Gimmes

[CarlSpackler]

10 minutes ago, Frank F said:

On a par 4, he probably should have picked up at 7 or 8 depending upon his handicap index.

Naw. That would be against the rules. #sarcasm

[Frank F]

Just now, CarlSpackler said:

Naw. That would be against the rules. #sarcasm

Not rule 21.2 LOL!

[phan52]

We usually play for money but most players give "gimmes", with varying definitions of what that may be. My limit is 18 inches. Anybody can miss a 2 foot putt but it's hard to get the ball outside the hole from 18 inches. I would prefer to putt everything out but I usually accede to the wishes of the group and I will never sweep a ball away until someone says it is good, no matter how long it is, even tap-ins. I don't want any arguments.

There is one group I play with a lot who insist everything must go in the hole, even tap-ins. The one guy who is behind that says it is important because it makes you used to putting out the two footers when you are in tournament play and I notice that he has won a lot of our medal-play tournaments. I guarantee that a lot of players in my club sweat over the two footers in tournaments because they aren't used to having to make them. 

[Club Rat]

A friend sent me this article which is quite funny....

The Art of a Gimmie ... By Mick Kemper

Quote

I attended the 2002 US Senior Open at Caves Valley Golf Course in Maryland. While standing in a large crowd behind the 11th green, I saw Arnold Palmer and his army round the corner of the fairway. He proceeded to hit his second shot onto the green about 30 feet from the hole.  As he reached the green and surveyed his putt, a spectator yelled, “it’s good, Arnie, pick it up.” 
Short putts are the Bermuda Triangle of golf. Just ask Scott Hoch who missed a 2 foot putt to lose the 1989 Masters. Missing a short putt is like fumbling at the goal line, dropping a pop up for the final out, or driving across the country to discover Wally World is closed. It is devastating.
Fortunately, amateur golfers have a vaccine for these blown putts, a get out of jail free card, it’s called a “gimmie”. It works like this. You are standing over a three foot putt to save par. Sweat is running down your back into your Tommy Johns and dread is creeping into your fragile psyche. You are agonizing over the proverbial question, “Do I ease it in or ram it home?” Then suddenly you hear those magic words, “That’s good, pick it up.” 
Accepting a gimmie is easy. Before your conscience sets in, quickly pick up your ball and slink off the green like a shoplifter exiting a convenience store. 
On the other hand, conceding a putt is more complicated than judging figure skating. Is the golfer worthy? Is the ball within the so called circle of friendship or just a distant cousin? What is a reasonable distance? An arms-length? A size 12 golf shoe? The height of your average circus midget?  There is no definitive rule. It is an art.
Some guys are generous and hand out gimmies like after dinner mints, sometimes even before the lag putt has stopped rolling. I love these guys. They are the Mother Theresa’s of golf.   
The other mothers of golf are the players who would rather donate a kidney than concede a putt. These are the guys who keep score in ink, who use a pocket calculator to split the lunch tab, and who believe a gimmie is an assault on the integrity of the game. Keep in mind, this is a game typically played by hackers in baggy shorts who have already taken two mulligans and several foot wedges just to survive the front nine. What integrity? 
So, if you struggle with administering a gimmie, here are some helpful guidelines:

Daylight Savings Time
The foursome waiting in the fairway has been watching your group blast from one greenside bunker to another, chunk chips, plumb bob, and debate who putts next. This is more frustrating than waiting for a senior citizen to back out of a parking space at Walmart or watching Joe Biden trying to complete a sentence. Just grab your balls and get off the green. All putts are good.
Code Blue
Your playing partner is on life support. He has landed in every bunker, splashed in every pond, and bounced off more trees than a squirrel on crack. You cannot bear to see him take another stroke. It is your civic duty to stop the bleeding and administer the Kevorkian gimmie. No range limitations in this case. If his ball is closer to the hole than to Akron Ohio, it’s good. Knock it away before he tries to hit it again.
Nothing at Stake
Pros putt out because they are playing for big money, coveted trophies, and trophy wives. For the average golfer, missing or making a short putt is more meaningless than a cup of decaf coffee or a political campaign promise. Give him the putt. There is no good reason not to.
Reward
The guy has stroked a winding 125 foot putt from just off the green to within three feet of the hole. Reward him. Let him pick it up. He earned it. It is better than watching him lip out, melt down, and try to disembowel himself with his putter. 
Human Kindness
Your buddy helps you tune up your car, mows your lawn when you are on vacation, and laughs at all your dumbass jokes. You owe him that testy three footer as a gesture of friendship. It is golf’s version of sending a fruit basket. 
No Mercy
If you are embroiled in a highly competitive match and your opponent has been talking smack, there is no such thing as a gimmie. Make him putt every putt. It’s Cobra Kai time, it’s time to sweep the knee.
Retribution
If the player is an obnoxious blowhard, an arrogant know-it-all, a despicable cheat, or a relative of Governor Cuomo, there are no gimmies. The circle of friendship only extends to the rim of the cup. 
Gimmies have been prevalent throughout history and occur every day of our lives. The Ruler of Greece once told famed sculptor, Calamitous, that his Venus di Milo statue was so beautiful there was no need to finish the arms. True. A gimmie is when a traffic cop pulls you over and only gives you a warning or when the grocery store clerk honors your expired coupon without price checking your Adult Depends over the store microphone. 
However, let the record show that not all gimmies are desirable. Last night, in the middle of a rare but passionate love making session, just as I was about to enter the launch cycle, just as I was pondering the proverbial question, just as I was about to ecstatically self-proclaim “you da man”, my wife stopped me and said, “That’s good, dear, pick it up.”
So, remember, if someone does not graciously accept a gimmie, do not be offended. Understand that sometimes in the game of golf and in life, to derive a full sense of satisfaction, a man needs to hear the rattle of the ball at the bottom of the cup. Sometimes, you just need to putt out.
 

