Question:
The numbers would be hard to calculate because there are days where may not miss any gimmies and days where you may miss a few. Being that a handicap is a culmination of the 10 best of your last 20 rounds, the days where you miss a few gimmies may not factor into your handicap. Also, the course rating/slope will factor into the handicap and you may miss more gimmies on the courses w/ the more difficult greens. All in all, I would say that it would have a negligable effect on the overall handicap of a player, when you are talking about 1 foot putts. However, for the sake of argument, if you have a consistant (there no such thing in golf) 75% miss rate and played at the same course (say a 113/69) all the time the numbers would come out like this:
I hope you meant 75% hit rate… No Gimmies 72 = 2.9 81 = 11.5 90 = 20.2 Gimmies 72.5 = 3.4 81.5 = 12.0 90.5 = 20.6 -Alex (my math may be off, so don’t hold me to it.)
Either way, at least you tried… if your numbers are close, it really doesn’t make that much difference. So some people should stop complaining about gimmies, and some people have little reason not to putt out. 
Thanks,
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i usually pick up within 1 ft- but i count a stroke. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyone that can justify/rationalize the Gimme please feel welcome. This is the support group for you. I’m an 18 handicapper, and am very strict with myself about finishing a hole and counting every stroke. In my mind there is no such thing as a GIMME or a MULLIGAN. Last weekend I hit three consecutive drives OB and eventually took a 12 on a hole. This is all part of the game. I was teamed up with a couple of excellent golfers that kept giving each other 3-4 foot putts. That’s pretty weak. The object of the game of golf is to get the ball INTO THE HOLE, not to get the ball close enough that a partner deems the ball close enough to the hole. Another great one is the cunning SELF-GIMME. We’ve all seen this one a thousand times. In this scenario a guy gets within 2 feet and proceeds to casually and carelessly poke at the ball, perhaps with the rounded back side of a club, often standing on the opposite side of the hole from the ball. When the ball goes in THEN he picks it up. Why not just pick it up at three feet away? The thinking here, if I understand correctly, is, "If it goes in it counts as a stroke, if it doesn’t go in, hey, I really wasn’t trying, but I could have made it if I hadn’t already given myself the putt." Other moves include poking at the ball quickly three or four times, or like some kind of hockey move, sliding the ball sideways with constant until it goes into the hole. Three-foot putts are psychologically difficult because you know you should make them. So why do these people come out to the golf course, when they could just stay home and tell themselves they shot a 68? Often I wish they would do just that. In response to those that will say I’m being too damn serious or uptight, well, yes, you have a point. My retort is that if people want to play golf casually, they shouldn’t keep score. The fish that got away is one thing, but it takes quite an imagination to actually record those imaginary fish as historical data. Others might say I’m secretly jealous and only wish I had so little scruples as to cheat. Naw, I like knowing my score. It just irritates me watching some lame fuck finish so sloppily when he’s already moved the ball 400 yards. Back to my story about last weekend. By the end of the day these guys were giving each other longer and longer putts. It was so lame. They kept trying to give me putts too, like stealing from a church collection plate, "Here, you take some too, so we’ll all be equally involved". After my round I asked one of the guys what he’d shot. He said he shot a 71. I’d confidently add at least four strokes to any score he says he shot. I’d also search his pockets for change after mass. Shank We can get into the mulligan thing some other time.
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Excellent Point! You’ve opened up a whole new topic of discussion which further makes evident the absurdity of gimmies. What are the inner rules of the gimme game? First you have golf, and it’s rules and etiquette, now with the existence of a game within a game it all just gets hazy and unclear. Either we play golf as it is defined, or, perhaps to accomodate the gimme gang, we create new golf courses which have holes that are 4 feet in diameter so that gimmies are built into the game.
