Aimpoint

[SGC001]

First of all, I believe there is a place for Aimpoint in the game. Don't have a problem with it at all, although its of little interest to me as I'm happy with my putting.

But a rhetorical question; for all those that have done it, and put the time in practicing and refining their skills with it, would you have achieved just as much by spending the time on the practice green without doing Aimpoint? I realise its an impossible question to answer but I do wonder if what you were lacking previously was a bit of structure and a whole load of practicing.

In my case, i chose to go on the course for 2 reasons.

1. An interest in how it could work
2. A tendancy to over read putts on slow greens.
3. A feeling i didnt hole my fair share of makeable putts (more so on slow greens)

In the case of point 1, i was pleasantly suprised by the soundness of the method.

In the case of point 2, i know have a chart and can play less break with confidence on slow slopey greens.

In case of point 3 i felt it helped on my home courses (too slow for me at that time - i was always happier at 8 9 10 plus than slower) away i tended to hole more of these anyway.

As a bonus i found it helps with commiting to a stroke, so i feel i make more good strokes.

I also changed my putter type as a result of discussions with the pro who ran the course to one which suits my eyes better for lining up. (i tend to see things open so benefit from a heel shafted putter). In effect i was compensating for my face alignment with my stroke which was likely a source on inconsistency.

I always felt and still feel i read and lag well, but i now feel i hole more of my fair share of the 3 to 10 footers that let me down.

Edit
Putting wise i like finding the fall line and clock drill to help with those skills. Different lengths and slopes can be done, but its hard to practice and thetefore learn at different speeds.

 

[chrisd]

Good point, well made Chris. I pretty much answered my own question when I said "were lacking a bit of structure..."

I had a tips lesson from Oliver Wilson at the Belfry a few years back at the final of Britain's Best putter. Amongst the tips were two I have incorporated into my routine, which I hadn't considered before. 1) Always look from below the hole to see the slopes better. 2) For what appears to be a flat green, get a feel for any slopes from your feet.

There always more we can learn, we've just got to be open minded to it.

Why, subject to cost, would anyone not want to learn everything and anything that might improve their game?

 

[r0wly86]

Fully aware of the dangers of publishing or broadcasting etc, that’s why I made the point about telling a mate, danger would be mate using info and making a profit etc,

They could I suppose, but they would be subject to any court action, again the chances of the owner of the copyright bringing action against you because you told a third party about it who published it are pretty slim.

In the UK courts as well, the claimant would have to prove that your actions cost them money. You telling your mate as at most cost them the cost of the course your mate may have gone on, your mate who as broadcasted it could be liable for more. But there isn't a transitive property in law, as in your mate couldn't publish it if you hadn't told him, so you are liable for his actions

 

[JollyRedDevil]

Correct me if I am wrong but from what I understand, this method (if it works) helps with the degree of slope not the actual direction.
I sometimes, at my new club, read a green as say left to right and it turns out the opposite.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Correct me if I am wrong but from what I understand, this method (if it works) helps with the degree of slope not the actual direction.
I sometimes, at my new club, read a green as say left to right and it turns out the opposite.

I really think you should do the course

 

[JollyRedDevil]

I really think you should do the course

Seriously, are you saying it helps with reading the direction of the slope correctly?
At my new club, the greens are really difficult to read (for me any way). Unless it is really obvious, I stand behind the ball and read it one way, I the walk to the opposite side and read it the other way.
I'm all for it if it helps with that.
How much does a typical coure cost? Any ideas.

 

[MendieGK]

Seriously, are you saying it helps with reading the direction of the slope correctly?
At my new club, the greens are really difficult to read (for me any way). Unless it is really obvious, I stand behind the ball and read it one way, I the walk to the opposite side and read it the other way.
I'm all for it if it helps with that.
How much does a typical coure cost? Any ideas.

you dont need to do the course to learn to read greens with your feet.

 

[Ross61]

Seriously, are you saying it helps with reading the direction of the slope correctly?
At my new club, the greens are really difficult to read (for me any way). Unless it is really obvious, I stand behind the ball and read it one way, I the walk to the opposite side and read it the other way.
I'm all for it if it helps with that.
How much does a typical coure cost? Any ideas.

