Gimme, Gimme, Gimme

There have been some reports of scoring issues in regard to the use of the "gimme" during league play. I'd appreciate it if you can help teammates, opponents, and subs understand how to utilize it. Below is some background followed by league policy (made up just now, by me) on gimmes. We can discuss further at the banquet, if you don't like these rules and guidelines.

What is a gimme? In our league play, a gimme is a concession by one's opponent that you are so likely to make the next putt that you can pick the ball up (without putting it into the cup) and count your next putt as made. These are not legal in stroke play - in fact, they're only legal in Ryder Cup Match Play. (Technically, there is a difference between a conceded putt and a gimme, but I'm not going to go into that here. For the purposes of this discussion, assume they mean the same thing.) A big reason gimmes are used (and even encouraged) is to help speed up play. If the next hole is ready for you and a group is close behind you, it speeds things up if putts are conceded, as opposed to putting them out.

Here, then, are the rules we will follow with regard to gimmes in the UW Men's League. I will try to remember to update the rule book with a section on gimmes.

Rules

• A player may concede his opponent's putt if that putt is "inside the leather" - that is, if a ball is closer to the hole than the distance from your putter head to putter grip when laid flat on the green. To kindly bestow a gimme, a player may say "That's a gimme." or "Pick that up." or, if they're less tactful, "Get that *#&@ outta there."
• A player may not concede his own teammate's putt - only an opponent's putt.
• If you are the recipient of a gimme (i.e. you have been given a putt) you are allowed to pick up your ball and add one stroke to your score for the putt not taken.
• A gimme = 1 stroke. This is important enough to reiterate and emphasize. A gimme doesn't mean you made your last putt. It means you "made" your next putt.
• If your opponent concedes your putt, you may still putt out if you want. WARNING! (See next bullet.)
  
• IF you choose to putt out instead of picking up the conceded putt, you must count all subsequent strokes. That means that if you miss the putt that had been conceded, and must putt once more to hole out, you must count both putting strokes, as opposed to the one stroke you would have had to count had you picked the ball up. (This is contrary to the Ryder Cup conceded putt rules.)

Guidelines

• A player may only concede his opponent's putt. Although, in certain circumstances (an unopposed player or your teammate is busy flirting with the beer-cart girl) a player may speak for his teammate in conceding an opponent's putt. You may want to ask your teammate at the beginning of the round if he minds that you concede putts in his place.
  
• You are not required to concede a putt to your opponent. However, for speed of play purposes it is encouraged.
• You may concede some putts and not others, regardless of their relative length. (For example, you may want to see how skilled a player is before conceding that he would likely make the next putt. In addition, if a player is putting for a win or a tie, you may want to make him hole the putt.)
• The previous rules and guidelines notwithstanding, players should be encouraged to hole out on each hole. That it to say, unless it truly is a "gimme," a putt should not be conceded. In other words, a gimme is not to given for a difficult putt out of niceness or pity, even if your opponent is struggling (or, as we call it, Wolfe-ing.)
  

If anybody's got anything to add, please do so in the Comments. Thanks.