Then you would have players taking the "I would normally sink it from anywhere on the green gimmies". I can see it now. I’m 50 yds off the green. The loser I’m playing with says. The hole is 4 feet around. That shot is a gimmie! I think your original point was correct in that any and all gimmies are wrong according to the rules of golf. I think it all comes back to character of the individual. Those that take 4 foot(self)gimmies would be likely to circumvent the rules in other things in their life. "Hey I worked to 4:45 today, it’s a gimmie that I worked until 5:00." Whatever. Golf is the most individual sport out there. It reveals(sometimes only to yourself) the real integrity and honesty of the person that plays it. I think the problems we see with "casual golf" is a reflection on the combination of lazy, quick fix, fast pace of society. Many people learn by watching others. When those others are cheating the game, the newer golfer learns bad habits, which out of ignorance feels like they’re playing the correct way. It’s a shame that some would call a person "Anal" simply because they followed the rules. Play golf as fairly as you would everything else in your life. You character will speak for itself; whether it speaks to you or those you’re playing with, the truth shall set you free. Neil Wood
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Excellent Point! You’ve opened up a whole new topic of discussion which further makes evident the absurdity of gimmies. What are the inner rules of the gimme game? First you have golf, and it’s rules and etiquette, now with the existence of a game within a game it all just gets hazy and unclear. Either we play golf as it is defined, or, perhaps to accomodate the gimme gang, we create new golf courses which have holes that are 4 feet in diameter so that gimmies are built into the game. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – i usually pick up within 1 ft- but i count a stroke. Huh? Does this mean, then, that some people DO NOT count a stroke when given a "gimme"? Which is most common? Eric
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You’re cool, bk. That’s a gimme. See, match play is a different premise altogether from the golf that most of us play. Match play has the sole objective of beating an opponent. In stroke play, however, each golfer is really playing against himself. This score reflects his or her ability. Furthermore, stroke play, unlike match play, is used to calculate one’s handicap. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m an 18 handicapper, and am very strict with myself about finishing a hole and counting every stroke. In my mind there is no such thing as a GIMME From the Rules of Golf – Match Play 2-4. Concession of Next Stroke, Hole or Match When the opponent’s ball is at rest or is deemed to be at rest under Rule 16-2, the player may concede the opponent to have holed out with his next stroke and the ball may be removed by either side with a club or otherwise. A player may concede a hole or a match at any time prior to the conclusion of the hole or the match. Concession of a stroke, hole or match may not be declined or withdrawn. We play match play almost all of the time and if someone says "that’s good" it’s in my pocket. Once a putt is conceded….(and it doesn’t even have to be a putt…it could be a 100 yard shot) it’s good. Just depends on the judgement of the conceder and the acceptance of the rest of the group if there are bets. bk
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While I putt out most of the holes I play, I will take a gimmie now and then if I’m very sure I would have made it. That means a foot or two depending on how I’m putting that day. I wish that someone that is so hell bent against any gimmies would put together some stats that show what if any effect say 1 or 2 gimmes per 18 holes would have on a scratch, half bogey and bogey golfer’s handcap if we assume they would make 75% of those gimmies and get the 25% they miss down on the next stroke. If someone could show in hard numbers what the effects are, it might be worthwhile taking a look at it. I’d do it myself, but I’m not sure exactly where to start.
Damn, you guys are good! I especially enjoyed the stat work done by Alex. The time you two have spent doing the math you could have correctly finished off 2 or 3 dozen holes. What’s the point? Anyway, I’m not saying to you, "Finish your pees or no dessert for you!". I’m saying, "Why not eat the last bite of cake? It’s delicious!!!" SOLUTION: Why not approch those numbers from this angle? Finish every hole, and then DEDUCT .5 from each round for NOT TAKING any gimmies. According to your calculations this will be the same. At least this way you’ll be accounting for gimmies.
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i usually pick up within 1 ft- but i count a stroke.
Why would you do that? It’s like climbing one foot shy of the top of a mountian. Wouldn’t it be better to take that last step and actually conquer it?
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i usually pick up within 1 ft- but i count a stroke.
