Gimme Putts

[dblung]

Why do people insist on taking gimme putts. I've never seen Phil or Tiger take gimme's. Why not tap it in. People will play a hole from tee to green but then take a gimme put.I don't understand. Is it just me?

[RJRJRJ]

Mostly to speed up play I think. My group only takes gimmes if its a guarantee, i.e. less than a clubhead away.

[Dizz]

Depends on who, what and why you are playing. Sometimes I play as many holes as I can with a buddy before or after work and we pick up 3 footers if the other guy says its good. We aren't turning scores in and we're not gonna grind out every 3 footer for nothing. Other times there is something on the line and you putt everything out, tournament or cash. I'll tell you what though, nothing worse than being behind a 4 some on a Saturday morning and you watch them take 2 minutes to read and putt from the fairway only to watch it travel what seriously looks like 10 inches from that far away.

[Hateto3Putt]

[quote name='dblung' date='09 June 2010 - 10:54 PM' timestamp='1276138482' post='2499798']
Why do people insist on taking gimme putts. I've never seen Phil or Tiger take gimme's. [b]Why not tap it in.[/b] People will play a hole from tee to green but then take a gimme put.I don't understand. Is it just me?
[/quote]

I totally agree! If it's so easy to make the putt, then make it!

I've had people in my group actually kick my ball back to me after it "almost" was in. I simply tell them that because of the bets I have going on, don't do that, I need to putt them all out. [s]Most[/s] All of the guys I play and wager with do the same. I know if a guy says he got a par on the hole, he got a par.

I've personally missed putts inside of a foot that would have won the hole.

Putt it out!

[Speedly]

If it's ridiculously close, I'll call it good. It's mostly because I play at night and I'm usually racing the clock to get in as many holes as possible, and I want to allow myself as much time later to not have to rush, by cutting corners where reasonable.

If there's any doubt I can make it, I'll putt it, though.

[atlanta golfer]

I hate to say it but the gimme putts I see some people trading back and forth are done pretty much for the reason that they might miss them. Same folks that think "in the leather" means the distance from the clubhead to the grip. This is my family, though, so I can't say too much.

[Sawgrass]

I think most people pick up because they are afraid they might miss. But I think some pick up from the lip because they can do so without bending down (by using the back of their putters).

My advice is to never pick up. That way you never have to think about it!

[KevCarter]

[quote name='dblung' date='09 June 2010 - 09:54 PM' timestamp='1276138482' post='2499798']
Why do people insist on taking gimme putts. I've never seen Phil or Tiger take gimme's. Why not tap it in. People will play a hole from tee to green but then take a gimme put.I don't understand. Is it just me?
[/quote]

Have you ever watched Tiger or Phil play Match Play?

Giving putts is part of the rules and charm of Match Play and is very common at most clubs.

Kevin

[highergr0und]

Most people should be able to make the putt 95% of the time, but often you're confronted with either having to quickly putt out (increases risk of a miss) or mark the ball and then go through the whole putting routine again. Somewhere along the line, people came up with the gimme to take that risk away and speed up play.

A lot of things like this go back to "local" rules that should be set forth at or before the first tee. I've even played in big groups, playing for money, where one guy goes around and marks the gimme range on each person's putter with a piece of tape so that someone with a long putter doesn't get an "inside the grip" advantage. The rule is there, everyone accepts it, and everyone takes advantage.

[adsc4s]

Similar to match play, I will extend gimmie's when I feel my playing partner will most likely make the putt. It speeds up play for sure.

[BENCHMADE]

Its better to putt it out. You see and hear the ball go in. Its what you worked for when you teed up. What i do is if the person that's putting gets within a club length. I tell them to finish it out. It beats having to mark and go though the whole routine.

[bobilishious2]

As one poster above said, ALL the players on tour (Phil and Tiger included) take gimmies when playing matchplay, its just a courtesy. If a ball is 1 foot away and said player is going to hole the putt probably 100% of the time, I perfectly understand the offer of a gimmie, a 1 foot putt in this situation (matchplay) is a waste of time. Gimmies can also be used tactically in matchplay but we wont get into that here.

