This week the PGA TOUR comes to Minnesota for the 3M Open. The return of fans to the 3M Open means that many of you will be seeing professional golf in person for the first time in a long while. There will undoubtedly be some great golf and an abundance of birdies and eagles made at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine. Who knows, maybe even an ace??

Fun fact, there has been an ace made during each of the previous two 3M Open’s. In 2019, Minnesota native Tim Herron made the first ace in Tournament history with an ace on hole #8 at the TPC. Likewise, Bo Van Pelt made an ace on hole #8 during the 2020 3M Open. Holes #4, 8, 13, 17 are all par 3s and make for excellent viewing for those on site. One thing you won’t see Thursday through Sunday, is a golf professional knocking it stiff and his fellow competitor knocking it away and telling him, “That’s a gimme, pick it up!”

“You’re a winner! You just won the Gimme Game!”

For those of us not playing on TV each and every week, a gimme is one of the sweetest words in golf. With SmartPin, the word gimme just got even sweeter! Thanks to the SmartPin, golfers will quickly learn that they are an instant winner every time they hit it to gimme range! SmartPin, creator of the SmartPin National Progressive Hole-In-One Jackpot, has now added a new chance to win on the golf course.

What is the Gimme Game?

The Gimme Game will award any SmartPin tee shot that finishes within “gimme distance” a significant prize. Unlike the usual closest-to-the-pin contest from your weekly group, the prize can be quite substantial as you will be competing against golfers from across the country! The SmartPin Gimme Game is a nationwide progressive jackpot for any shot that finishes inside of 36”. The Gimme Game is like a Hole-In-One contest except the target is six feet wide. For some golfers, it is easier to imagine a closest to the pin contest where a shot hit to within 36” of the lip of the hole is a winner.

Imagine, how many times you would have made a hole-in-one if the cup was six feet wide? Feel that smile growing on your face, that will happen every time you play a SmartPin par-3 hole.

How much do I win in the Gimme Game?

Just like the SmartPin Progressive Hole In One Jackpot, the Gimme Game is a Daily Nationwide Progressive Jackpot. The jackpot will be split evenly at the end of the day by each golfer that hits one inside of 36”. However, since the last shot of the day may happen long after you have left for the day, every Gimme Game winner will instantly receive a $100 gift card from the golf course where the Gimme is scored. The balance of the prize will be determined at midnight and sent to the winner(s). If you score the only Gimme on a given day, you win the entire jackpot. If there are multiple winners, all winners split the jackpot. The guaranteed Gimme Game Jackpot will start at $250 each day and grow as the number of golf courses and players increase. The jackpot is progressive, meaning that each day there is not a winner, the Gimme Game Jackpot increases.

The Gimme Game Jackpot is paid to each Gimme Game winner in gift certificates to be used at the SmartPin Partner facilities. They may be used to purchase merchandise or greens fees at participating golf courses. Additionally, each Gimme Game winner receives a souvenir video of their winning shot.

The morning after there is a Gimme Game winner(s), a new Guaranteed Gimme Game Jackpot is funded, and the Gimme Game starts again.

How much does it cost to participate in the Gimme Game?

The entry fee of $5 is charged for each shot hit at a SmartPin Par-3 hole. The $5 entry fee enters golfers in the Gimme Game and the SmartPin National Progressive Hole-In-One Jackpot. The golfer’s credit card is charged when the golfer enters that day’s SmartPin Games. Some golf courses accept payment of the $5 entry fee in the golf shop upon check-in.

Other ways to win with SmartPin?

There are two ways to win instantly on a SmartPin Par-3 hole. – the Gimme Game and the SmartPin National Progressive Hole-In-One Jackpot. Golfers who enter the Gimme Game are automatically entered in the National Progressive Hole-In-One Jackpot.

The Gimme Game and SmartPin National Progressive Hole-In-One Jackpot are similar, except the prize is much larger for a Hole-In-One. There is a guaranteed Hole-In-One Jackpot of $10,000 and the Jackpot is progressive. The Hole-In-One contest ends when the last shot is hit on the day a Hole-In-One is scored. If there are multiple winners, the prize is split, and each winner in the National Hole-In-One Jackpot receives a souvenir video of their winning shot.

SmartPin Million Dollar ShootOut

Winning the Gimme Game or the SmartPin National Progressive Hole-In-One Jackpot on a SmartPin Par-3 Hole means winning an instant prize. But more than the prize, winning a SmartPin Game is the springboard into the year-end SmartPin Million Dollar ShootOut, a chance to win $1 Million Dollar for a Hole-In-One.

Golfers who win a Gimme Game or the SmartPin National Progressive Hole-In-One Jackpot qualify for the SmartPin Million Dollar ShootOut. The SmartPin Million Dollar ShootOut is a year-end three stage shootout where qualifiers move to the next round. The final 20 qualifiers will compete for a $1 Million Dollar Hole-In-One prize in the finals. If there is not a Hole-In-One during the finals, the closest to the pin wins a large cash prize. The expenses to the finals will be paid by Ace Golf Technologies, developers of SmartPin.

In addition, golfers who frequently enter the Gimme Game and SmartPin National Progressive Hole-In-One Jackpot qualify for the SmartPin Million Dollar ShootOut with 20 shots during the year.

BONUS:  Challenge your buddies, near and far!

Armed with the video of their winning shot and the multiple social media channels available golfers may create their own individual and group Gimme Game competition. The combination of SmartPin and Gimme Game means that golfers worldwide may play their own video games on a green grass golf course. A golfer in Arizona may challenge a golfer in Minnesota. Share the winning video. Claim all the glory!

Ace Golf Technologies

Over the past decade, technology has invaded the centuries old game of golf. Like a tornado moving across the prairie, technology has transformed the landscape of golf. Where does SmartPin fit into the tornado of technology? With all the apps, chips, scopes, screens, watches and wires developed for golf, SmartPin has created unique technology that generates a unique view from the golf flagstick.

SmartPin is the witness! SmartPin is the referee! SmartPin provides the proof! SmartPin removes the potential of cheating when playing for big money!

A recent golf survey indicated that 80% of male golfers over age 18 play golf for money. SmartPin was created to provide additional opportunities to play for big money. Placing cameras within the flagstick made it portable. Technology linking golf courses across American built the platform for a progressive jackpot (growing each day that a Hole-In-One or a Gimme is not made).

Over the last few years, golfers and golf professionals from the SmartPin courses indicated that they wanted more ways for golfers to win. Some even jokingly asked if the hole could be made bigger. The result of that feedback has been the development of the Gimme Game!

Sounds great, how do I play?

In order to play the SmartPin, you must use a mobile device prior to teeing off on a SmartPin hole. Scan the QR CODE or Text listed to get the SmartPin App on your mobile phone. Once there, create an account. Then, go to your local SmartPin Partner golf course and on their designated Par-3, simply tap your phone screen a few times to activate the SmartPin!

Knock it within three feet of the hole and you’re a winner of the Gimme Game! Knock it in the hole and you’re a winner of the SmartPin National Progressive Hole-In-One Jackpot! Win either game, and you’ve qualified for the SmartPin Million Dollar ShootOut! Best of all, it is free to play right now during the SmartPin Test Drive Program.