How close do you have to be for a gimme?

[sye46]

Gimme Putts

My friends all tell me that anything within one club length (pitching wedge) is considered a gimme. this drives me nuts because i know they can't make some of those putts... especially on pin locations on a slope. I putt everything out..... is there a rule on gimme's???

[Diesel]

a PW...?

 

LOFL...

 

gimme's are BS...

[DaveyH]

in matchplay it depends on who im playing!!

Otherwise id say only when im more than confident they will nock it in.

[g8a_golf]

a 1 inch putt isn't a gimme... i ALWAYS putt out and nothing aggrivates me more than when i play with a couple of old guys and i hit a 30 footer to three feet and they just knock it away and say, "Thats Good!" i understand some people play gimmes but i have seen people miss a 4 inch putt so i don't trust anybody anymore.

[Joe Schmoe]

You can have a gimmie any time. But for me it goes in the hole. Just don't try to compare scores with gimmies.

[raidernut1234]

PUTT IT!! unless your giving it to the guy for gamesmanship, etc.

[mcputter]

My friends all tell me that anything within one club length (pitching wedge) is considered a gimme. this drives me nuts because i know they can't make some of those putts... especially on pin locations on a slope. I putt everything out..... is there a rule on gimme's???

 

What's a gimmie?

[rufus mangler]

A PW is nearly 3' long. No matter who you are, you will hear total silence from 99.9% of gimme givers on the planet.

[lefty92]

Anything within the leather (putter grip).

[hattrick3518]

i hate when im playing out there and i get paired with an older fellow, i hit my first putt and its oh say 2 ft away, i walk up to mark it (just routine) and he just says, oh thats good. politely say, 'well ive missed a couple of these before, so i will just knock it in'

i hate it, like anything within 3 feet is good, no wonder that guy had no 3 putts.

if im playing a match, it really depends on who im playing with, but if we're getting along, and he is giving me putts of a fair length, il do the same for him, im not going to be an a** and make him putt out everything, especially cuz he'l knock it in 9/10 times anyways. but for the most part, gimmies piss me off, unless its in a matchplay with someone im geting along with

[BILL12x]

I think it's funny when people get mad that I didn't give them a putt. If it's so close that you think I should give it to you, it must be easy to make 100% of the time. Just make it.

[Maharishi]

I Putt out 99% of the time.

 

However a putter grip is about right (say 10").

[Joe Schmoe]

With putting everything out, i slow myself down just a second or two and actually properly address the ball otherwise its to easy to catch a tap in chunky and not move the ball. I didn't slow myself down and just a couple rounds ago did just that. Then last round my friend did the same thing.

[threeputter]

Pretty much anything inside a foot, and I'll give, except on pars or better. I earn those and make those I play with make them. Gimme's on bogeys or worse are fine from about a foot or less.

[k_dubs]

I can't seem to find the term "gimme" in the rules of golf...maybe I'm spelling it wrong?

Or maybe you're playing a different game?

[sye46]

nice to know how you guys feel about gimmes.... now the problem is how do I get my friends to start putting them out without them being offended. I've seen them complain about playing with some people that won't give them gimmes. i play with these guys all the time and I don't want to be left out because I don't want to give them a gimme. But we're all competitive and it bugs me that they sometimes beat me by a few strokes and I know they shouldn't have because some of those gimmes could be missed.

[pengster1970]

Conceded putts are fine - and very much a part of the tactic (tourneys) and courtesy (with buddies) of matchplay. In fact, I'd like to see recreational golfers take more gimmes - particularly when the putt is for a triple / quad. Let's face it - you can turn all the rants about slow play and attribute them to golfers chopping away at their 7th, 8th, 9th shot. You cant have it both ways.

 

Of course in tournament play, putt em out.

[golfho]

How close do you have to be for a Gimme. 4 inches below the surface is my answer. If it's not in the hole it's still in play. Before any round whoever i'm playing with i will try to come to an agreement that no gimmies be given, that way no one will be offended when the heat is on.