I’ve never done the course, But have picked up from the various threads that a part of this is to straddle the line and feel with your feet any slope. This is the only thing I do from the aimpoint method. Like you, I sometimes struggle with minor slopes, especially since wearing varifocal glasses.
I find it easy to settle my mind as to any slope. It is far better than the plumb line with the putter method, which in my opinion is not reliable.

 

[Orikoru]

I’ve never done the course, But have picked up from the various threads that a part of this is to straddle the line and feel with your feet any slope. This is the only thing I do from the aimpoint method. Like you, I sometimes struggle with minor slopes, especially since wearing varifocal glasses.
I find it easy to settle my mind as to any slope. It is far better than the plumb line with the putter method, which in my opinion is not reliable.

Same here. Never done an Aimpoint course or really researched it a lot, but I occasionally straddle my putting line and see if I can feel a break with my feet that I couldn't see with my eyes, if I'm not sure of a line.

 

[3565]

Aimpoint is a green reading method that puts a value in % to side tilt of a slope that with the learning of the arm bend can give you a visual of how much it breaks. The process is simple, effective, doesn't slow play (unless your a quick look and whack it player). Ive done it for the past 7 yrs, it isn't a placebo or that I turned to AE because I'm a bad green reader, you don't play in Cat1 for 20 odd years by being a poor green reader, (and that is no way intended to be elitist or snobbery about my hc but more a stand point of where I am) and I have a preference to do AE then the normal way.

Is is it for everyone, no, but those who struggle, there is a system out there that helps. I bet there is a high percentage of players who do take lessons that have probably not took a green reading lesson from their Pro.

just out of interest those with DMDs have you noticed that you hole out more often with the shots that are hit into the green since the legalisation of DMDs in comps then before?

 

[spongebob59]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=U8j-NYzb1YA

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Don't know about aimpoint being a way of improving % of shorter putts holed - but I (mostly) stopped missing 3 footers and under - and improved greatly my holing % of 12ft and under when I developed a simply pre-putt route - and use it every time.

There are many ways to skin a cat (so I am told) but perhaps what the aimpoint method provides could simply be a pre-putt routine. Maybe it's as much the 'routine' that delivers rather than the 'technique/method' (if you get my differentiation) - and that's fine and good for those who find that it works.

 

[Khamelion]

Aimpoint is so much more than just reading the amount of slope, you learn speed techniques, accuracy, allignment etc...Grant all the aformentioned can be self taught, or a coach or pro can teach you the agreed vanila way of doing things, it's each to their own, whatever works for one will not for another.

Not sure why Aimpoint attracts so much dissention among players, you don't read or hear others talking about the actual swing with so much passion, I mean everyone's swing is different and if that means you get the ball from A to B then the swing works, why should Aimpoint be any different?

Like the golf swing, Aimpoint is a singular method of achieving an end result with multiple ways of achieving that result.

 

[Slab]

Aimpoint is so much more than just reading the amount of slope, you learn speed techniques, accuracy, allignment etc...Grant all the aformentioned can be self taught, or a coach or pro can teach you the agreed vanila way of doing things, it's each to their own, whatever works for one will not for another.

Not sure why Aimpoint attracts so much dissention among players, you don't read or hear others talking about the actual swing with so much passion, I mean everyone's swing is different and if that means you get the ball from A to B then the swing works, why should Aimpoint be any different?

Like the golf swing, Aimpoint is a singular method of achieving an end result with multiple ways of achieving that result.

My own initial view of it started with the secrecy/sketchyness (real word?) surrounding it online and while I suppose this was intended to protect income it actually came across as scam-like

If it wasn’t golf related I’d wager even some that did part with their hard earned would’ve just said; what, you’ve got a new way for me to do something but you won’t really tell me any detail until I part with the cash and then you’ll ask me not to share it… yeah right, sod off mate!

Be honest it sounds like a ponzi scheme rather than a marketing strategy

Once I’ve formed a negative view on something like that it’s not likely to change the full 180 even when the facts become clearer, at best I’ll be; meh!
(which is pretty much where I am)

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Aimpoint is so much more than just reading the amount of slope, you learn speed techniques, accuracy, allignment etc...Grant all the aformentioned can be self taught, or a coach or pro can teach you the agreed vanila way of doing things, it's each to their own, whatever works for one will not for another.

