Golf is known to be a technical sport full of technical terms that you may not know the meaning of. One of those golf terms sometimes mentioned on golf courses is the term “Gimmie”.
If you are reading this article, you may wonder: What exactly is a “Gimmie” in golf?
In this article, we will explain to you exactly what the term “Gimmie” means in golf.
What Is A Gimmie In Golf?
In golf, a “Gimmie” is a free putt that is awarded from one golfer to the golfer who has a ball very close to the hole. “Gimmie” putts are awarded in casual golf play to save time. When you have a “Gimmie” putt, you can simply pick up your ball and assume you holed the ball.
In the great game of golf, the expression “Gimmie” is sometimes mentioned on golf courses, but only in casual golf play.
In golf, the term “Gimmie” is the name given to a free putt awarded from one golfer to another when the golf ball is so close to the ball that it would be hard to miss the hole.
If a golfer is awarded a “Gimmie” putt by their opponent, they do not physically have to attempt to putt the ball. Instead, they can simply pick up the ball and assume they holed the putt, while adding 1 stroke to their scorecard, as if they had taken the putt.
The distance between the golf ball and hole to award a Gimmie can vary from group to group, from player to player, as it is determined by rules you set with your group. Furthermore, not every group likes to play with “Gimmie” putts, as some view it as cutting corners.
You can also use the in-the-leather rule to determine if a ball is close enough to the hole to be awarded as a “Gimmie”. “Gimmie” putts are often awarded when the golf ball is roughly 1ft to 5ft away from the hole, depending on the rules your group plays by.
In addition, “Gimmie” putts generally are forbidden in professional golf. However, there is a derivative of “Gimmie” putts, called “Concessions”, which are allowed in professional golf in match play.
In professional match play, a golfer can often be awarded a “Concession” if they already lost the hole to the golfer awarding the concession. There is no distance requirement between the ball and the hole to award a “Concession” in golf.
For example, if one golfer completed a hole in 3 strokes, and his opponent is already at 4 or 5 strokes, he is sometimes allowed to award his opponent a “Conceded” putt, as it is impossible for the latter to win anymore. This improves pace of play and saves the loser extra work.
“Concessions” only ever occur in match play, while “Gimmie” putts only ever occur in stroke play, and only in non-professional golf.
In casual golf, you can put into play as many “Gimmie” putts as you want, especially if you are with friends and not strangers. To be awarded a “Gimmie”, if your ball is relatively close to the hole, all you have to do is ask your friend if you can have a “Gimmie”.
You can read a real-world of a “Gimmie” being awarded, down below.
Example:
Joe and Bart are playing some casual golf together.
On hole #18, Joe hits 3 strokes and his golf ball ends only 3 feet from the hole.
Being very close to the hole, Joe turns around to shout at Bart “Can I get a “Gimmie”?”
Bart smiles at Joe and gives him a thumbs up.
Joe smiles back and picks up the golf ball, counting a successful put on his scorecard.
As you can read in the example up above, “Gimmie” putts in casual golf save golfers time and can really be valuable if there are impatient or many groups waiting behind yours to play. “Gimmie” putts are also a sign of pleasant sportsmanship that can make friends smile.
If you would like to get better at golf and know you would have holed all of your “Gimmies”, you can read our guide: How To Improve Your Golf Score? – 9 Pro Tips.
Origin Of The Term “Gimmie”
The origin of the expression “Gimmie” in golf is very simple and rooted in the English language.
In fact, the term “Gimmie” comes from a distortion of the phrase “Give me!”. When you ask for a “Gimmie” putt, you are essentially asking your opponents “give me this putt for free as the ball is so close to the hole I would surely get it if I tried!”
Over time, the phrase “give me” slowly turned into “Gimmie”, thus leading to a new golf term that can quickly get the point across to describe a more complex situation and request.
Therefore, it makes perfect sense where the term “Gimmie” got its name from in golf.
Conclusion
There you go! After reading this article, you have learned exactly what a “Gimmie” is in golf.
Do you have any other golf expressions you wish to know more about? Do you like to play with “Gimmies” in casual golf? Let us know in the comments down below!
