I may be in the wrong or the minority but every round I play is not meant to be the "ultimate test of golf" where I hold all my playing partners to a strict standard. most of the time we take a "scorecard bump"
due to crap course conditions and we play gimmes because it is for fun.
Sorry if this offends anyone but hey its how I do it. I will make the 2 and 3 foot putts, as will the majority of my playing partners. As for the 250 yard drive, if I hit it 250 its probably a mis-hit, either that or I got a good roll out of my 5 wood.

oh I'm not offended and I hope I didn't offend you or anyone else here that takes "gimmies". My friends and I used to do it also, but too many times we've seen that 1 foot putt miss because someone was too lazy to actually putt it and casually tried to bump it in when they walked up to the ball. Our little golfing group is very competitive and we like to brag when we beat each other. Can't brag if you don't put down your correct score. Here's how I look at it. One day, might only be once, but one day I will shoot in the 70's. If that 79 includes a few "gimmies" or mulligans, then no one I golf with will forget that the 79 has an astericks next to it.

Well said KVSmith - that is exactly how I feel - I want my scores to mean something.

If you are posting for a handicap - you should play by strict rules all the time anyway

Feel the same about Mulligans on the first tee - or breakfast balls as they are sometimes called

pipeliner, I'm just across the river from you and taylorfade. Looking forward to playing with you guys sometime. By the way, what is a scorecard bump?

I knew when I saw the title to this post it was going to be an active topic. Nothing else in golf causes more controversy.

I have actually amended my own somewhat liberal gimmie policy over the last year and I haven't seen any difference in my putting stats, but that's neither here nor there. There is really only one solution - putt everything out. Period. But, in that same breath let me ask y'all this...

-Do you play ball down at all times? Even if its in an old divot?

-Ever tamp down a spike mark in your line? Or smooth away some sand with your hand?

-Ever move a stick or leaf away from your ball in a bunker?

-Ever ground your club outside red stakes?

-Do you know the difference between red and yellow stakes?

-Ever putt with pin in or another ball in the cup?

-Ever nudge your ball at address? Or have it move removing a loose impediment? Or on a practice swing?

-Ever accidentally move your ball while marking or picking up your ball mark? How about marking someone else's ball? Do you replace it for them or just toss them the ball?

-Ever try someone else's driver or putter on the course? Or drop another ball after a bad shot even if you take the bad one?

-Double par max?

-Ever tap in while holding the pin or another club?

-I know you have finished a hole with a different brand or type of ball than you teed off with.

These are just some of the things I see done by the same people who think they are playing by the rules because they plumb-bob two footers or rake their bogie putt because they missed their "gimmie" for par. I'm not a USGA rules official, I'm just sayin...



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merlin2driver wrote:

pipeliner, I'm just across the river from you and taylorfade. Looking forward to playing with you guys sometime. By the way, what is a scorecard bump?

its basically because we have alot of crap conditions on some of the local Muni courses they say you can improve your lie by the length of one scorecard. It is actually a local rule put into place for tourneys so we just kind of do it most of the time.

Quote:

-Do you play ball down at all times? Even if its in an old divot? -Ever tamp down a spike mark in your line? Or smooth away some sand with your hand? -Ever move a stick or leaf away from your ball in a bunker? -Ever ground your club outside red stakes? -Do you know the difference between red and yellow stakes? -Ever putt with pin in or another ball in the cup? -Ever nudge your ball at address? Or have it move removing a loose impediment? Or on a practice swing? -Ever accidentally move your ball while marking or picking up your ball mark? How about marking someone else's ball? Do you replace it for them or just toss them the ball? -Ever try someone else's driver or putter on the course? Or drop another ball after a bad shot even if you take the bad one? -Double par max? -Ever tap in while holding the pin or another club? -I know you have finished a hole with a different brand or type of ball than you teed off with. These are just some of the things I see done by the same people who think they are playing by the rules because they plumb-bob two footers or rake their bogie putt because they missed their "gimmie" for par. I'm not a USGA rules official, I'm just sayin...

Would anyone be interested in taking the initiative in writing a column for the site where you address each of these issues above and why they are actually wrong? I think it'd be good for casual and even some hardcore golfers. It doesn't need to "quote" the USGA manual or rule number- just addressing each topic with a small sentence that says this is what you SHOULD do.