Also, if you follow a tour player through 18 holes of practice prior to a tounament, 99% of them will not bother holing every putt, it's a complete waste of their time. They are out there to make best use of their time to get lines off tees, yardages to hazards, contours, places to miss, places to hit etc. etc., they are not interested in a 1 or 2 foot putt, this is something then can groove on the practice green.

The only time i'd say you don't take gimmies is if you are playing in a competition (as it's not legal obviously), otherwise why not take a gimmie? I'd hate it if all the members of my course putted everything out, it would probably add half an hour or more to a round for absolutely no benefit.

[Marrrk]

How about this:

I only get to play with my father maybe 10 times a year. and when i play with him and his friends, it's always a very casual round, no wagers or anything. problem is, they ALL give themselves anything 4 feet or closer and rush around like they cant wait to get off the putting green.

i'm with the group that figures hey, i came all this way, might as well take my time and just knock it in. but unfortunately, i'm also of the group who has a very hard time slowing down and concentrating on my own 1 to 3 footers when they're gabbing away and halfway to the next tee.

i just gotta ignore them.

[Get There]

[quote name='bobilishious' date='11 June 2010 - 09:39 AM' timestamp='1276274370' post='2502987']
As one poster above said, ALL the players on tour (Phil and Tiger included) take gimmies when playing matchplay, its just a courtesy. If a ball is 1 foot away and said player is going to hole the putt probably 100% of the time, I perfectly understand the offer of a gimmie, a 1 foot putt in this situation (matchplay) is a waste of time. Gimmies can also be used tactically in matchplay but we wont get into that here.

Also, if you follow a tour player through 18 holes of practice prior to a tounament, 99% of them will not bother holing every putt, it's a complete waste of their time. They are out there to make best use of their time to get lines off tees, yardages to hazards, contours, places to miss, places to hit etc. etc., they are not interested in a 1 or 2 foot putt, this is something then can groove on the practice green.

The only time i'd say you don't take gimmies is if you are playing in a competition (as it's not legal obviously), otherwise why not take a gimmie? I'd hate it if all the members of my course putted everything out, it would probably add half an hour or more to a round for absolutely no benefit.
[/quote]
I complete agree. Let's not take ourselves too seriously here. Comparing a casual Saturday morning round with friends to Phil and Tiger playing in a profession stroke play tournament is a bit over the top. Crack a cold one and enjoy it.

[stage1350]

If it's match play, I'm happy to give them to you... until the 16th hole and you haven't had to make a 3 footer all day. Gamesmanship.

It also speeds up play, especially on a non-money game. Most money games, you putt everything out.

[Hateto3Putt]

[quote name='stage1350' date='11 June 2010 - 01:20 PM' timestamp='1276276818' post='2503096']
Most money games, you putt everything out.
[/quote]

I think that's my problem..., except for the annual scramble, every round has wagers attached.

[roll - gybe]

2 weeks ago, I played with a Hooters Tour player. He tapped in about half of his 2 footers and scraped the rest. He would take the time and go back and practice a chip. We played in about 3 hours.

Last week, we got paired up with a twosome of hacks. Husband and wife. They putted everything out, even if it was a 4 putt.

Clearly someone told them this was the thing to do. However, does it really mattter when you are getting 8s and 9s on every hole? I think it is ridiculous and self-righteous.

Even more ridiculous when they didn't count their whiffs as strokes. So you are going to fudge it on the whiff but you demand to hole out???

We took 5 hours for that round.

[Radagast]

I don't mind taking a gimme if it's offered inside 1 foot (playing alone I will hole it out). Anything further and I putt out, even if someone in the group calls gimme. I've missed enough 2 footers to know they aren't guaranteed.

As for others, I doesn't much matter to me what they do. I've seen a range of attitudes from those who hole out everything to others who pick up after 2 putts. I don't gamble on golf, so what they put on their card doesn't affect me.

[doof_dizzler]

I absolutely LOVE the threads about gimmes or cell phones or jeans. The flame wars are awesome, hope this one turns into one soon!

