The short answer. A gimme is a putt a playing partner tells you not to bother with. The Rules of Golf allow conceding in match play and forbid it in stroke play, where you must hole out. Everything else is custom: how close counts, who may offer one, and what happens to a birdie putt. Settle those three things before the first tee and most disputes go away.
What the Rules of Golf say
There are two formats, and they treat conceding differently.
- Match play (Rule 3.2b). A player may concede an opponent's next stroke, a hole or the match. The concession can be made at any time before the opponent's next stroke, and it must be clear, by words or by an action that obviously shows the intent. Once made, it is final and cannot be declined or withdrawn. When the next stroke is conceded, the opponent has finished the hole with a score that includes that stroke, and the ball may be removed.
- Stroke play (Rule 3.3c). There are no concessions. A player must hole out at every hole. Failing to do so means disqualification unless it is corrected before starting the next hole or, on the last hole, before returning the scorecard.
The Rules also set a general standard of conduct (Rule 1.2): integrity, consideration for others and care of the course. Consideration includes keeping a prompt pace. These standards carry no penalty on their own, except that a committee may disqualify a player for serious misconduct. Most gimme etiquette comes from that principle, even though the word "gimme" is not in the Rules.
The unwritten rules
These are custom, not rules, and groups differ. They are the common ground.
- A gimme is offered, never claimed. Picking up your own ball and saying "that's good" before anyone has conceded it is the one breach nearly every group treats as bad form. If nobody has said anything, putt it.
- Say it clearly and early. "That's good" or "pick it up" is enough. In match play a clear concession is also what the Rules require, so ambiguity helps nobody.
- Distance is custom. The traditional measure is "inside the leather," meaning within the length of a putter grip. Plenty of groups use two to three feet instead. Neither is in the Rules, so agree one measure and stick to it.
- The putt matters more than the distance. A short putt with a sidehill break is not the same as the same length straight and flat. If you would not be sure of holing it, do not offer it.
- Offer the same standard to everyone. A group that gives gimmes to the person who is winning and withholds them from the person who is losing does not have a gimme rule, it has a grudge.
- Money changes the answer. Many groups keep gimmes out of bets, or out of putts for a birdie or to win a hole, and play those out. Whatever your group does, say so before the bet starts.
- Gimmes are a pace tool. A conceded putt saves a minute, and the Rules expect a brisk pace (Rule 5.6b recommends no more than 40 seconds to play a stroke once it is your turn). A group that argues over each gimme loses the time it saved.
Three things to agree on the first tee
- How close counts as a gimme. A grip length, two feet or three feet.
- Whether birdie putts, or putts for a bet, are always played out.
- Whether it is a match, a stroke-play competition or a casual round. In a stroke-play competition, no gimmes.
Handicaps
Handicap rules are separate from the Rules of Golf, and they are set by your national association. If you are posting a round in which putts were conceded, check your association's guidance on how to record the score. In the US, that is the USGA.
Questions
Can I pick up my ball if I think it is a gimme?
Not unless someone has conceded it. Offering is the other player's call.
Can I decline a gimme in match play?
No. Under Rule 3.2b a concession is final and cannot be declined or withdrawn. In a casual game you can say you would like to putt it, which is a courtesy to the group.
Is "inside the leather" an official distance?
No. It is a custom, and it varies by group. The Rules of Golf do not set any distance.
Are gimmes allowed in competitions?
In stroke-play competitions, no: every player must hole out (Rule 3.3c). In match play, a concession is part of the format.
Last reviewed 6 October 2026 against the 2023 Rules of Golf (Rules 1.2, 3.2b, 3.3c and 5.6). This is a plain-English summary, not the official text. The unwritten rules are custom and vary by group. See also the golf glossary.