Huh? Does this mean, then, that some people DO NOT count a stroke when given a "gimme"? Which is most common? Eric
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I’m an 18 handicapper, and am very strict with myself about finishing a hole and counting every stroke. In my mind there is no such thing as a GIMME
From the Rules of Golf – Match Play 2-4. Concession of Next Stroke, Hole or Match When the opponent’s ball is at rest or is deemed to be at rest under Rule 16-2, the player may concede the opponent to have holed out with his next stroke and the ball may be removed by either side with a club or otherwise. A player may concede a hole or a match at any time prior to the conclusion of the hole or the match. Concession of a stroke, hole or match may not be declined or withdrawn. We play match play almost all of the time and if someone says "that’s good" it’s in my pocket. Once a putt is conceded….(and it doesn’t even have to be a putt…it could be a 100 yard shot) it’s good. Just depends on the judgement of the conceder and the acceptance of the rest of the group if there are bets. bk
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Anyone that can justify/rationalize the Gimme please feel welcome. Okay. It’s very rational in match play.
There are two sounds I like to hear on the golf course…. 1) "Pick it up, that’s good" 2) The sound the ball makes when holed I don’t appreciate people who take that experience away from me. Good Putting! (not required when you hear #1) Mark
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and that’s usually enough to stop that line of conversation. I also never give gimme’s for the same reasons as you stated above.
Let’s say from off the green someone chips up to 1 foot from the hole. If it’s just casual play, I usually ask if they want to putt it. If they say no, I knock it back to them. No big deal. Same after a long putt. Plus I have an idea of what putts the people I play with regularily can and cannot make.
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The numbers would be hard to calculate because there are days where may not miss any gimmies and days where you may miss a few. Being that a handicap is a culmination of the 10 best of your last 20 rounds, the days where you miss a few gimmies may not factor into your handicap. Also, the course rating/slope will factor into the handicap and you may miss more gimmies on the courses w/ the more difficult greens. All in all, I would say that it would have a negligable effect on the overall handicap of a player, when you are talking about 1 foot putts. However, for the sake of argument, if you have a consistant (there no such thing in golf) 75% miss rate and played at the same course (say a 113/69) all the time the numbers would come out like this: No Gimmies 72 = 2.9 81 = 11.5 90 = 20.2 Gimmies 72.5 = 3.4 81.5 = 12.0 90.5 = 20.6 -Alex (my math may be off, so don’t hold me to it.) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyone that can justify/rationalize the Gimme please feel welcome. This is the support group for you. While I putt out most of the holes I play, I will take a gimmie now and then if I’m very sure I would have made it. That means a foot or two depending on how I’m putting that day. I wish that someone that is so hell bent against any gimmies would put together some stats that show what if any effect say 1 or 2 gimmes per 18 holes would have on a scratch, half bogey and bogey golfer’s handcap if we assume they would make 75% of those gimmies and get the 25% they miss down on the next stroke. If someone could show in hard numbers what the effects are, it might be worthwhile taking a look at it. I’d do it myself, but I’m not sure exactly where to start.
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Anyone that can justify/rationalize the Gimme please feel welcome. Okay. It’s very rational in match play. Bob (yeah, I know, y’all are talkin’ stroke play)
Freedom of choice. As far as I know such freedoms apply to golf. Rob.
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If I hit a ball within a putter grip of the hole ("inside the leather") and my partner (who knows my ability) gives me the putt, I will take it. Afterall, why should I have to walk back to the cart, grab my putter, mark my ball, wait for the others to putt out, then sink a put that I can make 99.9% of the time.
All other issues regarding carts aside, if you are playing from a cart, and you are taking your aproach shot, you should have at least three clubs with you when you leave the cart. The club you think you will need, your wedge in case you miss, and your putter. Take your shot, pick up your sticks, and walk to the ball. Your partner should take the cart to his ball as soon as you leave the cart and prepare for his shot (or vice-vese if your partner is away.) If you’re walking back and forth to the cart for one club, you should be walking so you don’t slow things down. Jerome
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Like you, I don’t usually give a gimme and I don’t like receiving a gimme. I get iritated if someone standing near the hole as I chip it close clubs my ball back to me or picks it up for me and throws it back. I only give gimmes on rare occasions when I’m playing with fools that speak this language. Usually at that point I’ve already decided not to care, and like a drunken idiot I’ll take it to absurd levels and see their reactions after offering these clowns gimmes over 8-10 foot putts.