[Hateto3Putt]

[quote name='doof_dizzler' date='11 June 2010 - 03:17 PM' timestamp='1276283838' post='2503338']
I absolutely LOVE the threads about gimmes or cell phones or jeans. The flame wars are awesome, hope this one turns into one soon!
[/quote]

How about the guy wearing jeans, yakking on his cell while picking up putts!

My 3 favorite flamer threads (in no particular order)

[center]Walking vs. Riding
GPS vs. Laser
Playing it down vs Rolling the ball
[/center]

Back to the topic at hand. If your score on a hole has no impact on me, you can write down what you want. I love the guys who pick up putts, take a mulligan, or do-over, tee up every lie, don't count strokes for whatever reason, then tell you how good they shot in the clubhouse.

Those are the best guys to get into a money game!

[mlp]

I don't like taking 3' gimmes, but I will take one if I am in a hurry to get finished with a round before sunset, or if my group is playing slow and constantly holding up the people behind.

I also take gimmes of 2' or less if I have like a 7 and don't care about knocking in that tiny putt. Just want to get to th enext one you know?

[mdgboxx]

If you have ever seen someone pick his ball out of the cup with his putter head, just pretend that the rim is saying "thank you" every time it hears "Pick up" or "It's good" or anything to that effect.

[atlanta golfer]

The thing I see a lot is when people act like they just won't take a 3 putt. So the ball gets left maybe 3.5 feet from the hole, on a bit of a slope, and they poke at it and then pick it up quickly when it misses, before it stops rolling. To me, that is not really golf. We got paired with a 2-some a few weeks ago and the greens had been aerated a week previous. They were not in great shape but not in bad shape either. On the first green, one guy says to the other "how about we do a two putt maximum rule today". This is a guy who took about 3 practice swings on every shot, except of course for putting. Typical 20-25 handicappers, unfortunately.

[DaveLeeNC]

[quote name='dblung' date='09 June 2010 - 10:54 PM' timestamp='1276138482' post='2499798']
Why do people insist on taking gimme putts. I've never seen Phil or Tiger take gimme's. Why not tap it in. People will play a hole from tee to green but then take a gimme put.I don't understand. Is it just me?
[/quote]

I ran into an interesting example of this today.

It was a slow day on the course. While we were always waiting to hit our next shot, the people behind us were also always waiting to hit there next shot. It is pretty obvious here that our pace of play was not the issue, but it is tough to not feel that 'you need to do what you can do to help'.

We were on a par 3 where our wait (and the wait for the guys behind us) was longer than normal. I hit a pretty good lag putt to 1'. There were only 2 balls left on the green and to make my par putt I would normally have been standing in the line of the other guys' putt. I know that I can't "putt right" using wierd-oh stances. I just can't.

Without the 'pressure from behind' I would have marked, but to save time I decided to take a split stance and putt - and I missed it. Without the pressure from behind (and the guys behind us were doing NOTHING inappropriate - it was in my head, real or imagined) I can't believe I would have missed that putt.

Such is life on the golf course, but this is why some folks pick up putts. And this is not the same as picking up a 3 footer - I don't care how good a putter you are.

dave

[Sawgrass]

For the record, when Tiger or Phil play match play, they don't actually "take" gimmies. They sometimes give short putts, or have short putts given to them. But once an opponent concedes a putt to you in match play the hole is over for you. You don't get a choice as to whether to "take" it. It's in, and there is nothing in the world you can do about that. You can slop it all around the green afterward, but your score on the hole is already decided for you.

