What Is a Gimme in Golf? Rules and Etiquette

A gimme in golf is a short putt that your opponents or playing partners concede, meaning they agree you would obviously make it, so you pick up the ball and count it as holed without actually putting it. Gimmes are almost always very short putts, often described as being “inside the leather,” roughly the length of a putter grip from the hole, or somewhere around a foot to two feet.

The crucial detail most casual golfers miss is that a true, official gimme only exists in match play. There, the Rules of Golf, governed by the USGA and The R&A, allow a player to formally concede a stroke, a hole or even the match. In stroke play, conceding putts is not permitted, so any “gimme” in a stroke-play round is purely a friendly, unofficial custom. Here is how gimmes really work, where they are and are not allowed, and the etiquette around them.

Match play: where the gimme is real

In match play, golfers compete hole by hole rather than by total strokes, and the Rules of Golf explicitly allow concessions. A player may concede their opponent’s next stroke at any time before that opponent takes it, which is exactly the situation a gimme describes: rather than watch you tap in a six-inch putt, your opponent says “that’s good,” and the stroke counts as made.

A concession, once given, cannot be declined or withdrawn. Players also concede for tactical reasons, giving a short putt to keep the pace up or to avoid the small chance of a rattled opponent gaining confidence from holing out. Concessions in match play can even extend to a whole hole or the entire match, which is why you often see a player pick up their opponent’s marker as a sporting gesture.

Stroke play: gimmes are not allowed

In stroke play, every stroke counts toward your total, and there is no provision for conceding a putt. You must hole out on every hole, and picking up before doing so means you have not completed the hole, which in a formal competition results in disqualification. This surprises many social golfers because gimmes feel so normal.

The reason is fairness: because stroke play compares totals across the whole field, letting one player skip a short putt while another has to hole it would distort the scores. So in any official stroke-play event, the honest rule is simple, there are no gimmes.

The “inside the leather” rule of thumb

Since gimmes are unofficial in casual play, golfers use informal benchmarks to decide what counts.

Situation	Is a gimme allowed?	Typical distance
Match play (formal)	Yes, as a concession under the Rules	Any distance the opponent chooses
Casual / social stroke play	Yes, by mutual agreement (custom, not rule)	Often “inside the leather,” ~1–2 feet
Official stroke-play competition	No, you must hole out	Not applicable

“Inside the leather” is the classic phrase: if the ball is closer to the hole than the length from the putter head to the bottom of the grip, the group commonly treats it as a gimme. Some groups agree a distance before teeing off to avoid arguments. None of this is written in the Rules; it is etiquette.

Etiquette and the downside

Gimmes are a courtesy, so the etiquette matters. Concede or accept them graciously, do not demand a gimme for yourself, and once a putt is conceded, do not putt it “just to see,” because holing or missing it can plant doubt. In friendly rounds, generosity with gimmes keeps the game pleasant and the pace brisk.

The hidden cost is competitive. Golfers who take a lot of gimmes rarely practice the knee-knocking two- and three-footers that decide real rounds, so their handicaps can flatter them. If you post scores for a handicap, remember that unearned gimmes make your record less accurate, our guide to how to determine your handicap in golf explains why honest hole-outs matter for a true index.

How gimmes fit the wider game

A gimme is one of golf’s small social contracts, a way to speed play and show sportsmanship without bending the sport’s core principle that you have to get the ball in the hole. Understanding that it is a formal concession in match play but only a custom elsewhere keeps you on the right side of the rules when it counts. If you enjoy the language of the sport, our explainers on what a bogey is in golf and the rare albatross cover more of the scoring terms you will hear on the course.

The short version: a gimme is a conceded short putt you count as holed; it is a legitimate concession under the Rules of Golf in match play, a friendly custom in casual stroke play, and not allowed at all in official stroke-play competition, with “inside the leather” the usual informal yardstick.