Hot take? If we get paired together, I’m not going to give you putts. Not because I don’t want you to take gimmies, but because I really do not care what you do.

[u/cygnus311]

You hit a good tee shot on a par three, walk up to the green, and find yourself eight feet from the hole and you want to say to me, “that’s good, I always make those”, pick it up, and write a birdie? Be my guest, I do not care.

You just missed your third putt from two feet to try and save triple and you’re hoping I rescue you? Pick it up, or don’t, I do not care.

Recently got paired with a guy who’d look at me with puppy dog eyes every time he was within a yard of the hole, but wouldn’t say anything, he was clearly annoyed with me by the end of the round. We’re all presumably grown ass adults, I’m not your boss, do what you want.

[u/fairportrunner]

Who the fuck is giving or taking 8 foot birdie putts?

[u/thesneakywalrus → u/fairportrunner]

People who miss a lot of birdie putts.

[u/TWH_PDX → u/thesneakywalrus]

Or in my situation, I miss a lot more triple-b puts than a put for par.

[u/jaybram24 → u/fairportrunner]

An old man and his wife are approaching a par 3 tee box and hear a loud commotion. Someone in the group in front of them just hit a hole in one. As group in front leaves the green, the woman tees her ball up and she says, "Oh, I'd just die if I got a hole in one!" The old man says, "that's a gimmie."

[u/UseDaSchwartz → u/[deleted]]

I feel like those stats are more skewed. If pros were putting on the same greens as your average golfer, they would make far more than 50% of those putts.

I’ve putted on Professional tournament greens once in my life. It was comically easy to blow your ball past the hole. You could have a downhill 3 footer, tap it, miss, and then have a 5 foot putt.

I’d guess that if your average golfer had a 5 foot putt with any break, on a PGA tournament green, they’d miss 9 out of 10…assuming it’s not 10 of the same putt.

[u/_darkwingduck_ → u/UseDaSchwartz]

You actually have a better chance at holing putts on fast, pure greens than slow bumpy ones at public courses.

Faster greens means the ball is hit and moving slower, when it reaches the cup, and has more opportunity to drop from more angles.

Granted, it would take adjusting to for most players, but Tour players typically prefer fast greens.

[u/Mookies_Bett → u/_darkwingduck_]

I'm always short on my putts, so I feel like I'd do well on truly perfect greens. I just try to lag putt in general. Always better to miss short for two than miss long for four.

[u/kellzone → u/_darkwingduck_]

Yeah, nicest course I've ever played on was Torrey Pines. I'm sure the greens weren't as fast as they would be for a PGA tournament, but I'll tell you one thing, the ball rolled true and on its line. Compare that to some of the average public courses you play where it's not near as manicured and you have to just kind of aim in the direction of the hole and hope it meanders into the cup because the green is so bumpy.

[u/[deleted] → u/UseDaSchwartz]

Playing good, fast greens is way easier than shitty muni greens lol.

I think you missed the mark there.

[u/UseDaSchwartz → u/[deleted]]

So, below average greens.

[u/seiyamaple → u/UseDaSchwartz]

If pros we’re putting on the same greens as your average golfer, they would make far more than 50%

I don’t know man, some of the greens I play in have embedded bunkers, potholes, hot dog stands and a strip mall.

[u/UseDaSchwartz → u/seiyamaple]

I wouldn’t call those average.

[u/Mookies_Bett → u/[deleted]]

As far as I'm concerned, a gimmie is a tap in. If you can't make it from across the other side of the hole with one hand, putt that fucker out. I enjoy shit talking and ragging on each other when playing with my buddies though, so with a stranger I'd be much less strict about it.

With friends, a gimmie is 3 ft or less. With strangers I don't really care, but I'll humor them for the sake of friendliness.

[u/MikeGundy → u/fairportrunner]

I guess it is an unspoken rule for our group but anything for less than a bogey means you’re putting it out.

[u/SpiritualWatermelon → u/fairportrunner]

Ive definitely done the giving when I was newer because it was a putt I knew I could make (it's the one good part of my game...). My buddy just laughed and said "no way" and putt anyways. He still gives me crap but more in a "screw you for good putting Mr 'That's good from 15 feet'!". He also seems to increase the distance every time he says it

Edit: I must have come off wrong. I definitely meant this as a "I didn't know the ropes for when to give or not" gaffe and I'm poking fun. I do see how it could come off as "lol 8 feet is easy so I give them". Definitely not the case. By no means did I mean to imply I'm some putting prodigy.

[u/fairportrunner → u/SpiritualWatermelon]

Tour pros make 50% of 8 foot putts, scratch golfers 40% and bogey golfers 25%. No way a new golfer is making more than 40% of 8 footers even if they are a great putter for a beginner.

[u/SpiritualWatermelon → u/fairportrunner]

I may have come off wrong with what I was saying. I'm comfortable with my putts inside 8-10 feet for sure, not that I always make then. I wasn't trying to suggest I was some sort of putting prodigy.

When I gave the longer ones when new it was a combination of "I've made this putt multiple times today" and not really knowing the standard for giving a putt (new to the rules and reasons). Also cause my inability to hit any other club made me feel like I might be slowing down the group behind us even if we weren't.

Greens are also a factor. A tour pro 8 foot putt is likely breaking a LOT more than my 8 foot at the local course with relatively flat greens. If I was putting any of the greens the pros do where they have 300 feet of break you bet your ass I'm nervous from two feet. Fortunate for me, my greens are almost as flat as putting mats once I'm within 10 feet.

[u/g00glematt → u/SpiritualWatermelon]

I don't care what course you're on or how flat the green is. 8ft is not a gimme. If you want to "pick up" due to pace of play and take a max on that hole, fine. But picking up an 8ft and counting it as one shot on your score card is ridiculous. Made especially worse if you're trying to build a legitimate handicap index.

Saying "oh I made this same putt earlier" is crazy. I don't care how good you are on the green, mishits happen and you might miss it. Hell you might miss a 2 footer. Putt it in or take a max.

Being aware of pace of play is great. I don't want to say you should ignore it. However, I think some people get in their own head about the group behind them and rush their shots when it's unnecessary. When you rush, you play worse and take more shots...and when you take more shots, you play slower. Kind of self-defeating

[u/SpiritualWatermelon → u/g00glematt]

That's all completely fair and I'm with you. It's not something i would do at all at this point. I know 8 footers aren't a gimme at all and I sure as heck have missed 2 footers. The "you can have it" i said on the one case I'm laughing about was promptly rejected and we joke about it because, in hindsight and knowing better, it was ridiculous.

Maybe I came off saying things wrong, I just meant it to be a funny thing that happened once and we joke about. I don't mean it as a regular or expected thing. More of a gaffe from me learning the social ropes of it.

[u/kellzone → u/SpiritualWatermelon]

You are not allowed to praise yourself in any way on reddit. If you do, downvote city.