The other week I was playing with my normal partner and his dad, a real "hurry-up" golfer. On one hole, I had put my approach in a deep bunker; I could barely see the flag. I blasted out really well, and everybody cheered. But by the time I had climbed out of the bunker and up to the green, dad had picked up my ball and said it was a gimme. Boy, was I steamed. I wanted to see my ball 18 inches from the cup! Remsleep
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Anyone that can justify/rationalize the Gimme please feel welcome.
Okay. It’s very rational in match play. Bob (yeah, I know, y’all are talkin’ stroke play)
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Anyone that can justify/rationalize the Gimme please feel welcome. This is the support group for you.
While I putt out most of the holes I play, I will take a gimmie now and then if I’m very sure I would have made it. That means a foot or two depending on how I’m putting that day. I wish that someone that is so hell bent against any gimmies would put together some stats that show what if any effect say 1 or 2 gimmes per 18 holes would have on a scratch, half bogey and bogey golfer’s handcap if we assume they would make 75% of those gimmies and get the 25% they miss down on the next stroke. If someone could show in hard numbers what the effects are, it might be worthwhile taking a look at it. I’d do it myself, but I’m not sure exactly where to start.
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I often tap in from the wrong side… and yes, I have screwed it up. But, unlike some of the others described above, I count that extra stroke and take it as a very expensive lesson.
Yeah, I’m the same. Many expensive lessons for a guilt-free score. Personally, my putting is not great so if someone tries to "gimme" a 3 footer, I usually laugh and say "you’d better wait to see how I putt first!" and that’s usually enough to stop that line of conversation. I also never give gimme’s for the same reasons as you stated above.
Like you, I don’t usually give a gimme and I don’t like receiving a gimme. I get iritated if someone standing near the hole as I chip it close clubs my ball back to me or picks it up for me and throws it back. I only give gimmes on rare occasions when I’m playing with fools that speak this language. Usually at that point I’ve already decided not to care, and like a drunken idiot I’ll take it to absurd levels and see their reactions after offering these clowns gimmes over 8-10 foot putts. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -After my round I asked one of the guys what he’d shot. He said he shot a 71. I’d confidently add at least four strokes to any score he says he shot. This is the part of golf that bugs me personally. We’ve done to death the "is it golf or isn’t it" threads, and I don’t want to re-hash them any more than anyone else does. I *don’t* care if someone wants to play this way (mulligans, gimmes, dropping balls instead of stroke & distance etc.), but I *don’t* want to hear "hey, I beat you by 4 strokes" or "hey, I broke 90"… ya right pal… A friend of mine is really bad that way and the only way I can play with him is if he keeps score. If I keep score, I get too frustrated. He honestly thinks that he’s as good a golfer as I am (i.e. that we usually score around the same), because he doesn’t play by the rules. (I can’t count how many times he’s parred a par 3 after losing a ball on the hole – ROFL). He honestly doesn’t notice that I’m adding a stroke for penalties etc. – and I’ve even gone so far as to count out my strokes out loud (as if I can’t figure it out myself) like "driver O/B, penalty, driver, 5 iron on the green, 2 putts for 5" etc.
I LOVE this tactic!!!!!! How bold and simple! He still doesn’t get it – and he never will – so I give up, he keeps the score, and any "I beat you by…" comments I just ignore. Jen
I have a friend like this too.
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I’m an 18 handicapper, and am very strict with myself about finishing a hole and counting every stroke. Which would be bad etiquette if you were holding up faster players behind you.
Have to disagree with you on this one. If you’re playing stroke play, then you are entitled to take all your strokes until you get the ball into the hole. That doesn’t mean you should play like Bernie Langer and line up your 18 inch putts from every point of the compass — that’s holding up other players. If you’re __legitimately__ playing slowly, i.e., you’re just taking that many strokes to get down, let the faster groups through. But one shouldn’t feel pressured to pick up just to hurry along. Obviously, it is different in match or Stableford play, when if other groups are pressing behind, one should pick up when one has lost the hole/run out of points on the hole. Remsleep
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If I hit a ball within a putter grip of the hole ("inside the leather") and my partner (who knows my ability) gives me the putt, I will take it. Afterall, why should I have to walk back to the cart, grab my putter, mark my ball, wait for the others to putt out, then sink a put that I can make 99.9% of the time. Even if I miss a 7 inch putt 5% of the time, how drasically will it affect my handicap (if at all)? However, this is not to be confused with a 2 foot putt, that is entirely different. From my previous postings, you will see that I am anti-mulligan and anti-lie improving, but a 6 inch gimmie is a little to "purest" even for me. -Alex – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyone that can justify/rationalize the Gimme please feel welcome. This is the support group for you.