[MTM]

nice to know how you guys feel about gimmes.... now the problem is how do I get my friends to start putting them out without them being offended.

 

If I'm not playing for money I don't care if a guy gives himself putts. I play for my own score.

If you play these guys for money I'd just say on the first tee "let's play tournament rules today. No mulligans, no gimmes, putt everything out" If they don't want to do that don't play for $$.

I played with a guy that must've hit 5 balls OB or in water one day. As we walked off 18 he asked what I shot and I said "78". He says "that's what I shot too!" OK, buddy, if that makes you feel better about yourself to not count all your strokes that's alright with me.

For the record, my regular playing partners do give gimmies but the ball has to be like looking down into the cup. 6 inches maximum.

[Johnny]

inside the leather

[tbowles411]

Anything within 8 inches for our groups. Usually we'll putt them out anyways. We like the sound it makes when it hits the cup!

[Milo]

I always put out. If you start expecting gimmes and don't get one it adds pressure and might lead to a miss. A two foot put is so close it would be embarrassing to miss which increases the likelihood of doing so unless you knock them in every day.

[AcesAZ]

Inside of two feet and I'll usually give it to my opponents. Although I missed a putt just a hair longer than 2 feet today myself in a tourney. Pretty pathetic lack of concentration.

[Diesel]

nice to know how you guys feel about gimmes.... now the problem is how do I get my friends to start putting them out without them being offended. I've seen them complain about playing with some people that won't give them gimmes. i play with these guys all the time and I don't want to be left out because I don't want to give them a gimme. But we're all competitive and it bugs me that they sometimes beat me by a few strokes and I know they shouldn't have because some of those gimmes could be missed.

 

going to be tough, but if you just address it before the round that you would like to play everything out, it might stick...

 

i have a partner that plays with his work colleagues, and they do gimmies all the time... he knows that i don't play that crap, but i've lightened up on him cause i've been improving more rapidly than he has... heck i've allowed him to take mulligans off the tee, and everything recently and still hand him a whooping by 15 strokes... you gotta keep the other guys interested or you might end up losing some playing partners...

[Diesel]

Inside of two feet and I'll usually give it to my opponents. Although I missed a putt just a hair longer than 2 feet today myself in a tourney. Pretty pathetic lack of concentration.

 

i missed one on a par 3 the other day from less than 15"... it was a TOUGH one to swallow, considering i hit the green off the tee, proceeded to leave the birdie putt (about 40'er), 8' short, missed the par, then missed the tap in bogey... recording that double after hitting the GIR made me so mad...! i proceeded to par the next 3 holes though, so it was ok in the end...

[rodge]

I absolutely love it when guys give themselves 2-3 foot putts in normal rounds, because I know those are going to be the same putts those guys are missing in a tournament. If you don't learn to putt a 2 footer when it means nothing, then it's going to really be tough when it's for the club championship.

[mrq]

gimmie = ball in the cup... period..

[paulyb]

I can't seem to find the term "gimme" in the rules of golf...maybe I'm spelling it wrong?

Or maybe you're playing a different game?

 

That's beautiful!!! I will add the object of the game is to get the ball IN the hole not close to the hole.

[Check6]

nice to know how you guys feel about gimmes.... now the problem is how do I get my friends to start putting them out without them being offended. I've seen them complain about playing with some people that won't give them gimmes. i play with these guys all the time and I don't want to be left out because I don't want to give them a gimme. But we're all competitive and it bugs me that they sometimes beat me by a few strokes and I know they shouldn't have because some of those gimmes could be missed.

 

Just tell them what my Grandfather told me, "The score for the hole is complete when the ball is resting at the bottom of the hole. Are we playing golf or something else?" It's like hitting a "walk-off" home run. You still have to hit all the bases, they don't "gimme" third to home.

[IndyIN]

I don't really care what others do and I do take them on occasion. I also don’t play people for money, so it has no impact. IMHO, people play golf for a lot of reasons and sometimes its just to relax… if someone you are paired up with (in a casual round) wants to get himself/herself a 4’ give me what does it matter? :beach: