney when you have to putt out everything.

[SNIPERBBB]

Another thing if you drew these circles...you'd have these annoying circles all over the green after a while.

[HatsForBats]

So you are that driver in the passing lane doing the speed limit. Glad I finally found you. Nobody, besides other sticks in the mud, like when you do that. Stop it. ie. somewhere in life you cheat the rules of something more important than golf (taxes, traffic laws etc.). Lighten up a little.

 

 

[rogolf]

Any noticeable in this? (other than it's sideways, which I can't seem to fix)

[Sawgrass]

I am not a fan, and I suspect you agree:

Yeah, lay that baby down and measure to the black line. Then argue whether the starting point is the center of the cup, the back of the cup or the front of the cup. Once you get that straight, argue if you should measure to the back of the ball, the center of the ball or the front of the ball. If you'd like, also argue about which edge off the black line is the one to count. Then pick up the stick and replace it and let your buddy do the same thing.

Then rejoice in how much time you saved! Awesome!

[rogolf]

I'm sure that the originators of that have it all figured out, negating any decision-making or arguing on the putting green. And I'm sure that it has a purpose within the groups that use it.

I have no objections against those that want to use it in their games, nor, imo, should anyone else not involved in their games.

[Sawgrass]

Anyone having to wait in the group behind has a right to feel frustrated with such machinations irrespective of their being involved in the same game or not.

Please don’t tell me that using that flagstick as a measuring device saves time.

[rogolf]

I don't recall saying or seeing that the group you're speaking about was delaying play in any manner, nor did I say that it saved time. (and it's not at my course either, so I have no information on how it works)

You seem vehemently opposed to how others might play their games?

[Hawkeye77]

Didn't think you did, believe me. I'm out by myself playing a round I'm putting everything in, same when playing with my dad or my daughter. With friends it just doesn't always work that way and I usually conform to whatever the standard is for the group and don't worry about it too much. Absent a chip in or a medium length putt, lol, I can think of a couple people I don't think have heard their ball hit the bottom of the cup in a few years. You are correct in people getting stung by the practice - our league play also has other old guys, bless their hearts, that have no qualms about wanting to see a one or two footer (as they should, IMO) and it's funny how some get worked up because so and so isn't generous with gimmes. Totally in their heads and almost bitter about it. It's really comical and you can just see three footers in their heads so much they have no chance of making them - and why would they, they almost never putt them on Saturday or Sunday morning.

 

The social psychology of gimmes would be an interesting article, IMO.

[Sawgrass]

Let me be more clear so you don’t have to guess:

1) The entire world is welcome to give themselves 10 foot putts for all I care as long as they are not pulling anything over on anyone they compete with.

2) A one foot line on a flagstick used to measure seems silly and counterproductive to me, and is bound to be a clumsy time waster.

3) You seem offended by my reaction, sorry, I actually thought you’d feel the same way. Different horses for different courses.

[rogolf]

As to 3), I do feel the same way as you do in the vast majority of Rules issues. However, the need to hole every putt in friendly games, usually involving competition between players/groups, seems completely unnecessary in my opinion, bordering on OCB (being polite here). The players/groups do need to sort out what is ok within their groups, and I'm not going to be judgemental on what they decide. And yes, all of the groups that I play in give and take putts - calibration between groups is the only issue that anyone raises.

[Sawgrass]

I sometimes play in a stroke play tournament group which literally hands out 18” rulers to each foursome so they can measure gimmies. I’ve seen a guy walk back to his cart to get the forgotten ruler to measure his questionable putt.

I hate it, it makes me crazy! I wish this group’s “rule “ was to follow the rules. I don’t want any stroke play gimmies. But in match, bring those concessions on!

[rogolf]

In stroke play tournaments, everyone must follow the Rules of golf and hole out. In casual stroke play, including competition between groups, imo, the groups can decide what they want to do with respect to holing out. If someone outside the group(s) doesn't like it, I guess that just too bad and they'll have to deal with it. Lots of people don't follow life's rules, but I'm not policing them (sometimes I'll judge them, but in the privacy of my own vehicle!).

[antip]

I'm as light as can be. If we are in organised competition stroke play (which is almost all club play in this country), they all go in. And while it may be difficult for a North American to comprehend, absolutely no-one bucks that requirement of the rules. If you don't put it in, you have wiped that hole in Stableford/Par etc, or you have wiped that round in medal play.

If it's any other form of golf, including any friendly wager with your buds, do whatever you like, all is fair. I certainly do gimmes in match play.

So there really is no need to start making personal inferences here about the nature of a person on the basis of me explaining this considerable cultural difference in the way golf is played between our countries.

[Warrior42111]

If it's stoke (medal) competition, putt out

If your league rules, or even your regular group/ money game decides to putt out, then everyone do it.

If your league rules, or group, or random person you are paired decides to have the circle, or gimmies, or heck even a breakfast ball, so be it. Golf is suppose to be fun

[Warrior42111]

[Roadking2003]

never heard that one before. If it's that short, no need to pick it up as you can tap it into the hole in less than half a second.

[tkwilliamson22]

I think it all depends on what group your playing with. I've got certain friends or days where it's casual and we are drinking beer and hanging out, but most days we are gambling and even a 1 inch tap in needs to be holed out. I've always been a good putter, but since we started playing where every putt needs to be holed I have improved drastically and have so much more confidence in 3-5 footers in competition play now. Just play to whatever group and if no money is on the line then who cares.

[MtlJeff]

I dont understand this concept at all , if people want to take gimmes or pick up putts they can just do it (acknowledging this is not always within the rules of golf)...

Why do we need lines showing them when to do this? To distract people playing by the rules?

Ridiculous man, just pick up putts if you want to. I dont want the green to look like a basketball court

[8602081]

I agree.. this was also meant to be a friendly conversation. I play friendly game every weekend for little money.. If the ball is within couple of feet and it's not on a slope.. we usually give each other the putt..

[Augster]

HitEm has it right. This was the original intent from everything I’ve read. It’s a putt that you can hole nearly 100% of the time without thinking. But it speeds up play, is easier on old timers backs to not bend over, and easier on the cup. Kind of like the extra point in the NFL. They made nearly 100% of kicks so what was the point? So they moved it back.

Same with the definition of “inside the leather” being from the head to the bottom of the grip. The old definition of “inside the leather” was nearly 100% holeable so worse putters wanted it moved back so they can make the ticklers they sometimes miss and it wrecks a round.

“Inside the leather” used to mean a gimme from a foot or less. Most leather putter grips weren’t longer than 12”.

 

[Axiom]

I was playing a match with a good friend and I had a shortish putt, so I took my time, waiting for him to concede it. I finally got over the putt and looked at him quizzically again and he said: "I'll give you the next one."

[antip]

Missed an opportunity there though - as you had not putted yet, the next one is the one you were about to hit.

[txsndvl]

Yes 100x over

[tbowles411]

Not in my group. If that were the case, I'd save about 10 shots. LOL