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Anyone that can justify/rationalize the Gimme please feel welcome. This is the support group for you.
It speeds up play. What more justification could anyone want? :-) I’m an 18 handicapper, and am very strict with myself about finishing a hole and counting every stroke.
Which would be bad etiquette if you were holding up faster players behind you. The object of the game of golf is to get the ball INTO THE HOLE, not to get the ball close enough that a partner deems the ball close enough to the hole.
No. The object of stroke play is to get the ball into the hole in the minimum number of strokes. But the object of match play is to win holes over your opponent. That’s why the rules allow your opponent to concede putts, or the hole, or even the match. So gimmes are an integral part of match play. You can use them as part of the psychology of a match. I think it was Jack Nicklaus whose strategy was to make his opponent putt out everything in the first few holes (to test him out), then lull him into a sense of security by giving putts in the middle of the round, then put the screws on him by making him putt out everything towards the end of the round. I agree with much of what you say about self-delusion – there’s no point in cheating yourself to achieve "low scores". And I realise that you may not play as much match play – either casually or competitively – as we do in the UK. But the fact remains that conceding putts is an integral part of match play. And anyway, it’s only a game. 
Happy golfing! —
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I’m an 18 handicapper, and am very strict with myself about finishing a hole and counting every stroke. In my mind there is no such thing as a GIMME or a MULLIGAN. Last weekend I hit three consecutive drives OB and eventually took a 12 on a hole. This is all part of the game. I was teamed up with a couple of excellent golfers that kept giving each other 3-4 foot putts. That’s pretty weak. The object of the game of golf is to get the ball INTO THE HOLE, not to get the ball close enough that a partner deems the ball close enough to the hole. Another great one is the cunning SELF-GIMME. We’ve all seen this one a thousand times. In this scenario a guy gets within 2 feet and proceeds to casually and carelessly poke at the ball, perhaps with the rounded back side of a club, often standing on the opposite side of the hole from the ball. When the ball goes in THEN he picks it up. Why not just pick it up at three feet away? The thinking here, if I understand correctly, is, "If it goes in it counts as a stroke, if it doesn’t go in, hey, I really wasn’t trying, but I could have made it if I hadn’t already given myself the putt." Other moves include poking at the ball quickly three or four times, or like some kind of hockey move, sliding the ball sideways with constant until it goes into the hole. Three-foot putts are psychologically difficult because you know you should make them. So why do these people come out to the golf course, when they could just stay home and tell themselves they shot a 68? Often I wish they would do just that. In response to those that will say I’m being too damn serious or uptight, well, yes, you have a point. My retort is that if people want to play golf casually, they shouldn’t keep score. The fish that got away is one thing, but it takes quite an imagination to actually record those imaginary fish as historical data. Others might say I’m secretly jealous and only wish I had so little scruples as to cheat. Naw, I like knowing my score. It just irritates me watching some lame fuck finish so sloppily when he’s already moved the ball 400 yards. Back to my story about last weekend. By the end of the day these guys were giving each other longer and longer putts. It was so lame. They kept trying to give me putts too, like stealing from a church collection plate, "Here, you take some too, so we’ll all be equally involved". After my round I asked one of the guys what he’d shot. He said he shot a 71. I’d confidently add at least four strokes to any score he says he shot. I’d also search his pockets for change after mass. Shank We can get into the mulligan thing some other time.
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Another great one is the cunning SELF-GIMME. We’ve all seen this one a thousand times. In this scenario a guy gets within 2 feet and proceeds to casually and carelessly poke at the ball, perhaps with the rounded back side of a club, often standing on the opposite side of the hole from the ball. When the ball goes in THEN he picks it up. Why not just pick it up at three feet away? The thinking here, if I understand correctly, is, "If it goes in it counts as a stroke, if it doesn’t go in, hey, I really wasn’t trying, but I could have made it if I hadn’t already given myself the putt." Other moves include poking at the ball quickly three or four times, or like some kind of hockey move, sliding the ball sideways with constant until it goes into the hole.
