Ive been seeing a lot of golfers taking what they call gimmies which range from inches of the pin to 15 feet and more, and when I say any thing they say Pros's take gimmies! So, what do you pros's say about that? and as a matter of fact we were playing for money. :D

I'm not a Pro but in my opinion if it is for money there are no gimmies.

Agreed.

On another note, even as an AM I get [censored] if someone grabs up my disc even if it is a "gimmy".

Unless you can place (not toss) the disc in the basket, it is _not_ a gimme.

Even in doubles, i don't count a 5 or 10 footer as a gimme.

I think an interesting casual-round rule for gimmies might be:

A player can call "gimme". Any other person in the group has the option to challenge the gimme. A real gimme can be made 100% of the time. If the gimme is challenged, the person must make the putt 10 times in a row. If he misses once, he gets a miss + 1 stroke penalty. If he makes all 10, the person who challenged gets a stroke penalty.

What does the rule book define as a "gimmme"?

Oh, wait there is not one in there. That is probably because they don't exist...

Unless you can place (not toss) the disc in the basket, it is _not_ a gimme.

Even in doubles, i don't count a 5 or 10 footer as a gimme.

I think an interesting casual-round rule for gimmies might be:

A player can call "gimme". Any other person in the group has the option to challenge the gimme. A real gimme can be made 100% of the time. If the gimme is challenged, the person must make the putt 10 times in a row. If he misses once, he gets a miss + 1 stroke penalty. If he makes all 10, the person who challenged gets a stroke penalty.

I once saw a guy miss a drop in during a tournament. The rim of his disc hooked on his wedding ring. When he let go of the disc and pulled his his hand back, the disc flipped out. Nothing is a gimme.

I was also told by one of the pros's that was playing that Ken Climo takes gimmies when he practices. I find that hard to believe as that would be a bad practice habit, and I don't believe Climo does that on a regular basis.

It's all about your comfort level with your playing partners' sportsmanship. If you're playing in a big event, of course hole out on every hole. If you're practicing during the week, and a couple of your friends are playing along, there's nothing wrong with picking up their discs that are close to the basket, saving them a few steps. They'll do the same for you. But gimmies are relative. If your friend is struggling with 10 - 15 footers, make 'em putt it out. If another player is banging consistant 40 - 50 footers, give him the 10 footers. It's all relative.

Outside of sanctioned tournaments, I'll take gimmees all day long.....if the players on my card offer them to me. Once you reach the old-age divisions, the art of mastering the gimmee (i.e. "parking the approach shot") becomes a more important part of the game. :D

Another thing worth mentioning is slapping the chains. If your close enough to pick up your disc and you simply slap the chains...technically you have not holed out. But as johnrock said, its all relative.

And gimmie's for 10-15 footers? "Gimmie" a break! I wouldn't let anyone give themselves a gimmie for anything more than 5 feet. You just never know.

I would encourage everyone to hole out properly just to get into the habit. Imagine if your in a battle for a cash spot and you went on autopilot one hole and just picked up a disc and walked to the next tee box :o Embarassing ...

Imagine if your in a battle for a cash spot and you went on autopilot one hole and just picked up a disc and walked to the next tee box :o Embarassing ...



Or missed the 5 footer because you putt too hard for that range and it bounces out.

I did that in doubles a couple of weeks ago. It was not that hard of a putt either. It was more of a freak bounce out.

I think everyone understands that we are talking about casual play here. There are of course no gimmies in sanctioned or un-sanctioned tournament play.

In casual play, I usually say: "If you have to ask whether your lie is a gimme, it's not one." :D

In practice, my buddies and I will usually adhere to a law of diminishing returns where the gimme range increases for someone as his hole score goes up. Deuces and par putts are mandatory from all ranges; however, the gimme range might increase a little for a putt to save bogey, and we'll probably give you that 15 or even 20-footer to "save" double or triple bogey. :D

Actually, it was casual play with $$$ on the line. No gimmies when playing for dough.

It doesn't bother me to concede a putt even when playing for money amongst friends. I'm not talking about 15 - 20 footers, but pretty much anything inside of that, unless the player has been struggling that day. A few of us here have played many, many rounds together for $$$, and after a few thousand rounds you get comfortable knowing when to concede and when to make them putt it out. If there is a stranger in the group, or someone who doesn't usually play with your group of friends, sure, then you hole out everywhere. But amongst friends playing for a few bucks, some latitude is OK. Such as: If a guy is near the next tee box and makes a spectacular up-shot to with-in a few feet of the basket, why make him walk all the way over to hole out? Pick it up for him, say, "Nice up.", and move on to the next hole.

Do you think the top ball golfers make each other hole out on all holes if they are out playing a practice round with their peers? I doubt it, at least not the fun guys. I'm sure they know when to concede and when to make their buddies putt out.

Casual play, even for money, we mostly give gimmee's on anything within about 10 feet. However, if someone is missing putts, and this includes me, I will tell whoever is offering to pick the disc up to leave it, "it might be missed"

Remembering the story told earlier about missing a short putt, my partner and I had a similar incident at World's Doubles several years back. He went to place the disc in the basket and at the last moment decided to putt instead and the basket grabbed his disc and it tumbled to the ground. We took second place after a play off for a tie for first :confused: I know he thinks he cost us the win.