Does that make sense? If anyone is interested in writing something like that for the site- let me know.

andrew@oobgolf.com
_________________
Kickntrue-
Duffing since 1993

Wow, didn't realize what a hornet's nest i'd stirred up. If you don't mind, a little background here. I was playing with an obnoxious guy in Cozumel and he beat me by 2 or three strokes and went back to the hotel and was bragging about it to some of our mutual friends. He was actually measuring with his putter and announcing "that's good". I play in a lot of tournaments at home, as a matter of fact almost ALL of my home games are tournaments, where we are obliged to PUTT OUT. So I naturally missed a few short putts that he took as Gimmies. Well naturally, being the ass that I am, I challenged him to another game without gimmies and I smoked him by 10 strokes. He was so rattled at having to putt that he couldn't make an 8 incher............. Taylor you are so right about all the technicalities you mentioned, but I can overlook most of them because moving a leaf or taking the "scorecard bump" doesn't aggravate me as much as claiming you finished the hole when you didn't

merlin2driver wrote:

Wow, didn't realize what a hornet's nest i'd stirred up. If you don't mind, a little background here. I was playing with an obnoxious guy in Cozumel and he beat me by 2 or three strokes and went back to the hotel and was bragging about it to some of our mutual friends. He was actually measuring with his putter and announcing "that's good". I play in a lot of tournaments at home, as a matter of fact almost ALL of my home games are tournaments, where we are obliged to PUTT OUT. So I naturally missed a few short putts that he took as Gimmies. Well naturally, being the ass that I am, I challenged him to another game without gimmies and I smoked him by 10 strokes. He was so rattled at having to putt that he couldn't make an 8 incher............. Taylor you are so right about all the technicalities you mentioned, but I can overlook most of them because moving a leaf or taking the "scorecard bump" doesn't aggravate me as much as claiming you finished the hole when you didn't

thats a little different. for one sounds like he was an ass and eventually on the course it all works itself out

Pipeliner and I played Sunday and we were talking about this thread on the way in. On #1 my par putt was that classic controversy distance. Maybe inside my leather- maybe outside yours. I putted out, missed, and lost the hole. Nice three putt. I was cussin' you Merlin.

They should just make the holes gimmie distance in diameter. Whoa, I wonder how many strokes that would cut.

I play with a regular group of above average golfers, most rounds all four of us are in the 70's, when we play skins, gimmies fly free and loose. When we play medal play, putts are never given, period. I think it comes down to the situation of the round is what determines the gimmies for the day. When I play with someone that I met on the first tee, I couldn't care less if he's raking 6 footers or not. (The old guys are good at that, the 6 foot rake).

ToddRobb wrote:

I play with a regular group of above average golfers, most rounds all four of us are in the 70's, when we play skins, gimmies fly free and loose. When we play medal play, putts are never given, period. I think it comes down to the situation of the round is what determines the gimmies for the day. When I play with someone that I met on the first tee, I couldn't care less if he's raking 6 footers or not. (The old guys are good at that, the 6 foot rake).

TR it seems like you understand what I was trying to say. Thats almost exactly the way that we play most of the time. If you cant look at your buddy and say good good over a couple of 3 footers you may be a liitle to tightly wound.

Wow! Hornet's nest is right!! I have NEVER disregarded any of TaylorFade's "Commandments" of "I'm just sayin'." Well.... maybe once or twice, (a hundred X). But I guarantee everyone, NEVER DURING USGA TOURNAMENT PLAYING CONDITIONS! For Sure! After all, what's the point of playing this game if you don't abide by the rules, no matter how strict and stringent they are? Or having to abide by "Local Rules" on any particular golf course? Play by the rules! It really makes you a better golfer, no matter what rules others play by, even if "others" are intersted in one thing and one thing only... Winning $$$!!! If the only way 'they' can win $$$ is by cheating, shame on them!!! If that's the case don't play money games with those people! Believe it or not there's always plenty of guys, especially in 'Amateur & League Play' who insist on, and marshall, playing by the rules. Friendly "gimme's" are a given! But USGA "gimme's" are not! So what if your handicap soars a few strokes by missing "gimme" putts? PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE! Good golfing to all!!!!!!!

Another point, gimmies can be used as a strategic tool if you're in a match. If you "give" putts early in the round, later in the round when there's something on the line, your silence can be deafening. Your opponent will always be thinking about you not "giving" him the putt, which increases his chance (even just a little) of him missing it.

I agree with Taylor, most golfers are not coming anywhere close to playing the actual rules of golf. As a matter of fact, if amateur golfers played the strict rules of golf every round, rounds would take 6 hours at least, and the average score would be 120 instead of the 100 that it is now. Can you imagine all of the people that would have to go back to the tee to hit another ball after looking for the first one for 5 minutes?? Just playing the ball down all the time would add at least 5 to 10 strokes per round, especially for people that are not used to playing that way.


Another strict rule of golf: You take the flag out and put it on the ground, your buddy hits his putt way to hard and his ball is heading for the flag that you placed on the ground. You feel obligated to move the flag that his ball is getting ready to hit. That's a penalty on you. If you left it there and his ball hits it, it's a penalty on him.

"Never ever concede a putt"
Sam Snead

LOL. Just play Monkey every round like my friends and I do, and the gimmies will not be an issue... http://www.oobgolf.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=474