Anyone Learned Aimpoint? Your Thoughts?

[standrew]

Im really interested in taking the aimpoint course. Anyone who has taken the course, would you recommend it? Im not great with really technical things, and was wondering if there are any resources online so i can research it before attending? I've seen a few basic videos on youtube.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Homer has done it and uses it on the course so I'm sure he'll be along soon to tell you all about it.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I love it, especialy on greens I don't know. Contrary to popular misconception it really takes no longer than it would to look at your putt using a more conventional method. I'm doing the new express read course in June so I won't need the chart. The great thing is, you pay your money once for the basic course and can then go back and go on it again if you need a refresher.

Many will say my putting is still as bad as ever and that may be true bit I can stand over the ball now and feel absolute confidence I have a good read, again especially on other courses. That allows me to just trust the read and make a solid stroke. I like it and I would always suggest doing the course

 

[pendodave]

I've seen a couple of bits on one of the Crossfield course vids where one of the protagonists hops about a bit on both feet and then looks at a book.

But I've never read anywhere how the system actually works. Can someone who has done the course explain the method in words of one syllable or would you have to kill me afterwards ???

 

[HomerJSimpson]

In simple terms, you need to work out the pace as this obviously affects the amount of break. You then find the mid point of the putt on the lowest side You need to turn until you face up the slope and the angle you are to your ball gives you the angle. You then need to work out the degree of slope (1 being a virtually flat putt, 4 being a severe slope). Simply look up the result in the chart and that's it.

It doesn't read as easily as it is in use. We had an odyssey demo day at my club in the summer. I talked their rep through the process and he plopped in a 15 foot downhill left to right first time. My read was way bigger than the one he had which is perhaps the thing I found hardest. It will give you some big breaks and you look at it and think "no way" but you'll be surprised

 

[pendodave]

Thanks for that Homer, food for thought.

 

[Stuey01]

Contrary to popular misconception it really takes no longer than it would to look at your putt using a more conventional method

I must be one of the popularly misconceived then, because I can't see how all that penguin hopping about and looking at a little book can possibly not take longer.
Not that it is necessarily a bad thing, taking a little longer to read a putt is far from the worst thing you could do on a golf course, but do you really believe it doesn't take longer?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I must be one of the popularly misconceived then, because I can't see how all that penguin hopping about and looking at a little book can possibly not take longer.
Not that it is necessarily a bad thing, taking a little longer to read a putt is far from the worst thing you could do on a golf course, but do you really believe it doesn't take longer?

I suggest you speak to Hawkeye as he plays with me regularly but unless it is a real tricky putt with a big slope then I have got the slope and looking uphill (or hopping about) down to a 10-15 second exercise. Couple of secs to check the break in the chart and maybe a second look as others are putting and I'm done. If there is a big slope I still reckon that I take no longer than others would taking care to get their own read right

Used it at H4H and all the forum meets I've been on and no-one I played with had any issues with my speed of play on the greens. Like I say, there seems to be a fair bit of misconception about this process

 

[Stuey01]

Fair enough Homer. That's a bit slower than myself (but I'm a crap putter!) and my playing partners (who are good putters) but only so slightly as it would not make any real difference. Certainly not enough to prompt any complaints that's for sure.
Seems you have down to a pretty quick process.

 

[Robobum]

@Homer. What were your putt stats before and after starting using this please?

 

[standrew]

I love it, especialy on greens I don't know. Contrary to popular misconception it really takes no longer than it would to look at your putt using a more conventional method. I'm doing the new express read course in June so I won't need the chart. The great thing is, you pay your money once for the basic course and can then go back and go on it again if you need a refresher.

Many will say my putting is still as bad as ever and that may be true bit I can stand over the ball now and feel absolute confidence I have a good read, again especially on other courses. That allows me to just trust the read and make a solid stroke. I like it and I would always suggest doing the course

Do you use a digital spirit level? You can get free spirit level apps i was wondering if these could be used.

 

[CheltenhamHacker]

Do you use a digital spirit level? You can get free spirit level apps i was wondering if these could be used.

Pretty sure you can't use those, against the rules of the game n'all that!

 

[standrew]

Pretty sure you can't use those, against the rules of the game n'all that!

On the practice greens obviously son.

I heard digital spirit levels were used by some aimpoint learners to check for the zero line.

 

[CheltenhamHacker]

On the practice greens obviously son.

Dad??

 

[pendodave]

I think you get a 'proper' digital level if you go on the course?

They are certainly available on all brands of smartphone for free. Trouble is, the size of the phones makes me think that the minor abnormalities on the green beneath the phone might override the overall slope in a particular area. Would need to use one of those Dom Jolly supersized ones to eliminate the statistical uncertainty...

 

[Foxholer]

I must be one of the popularly misconceived then, because I can't see how all that penguin hopping about and looking at a little book can possibly not take longer.
Not that it is necessarily a bad thing, taking a little longer to read a putt is far from the worst thing you could do on a golf course, but do you really believe it doesn't take longer?

I've seen it used by a couple of folk and it turned their poor putting into noticeably better putters.
Certain aspects - what you refer to as 'penquins hopping about' can be useful to non-Aimpoint users too - to actually determine a slop - occasionally.

If it helps sink putts, get longer putts to tap-in distance or avoid 3-putts, it's actually a time saver!

 

[standrew]

Dad??

Son?!?!?!?!?!

 

[standrew]

I think you get a 'proper' digital level if you go on the course?

They are certainly available on all brands of smartphone for free. Trouble is, the size of the phones makes me think that the minor abnormalities on the green beneath the phone might override the overall slope in a particular area. Would need to use one of those Dom Jolly supersized ones to eliminate the statistical uncertainty...

Perhaps a tablet haha.

 

[Stuey01]

If it helps sink putts, get longer putts to tap-in distance or avoid 3-putts, it's actually a time saver!

Fair point.

 

[pendodave]

Perhaps a tablet haha.

In all seriousness, a full size tablet is probably the optimum size for this sort of malarky.

I wonder if closing your eyes would help to feel the slope ? If you take one of your senses out of the equation, the others are supposed to kick in to compensate.

On the other hand, it would probably just cause the hearing to sharpen up enough to hear people whispering from the clubhouse 'why is that d**k hopping about on the practice green like a penguin....'