I don't blame him for that though, we tied for first because of one of my bad missed putts that ended up costing us two strokes.

THERE ARE NO GIMMIES IN DISC GOLF !! you have to putt out to complete the hole so if you play the rest of the round by the rules then why would you not be made to PUTT OUT!!! Gimmies are BS

Gimmies are a strategy in match play. You give your opponent short putts he is going to make almost every time for a tie hole so that he does not get to practice the short putts. Later in the round when it matters, you don't give them anymore. If it never matters, you can bve a big guy and keep giving them.

One only has to watch the USDGC from two years ago where Barry picked up a putt from under the basket, hit the rim and missed, to know that there should be no GIMMEES!

I was thinking the exact same thing Lyle.

Ain't no such thing as a gimme in tournament play! If someone wants to "gimme" a putt from 10 feet during casual play, I'll take it! I've missed plenty of 10 footers, hence my pathetic rating! rWc897

Once at a big tournament, I saw a guy standing at the basket toss in a 2 ft putt...it hit the pole and bounced straight back into his leg..... and rolled 35 feet away.... in a river OB!!! .... he lost his favorite putter....and he missed the comeback!

5 stroke error!

If only I had brought my video camera....the cursing was epic...

So, to paraphrase Master Yoda "there is no gimme - there is only do or do not"

He could have marked his lie back by the basket after going OB and not missed the comebacker the second time he had a "gimme."

Right on Chuck. Glad most people don't understand that rule :)

But as for gimmes, if it's for fun, KB CLark #284 always says if it's within your armspan, it's a gimme. Any farther, you have to putt. I know our local guys always give each other gimmes, but only if it's a no-brainer. If it's windy or snowing, then usually no gimmes.

No one should give me a gimme. I tend to miss the short putt...sandalbagger can prove that.

Exactly, Chuck. But at that point I'm not sure he was in the proper state of mind to think in a composed manner. After getting soaked to the shoulder searching for his disc, he just threw down a marker and chunked a ROC at the basket. Not a happy camper

He could have marked his lie back by the basket after going OB and not missed the comebacker the second time he had a "gimme."



Could you post what rule # that would be so I can know for future reference?

803.09.B.1
"B. A player whose disc is considered
out-of-bounds shall receive one penalty
throw. The player may elect to play the
next shot from:
(1) The previous lie as evidenced by the
marker disc..."

IMO the only time you might even consider having gimmies (non-casual) is during match play rules. That is how ball golf rules are and that's the only comparison I can make to it.

I'm going to chime in here and say a gimme has to be touching the inside of the basket or hanging in the chains. ;)

IMO the only time you might even consider having gimmies (non-casual) is during match play rules. That is how ball golf rules are and that's the only comparison I can make to it.



in most match play tournaments I've played, many players have said putts we're good when they were tap ins.

And really this is your opponent conceding the putt, not you taking a gimme.

What is funny is neither the Rules nor the competition manual discuss match play at all.

In ball golf the rules specify some very different restrictions in match vs. stroke play. e.g. in ball golf, during match play you can practice putting or chipping provided it doesn't hold up play. This is because you are only playing against someone on your card who has the exact same amount of extra time. The equivalent would be letting you putt at a tree while you are waiting on the tee for the next hole to clear. (Ball golf doesn't let you practice full shots.)

As Bruce mentioned above, one reason to concede putts in match play is if your opponent keeps landing 10-15 feet out and you keep conceding these putts, then they may not have thrown a putt in the last 6 holes when they are suddenly faced with a downhill 35 footer with roll-away potential...

You can practice putting and chipping after completing a hole during stroke play also. USGA rule 7-2. One rule that is different under 7-1 is players cannot practice on the competition course on the day of stroke play but may do so on a match play day.

You can practice putting and chipping after completing a hole during stroke play also. USGA rule 7-2. One rule that is different under 7-1 is players cannot practice on the competition course on the day of stroke play but may do so on a match play day.



You're right... that's a difference between USGA and PGA Tour rules... at the US Open you can practice, but on the regular tour you can't...

It's all about your comfort level with your playing partners' sportsmanship. If you're playing in a big event, of course hole out on every hole. If you're practicing during the week, and a couple of your friends are playing along, there's nothing wrong with picking up their discs that are close to the basket, saving them a few steps. They'll do the same for you. But gimmies are relative. If your friend is struggling with 10 - 15 footers, make 'em putt it out. If another player is banging consistant 40 - 50 footers, give him the 10 footers. It's all relative.


I don't know man... I've had rounds where I'm banging consistent 40-50 foot jump putts, 3-4 in the round... but I miss 3 10-15 footers with the yips. Happened the other day, actually. Ugh.

When my putting is "on", I call everything 70ft and in a "gimme". That of course is in practice. If i'm playing in an event, I always hole out. Even if someone picks up my putter I go back to the spot and putt.

Unless you can place (not toss) the disc in the basket, it is _not_ a gimme.

Even in doubles, i don't count a 5 or 10 footer as a gimme.

I think an interesting casual-round rule for gimmies might be:

A player can call "gimme". Any other person in the group has the option to challenge the gimme. A real gimme can be made 100% of the time. If the gimme is challenged, the person must make the putt 10 times in a row. If he misses once, he gets a miss + 1 stroke penalty. If he makes all 10, the person who challenged gets a stroke penalty.




SOLID