I agree COMPLETELY with you here (and the whole post)… personally I *am* one of those people who, when I’m close (my definition of definitely makeable is about 1/2 foot LOL), I often tap in from the wrong side… and yes, I have screwed it up. But, unlike some of the others described above, I count that extra stroke and take it as a very expensive lesson. Personally, my putting is not great so if someone tries to "gimme" a 3 footer, I usually laugh and say "you’d better wait to see how I putt first!" and that’s usually enough to stop that line of conversation. I also never give gimme’s for the same reasons as you stated above. After my round I asked one of the guys what he’d shot. He said he shot a 71. I’d confidently add at least four strokes to any score he says he shot.
This is the part of golf that bugs me personally. We’ve done to death the "is it golf or isn’t it" threads, and I don’t want to re-hash them any more than anyone else does. I *don’t* care if someone wants to play this way (mulligans, gimmes, dropping balls instead of stroke & distance etc.), but I *don’t* want to hear "hey, I beat you by 4 strokes" or "hey, I broke 90"… ya right pal… A friend of mine is really bad that way and the only way I can play with him is if he keeps score. If I keep score, I get too frustrated. He honestly thinks that he’s as good a golfer as I am (i.e. that we usually score around the same), because he doesn’t play by the rules. (I can’t count how many times he’s parred a par 3 after losing a ball on the hole – ROFL). He honestly doesn’t notice that I’m adding a stroke for penalties etc. – and I’ve even gone so far as to count out my strokes out loud (as if I can’t figure it out myself) like "driver O/B, penalty, driver, 5 iron on the green, 2 putts for 5" etc. He still doesn’t get it – and he never will – so I give up, he keeps the score, and any "I beat you by…" comments I just ignore. Jen
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Anyone that can justify/rationalize the Gimme please feel welcome. This is the support group for you. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I’m an 18 handicapper, and am very strict with myself about finishing a hole and counting every stroke. In my mind there is no such thing as a GIMME or a MULLIGAN. Last weekend I hit three consecutive drives OB and eventually took a 12 on a hole. This is all part of the game. I was teamed up with a couple of excellent golfers that kept giving each other 3-4 foot putts. That’s pretty weak. The object of the game of golf is to get the ball INTO THE HOLE, not to get the ball close enough that a partner deems the ball close enough to the hole. Another great one is the cunning SELF-GIMME. We’ve all seen this one a thousand times. In this scenario a guy gets within 2 feet and proceeds to casually and carelessly poke at the ball, perhaps with the rounded back side of a club, often standing on the opposite side of the hole from the ball. When the ball goes in THEN he picks it up. Why not just pick it up at three feet away? The thinking here, if I understand correctly, is, "If it goes in it counts as a stroke, if it doesn’t go in, hey, I really wasn’t trying, but I could have made it if I hadn’t already given myself the putt." Other moves include poking at the ball quickly three or four times, or like some kind of hockey move, sliding the ball sideways with constant until it goes into the hole. Three-foot putts are psychologically difficult because you know you should make them. So why do these people come out to the golf course, when they could just stay home and tell themselves they shot a 68? Often I wish they would do just that. In response to those that will say I’m being too damn serious or uptight, well, yes, you have a point. My retort is that if people want to play golf casually, they shouldn’t keep score. The fish that got away is one thing, but it takes quite an imagination to actually record those imaginary fish as historical data. Others might say I’m secretly jealous and only wish I had so little scruples as to cheat. Naw, I like knowing my score. It just irritates me watching some lame fuck finish so sloppily when he’s already moved the ball 400 yards. Back to my story about last weekend. By the end of the day these guys were giving each other longer and longer putts. It was so lame. They kept trying to give me putts too, like stealing from a church collection plate, "Here, you take some too, so we’ll all be equally involved". After my round I asked one of the guys what he’d shot. He said he shot a 71. I’d confidently add at least four strokes to any score he says he shot. I’d also search his pockets for change after mass. Shank We can get into the mulligan thing some other time.