It’s always a contentious subject.
Just what constitutes a gimme?
I’ve seen some horrendously long putts given in my time, particularly by my own team members when in a team match.
Much to my anguish, “papa don’t like to concede nuthin”.
I’ve also been made to putt mere tap in’s, where it would be harder to miss the putt than hole it.
If you want to wind someone up on a golf course, no better way of doing it than making them putt absolutely everything.
From your own perspective you should always treat your game like medal play, i.e. you’re going to have to putt everything out and if someone gives you a putt, it’s a bonus.
That way you’re never going to be looking over to your playing partner with those desperately needy eyes appealing for the gimme. You can’t bring yourself to ask for it, and you’re hoping they might just give it to you.
Leave that to your playing partner.
Nothing worse than someone stood three feet from the hole fumbling in their pocket looking for a marker. I’ve given putts of that length just to get people out of the way, oh the shame of it.
So just what does constitute a gimme?
Well years ago it was always the length of a putter grip. If you hit it inside the length of the putter grip, your opponent could, out of the kindness of their own heart, concede the putt to you.
Putter grips used to be made of leather and that’s where the term “inside the leather” comes from.
So if you knocked your chips, pitches and putts inside the leather, there was no doubt, the putt could be conceded to you.
For the avoidance of all doubt, inside the leather is a good place to live, for one thing it makes short putting incredibly easy.
Now onto more pressing matters, a huge crime is underway, a crime against the average golfer. You see the average player is being robbed of yardage off the tee, valuable yardage that would make a huge difference to their ability to play the game and enjoyment of the game, and I for one want a put a stop to it.
Play easy.
Bob James PGA