[masterli]

always confused why people care about how other people play when they're keeping pace, respecting the course, and are being respectful when you are taking your shot. they paid to be on the course like you did and are not breaking any rules. not everyone there is out there to play golf (ie by the rules). Sure most of us here do. i post my rounds so i'm bound by the rules like putting out but that doesn't mean the rest of my group has to nor should i care.

i'm not a believer that picking up significantly speeds up play. more often than not they pick up so there's no chance of missing it. i played w/ an older husband and wife yesterday. i'm guessing the husband was around a 10 and wife was a beginner. of course it was the husband slowing us down (complete hole open ahead of us by the turn). sure the wife would take 8 shots to hit the green but she was ready when she got to the ball and swung. the guy was ready to hit maybe half the time - he'd be talking on the phone, no where near his ball when it was his turn, even telling stories while he was setup for the ball. they both putt out. i'm convinced not being ready to hit when it's your turn is the main killer of time. when you're putting out everyone has their putter out and you're already close to your ball. i guess they're also related as someone could also not be ready to putt but i still think it's a bigger factor off of the green.

ok, sorry that turned into a venting session lol. i swear somewhere in there i addressed the topic.

[krentigrboi]

i like to putt everything out just to see the ball go into the cup. but when the ball is less than a foot away i usually just pick it up and get out fo the way so the others in the group can go ahead and putt. i dont want to wait and have them putt out and then go back place my ball and make the putt just to make it.

[mdgboxx]

The thing I see a lot is when people act like they just won't take a 3 putt. So the ball gets left maybe 3.5 feet from the hole, on a bit of a slope, and they poke at it and then pick it up quickly when it misses, before it stops rolling. To me, that is not really golf. We got paired with a 2-some a few weeks ago and the greens had been aerated a week previous. They were not in great shape but not in bad shape either. On the first green, one guy says to the other "how about we do a two putt maximum rule today". This is a guy who took about 3 practice swings on every shot, except of course for putting. Typical 20-25 handicappers, unfortunately.

 

 

Murphy's Law! You just HAD to be paired with: "Typical 20-25 handicappers, unfortunately"

 

You were PAIRED with them, you weren't playing WITH them or against them. When two partners play together/against each other, what business is it of yours? Were they also wearing jorts, worn-out T-shirts, backwards sweat-stained black caps while making sure that you get a gilmpse at their dirty, crooked decaying teeth? Chill out a bit.....They're not in a PGA Turney, they're just two buddies playing golf is all. If they want to play two putts max, what does that change on your Porterhouse grilled to perfection?

 

Just like Winter Rules in my northern province, two putts rule is common after the greens have been spiked.

[roll - gybe]

I gotta say, I do not understand putting out when playing alone or in a friendly game. There is nothing on the line, therefore it does not matter.

I know someone is going to say that their elite sense of integrity is what drives them or something like that. However, that's totally an internal conversation. That putt has zero significance to anyone - probably even you.

A 2 footer made alone is not clutch. It is not relevant. It is not the same. There needs to be a game going on.

[Sawgrass]

[quote name='roll - gybe' date='15 June 2010 - 12:24 PM' timestamp='1276619097' post='2510803']
I gotta say, I do not understand putting out when playing alone or in a friendly game. There is nothing on the line, therefore it does not matter.

[/quote]

Well, to the extent that golf is just a game, I suppose nothing about it "matters."

But if you're going to play, putting the ball in the cup is kind of the whole point.


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[b]1-1. General[/b]
The Game of Golf consists of playing a ball with a club from the [url="http://www.usga.org/workarea/linkit.aspx?linkidentifier=id&itemid=14253#TeeingGround"][i]teeing ground[/i][/url] into the [url="http://www.usga.org/workarea/linkit.aspx?linkidentifier=id&itemid=14253#Hole"][i]hole[/i][/url] by a [url="http://www.usga.org/workarea/linkit.aspx?linkidentifier=id&itemid=14253#Stroke"][i]stroke[/i][/url] or successive [url="http://www.usga.org/workarea/linkit.aspx?linkidentifier=id&itemid=14253#Stroke"][i]strokes[/i][/url] in accordance with the [url="http://www.usga.org/workarea/linkit.aspx?linkidentifier=id&itemid=14253#Rules"][i]Rules[/i][/url].

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Why is a golfer who finishes the hole accused of unwarranted behavior? I bet you wouldn't accuse a pick-up-game basketball player of having an "elite sense of integrity" if he only counted points for balls that went in the hoop.