What's The Gimme Stick™
Gimme Putts, sometimes referred to as concessions, have been a part of golf since its inception. In tournament golf, their tradition stems from early major events, such as the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open, which followed a match play format. Their presence continues on the professional level today as part of The Accenture World Match Play Championship and in International team competition, including the Ryder Cup, President’s Cup, and Solheim Cup. Compared to their use in professional competition, gimmes are far more common in social or non-sanctioned golf tournaments – charity events, corporate events, and club events – where players are playing a stroke play format and the spirit of competition is somewhat lighthearted
The Gimme Stick™ is a low cost, research-based product that creates a standard for gimmes. Its objectives are:
- To increase enjoyment by reducing the social awkwardness that exists regarding when to concede a putt
- To protect handicap integrity by discouraging excessive length gimme putts
- To improve fairness in non-sanctioned golf events by establishing one standard for all competing groups to adhere to
- To improve putting speed and three putt avoidance by providing a practice green game that will encourage a focus on speed.
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Gimme Putts, sometimes referred to as concessions, have been a part of golf since its inception. In tournament golf, their tradition stems from early major events, such as the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open, which followed a match play format. Their presence continues on the professional level today as part of The Accenture World Match Play Championship and in International team competition, including the Ryder Cup, President’s Cup, and Solheim Cup. Compared to their use in professional competition, gimmes are far more common in social or non-sanctioned golf tournaments - charity events, corporate events, and club events - where players are playing a stroke play format and the spirit of competition is somewhat lighthearted.
During the Caddyshack era of golf, there was one standard putter length and “inside the leather” was for the most part standard for awarding gimmes. Even during that period the leather technique was not widely used in part because this method never captured the many nuances of the gesture, including where the previous shot originated from and what score the golfer would achieve with the concession. The other reason is most golfers don't want to stick their putter heads inside the hole and risk damage to the edge of the cup. Today the method has become obsolete due to the advent of long putters that can extend all the way up to a golfers chin. The lack of a standard “inside the leather” length renders the equitable application of this method impossible.