 

[Double Mocha Man]

7 minutes ago, Club Rat said:

A friend sent me this article which is quite funny....

That was truly funny. A good post. Pick it up.

[Troy Ocker]

In tournaments/medal play you must allways hole out. 

Due to COVID, in friendly or non-competetive, but hcp-counting, rounds we give putts from 1,5' and in due to fewer hands/less touching in the cups. In matchplay we give a little more slack.  

At all the local clubs around here, due to COVID, the flag allways stays in the hole and the holes are only 2-4 inches deep (with plastic or rubber fillers) as well, making bouncing or flying holeouts almost impossible unfortunately. 

Giving 3-6 feeters makes no sense to me and even the tourpros miss at least a couple of those every weekend. Someone like Jordan Spieth misses:

1 in 15 from 4' 

1 in 5 from 5'

1 in 3 from 6' 

[measureoffsetinnm]

Boggles the mind a bit that the rules of golf allow posting rounds for handicap where the player estimated their scores rather than actually holing out.

Edited May 25, 2021 by measureoffsetinnm

[iacas]

2 minutes ago, measureoffsetinnm said:

Boggles the mind a bit that the rules of golf allow posting rounds for handicap where the player estimated their scores rather than actually holing out.

Why?

[measureoffsetinnm]

2 minutes ago, iacas said:

Why?

The goal of the game is to get the ball in the hole and the player did not actually achieve that.

[iacas]

Just now, measureoffsetinnm said:

The goal of the game is to get the ball in the hole and the player did not actually achieve that.

Who says that’s the goal? Heck, the Rules don’t even require a ball to be holed in match play.

[measureoffsetinnm]

2 minutes ago, iacas said:

Who says that’s the goal? Heck, the Rules don’t even require a ball to be holed in match play.

I can't fathom what would be the goal if not that.

[iacas]

2 minutes ago, measureoffsetinnm said:

I can't fathom what would be the goal if not that.

• To beat an opponent.
• Exercise.
• Fun/enjoyment.
• Thrill of seeing the ball fly.
• Etc.

Golf can have many goals.

Heck, holding in the end zone results in a safety, even though nobody was tackled with the ball in the end zone.

And a ball is lost even though it’s found after three minutes, even though it’s not “lost.”

When the very rules of the game allow for a ball not to be holed, maybe rethink what boggles the mind? 🙂

[Troy Ocker]

13 minutes ago, measureoffsetinnm said:

Boggles the mind a bit that the rules of golf allow posting rounds for handicap where the player estimated their scores rather than actually holing out.

Let's say allowing gimmies from within 1,5' in non-competetive hcp-counting rounds would lower your hcp by 0,1 points. Would that give you an advantage in competitive play? 

With COVID, keeping hands out of the cups around the course is a good thing + let's say you save 30-60 seconds per flight per hole (9-18 minutes per round) by picking up those 99,8% putts. I can't see why that's a bad idea for non-competetive rounds (every round should be registered with the new HCP-system, that's kind of the purpose of it). 

 

 

[iacas]

11 minutes ago, Troy Ocker said:

With COVID, keeping hands out of the cups around the course is a good thing

The science doesn’t support you there.

The time savings are real, though.

[Troy Ocker]

36 minutes ago, iacas said:

The science doesn’t support you there.

That might be so, but it is highly encouraged by the Norwegian Health Department, through the Norwegian Golf Federation down to the clubs. Why not follow the guidelines, even with minimum risk, if it's encouraged by the community of which I am a part?  

[iacas]

23 minutes ago, Troy Ocker said:

That might be so, but it is highly encouraged by the Norwegian Health Department, through the Norwegian Golf Federation down to the clubs. Why not follow the guidelines, even with minimum risk, if it's encouraged by the community of which I am a part?  

I didn't say that.

And I'd expand on that, but this isn't the topic for that.

Big fan of science right here.

[Double Mocha Man]

24 minutes ago, Troy Ocker said:

That might be so, but it is highly encouraged by the Norwegian Health Department, through the Norwegian Golf Federation down to the clubs. Why not follow the guidelines, even with minimum risk, if it's encouraged by the community of which I am a part?  

Keeping your hands out of cups can't hurt. Now, what about those door knobs? And the loose tees you find on the ground?

[Nyrangers1022]

I don't have a handicap, not into playing tournaments and league.  However, I will not take a gimme for par or better.   Even bogeys if I'm having a good game by my standards.   If I'm blowing up every other hole, and someone says "thats good" from 3 feet out while I'm on my 7th stroke, im picking up just to make it less frustrating