Not sure why Aimpoint attracts so much dissention among players, you don't read or hear others talking about the actual swing with so much passion, I mean everyone's swing is different and if that means you get the ball from A to B then the swing works, why should Aimpoint be any different?

Like the golf swing, Aimpoint is a singular method of achieving an end result with multiple ways of achieving that result.

For me the primary concern is that it requires a table for each green to work from and that - for me - takes away from what I view as the 'instinctive' and 'learnt' nature of putting. For me it is a very different part of our gane than the rest. We can practice, practice and practice our swing technique and distance, spin, shot shaping and strike - and that is fine - always been the case. But for me putting is different to all of that. The success or failure of my putting depends very much on my ability to assess awhere I find myself on the green, the position of the flag on the day and what I have to putt over between my ball and the flag positions. I think that is a k

 

[HomerJSimpson]

For me the primary concern is that it requires a table for each green to work from and that - for me - takes away from what I view as the 'instinctive' and 'learnt' nature of putting. For me it is a very different part of our gane than the rest. We can practice, practice and practice our swing technique and distance, spin, shot shaping and strike - and that is fine - always been the case. But for me putting is different to all of that. The success or failure of my putting depends very much on my ability to assess awhere I find myself on the green, the position of the flag on the day and what I have to putt over between my ball and the flag positions. I think that is a k

Sorry but your first sentence is outdated if not now erroneous. Aimpoint have done away with the charts and in which case were universal for all courses and had different tables based on the stimp (which could be estimated on the putting green and adjusted after the first hole or two). The Aimpoint Express now uses the read based on the perceived slope felt through the feet and translated into a degree of arm bend (based on pace of the greens) and fingers used to indicate the amount of break required. With practice this can be refined and improved and is definitely instinctive.

 

[Slab]

Sorry but your first sentence is outdated if not now erroneous. Aimpoint have done away with the charts and in which case were universal for all courses and had different tables based on the stimp (which could be estimated on the putting green and adjusted after the first hole or two). The Aimpoint Express now uses the read based on the perceived slope felt through the feet and translated into a degree of arm bend (based on pace of the greens) and fingers used to indicate the amount of break required. With practice this can be refined and improved and is definitely instinctive.

See this is the thing, you take that into the Den and a handful of Dragons are gonna tell you to do one

Maybe its just one of those marmite things or I'm just not smart enough to see through the jargon in the process

 

[cliveb]

The Aimpoint Express now uses the read based on the perceived slope felt through the feet and translated into a degree of arm bend (based on pace of the greens) and fingers used to indicate the amount of break required. With practice this can be refined and improved and is definitely instinctive.

Having viewed a few videos I gleaned the basic strategy, and the theory behind it sounds eminently reasonable.
So I decided to try it out in an uneducated way to decide whether there was something in it to justify paying for a course. (I realised that it wouldn't work straight off and would need fine tuning, but felt that I might at least get a sense of whether it was going to work).

The problem was that I just couldn't get a feel for the degree of slope through my feet. All the YouTube videos I saw seemed to imply that doing this would be instinctive and natural, but it wasn't for me. Is that to be expected, and does the official Aimpoint instruction teach you how to sense these slopes?

I was doing this at my home course where I know the slopes well. Could it be that my previous knowledge was overriding the instinctive feel I should be getting through my feet? Or is it just that I'm rubbish at sensing slopes through my feet? Do the type of golf shoes make a difference?

 

[USER1999]

Have you tried taking your shoes and socks off?

 

[shortgame]

perhaps what the aimpoint method provides could simply be a pre-putt routine. Maybe it's as much the 'routine' that delivers rather than the 'technique/method' (if you get my differentiation) - and that's fine and good for those who find that it works.

Similar point to what I made at the start of the thread. For some people merely having a process to follow will in and of itself be an improvement. Combine that with having confidence in the read and therefore being more decisive may bring results - even if that read is wrong! Kind of a placebo effect.

Not conviced by the 'science' of it but am a firm believer in having consistent and decisive processes.

Plus who wouldn't, after paying £250 for the course, actually practice putting more - leading to additional improvement regardless of the merits of the course!