Why do you want a "Gimme"?

[Buckeyebowman]

For quite a long time I was confused about the term "inside the leather". I thought it meant you put the butt end of the grip to the lip of the hole, and if it was inside the grip, it was a gimme. Then I saw some guy stick his putter head in the hole, and if the ball touched steel it was a gimme!

I told one guy, "Hell! I'm not giving you that!" It was a tricky left to right from above the hole on a slick green. And he missed it too!

[iacas]

5 minutes ago, Buckeyebowman said:

For quite a long time I was confused about the term "inside the leather". I thought it meant you put the butt end of the grip to the lip of the hole, and if it was inside the grip, it was a gimme.

That's actually what it is supposed to be. Or used to be, originally.

I think maybe originally the putter grip went nearly halfway down the shaft, so it almost didn't matter which end from which you measured, but people wanted to extend it out in modern times so now it means from the sole to the bottom of the grip.

But you and I have both seen those missed, and "inside the leather" was originally supposed to be an unmissable putt. So inside the leather was originally only about a foot. The length of the leather wrap grip.

[Pablo68]

I'll usually putt everything more than 1' away if I'm playing with someone. During a twilight speed round by myself, I'm raking the 3 footers to save time.