Make Everything? Really? I mean, come on...really??
Yes. REALLY.
I don't remember when I first heard about the green reading system known as AimPoint, but I put it in the back of mind as one of those things that maybe I should look into. It stayed in those deep dark recesses until I happened to be at Stonewall Golf Course and talked with a gentleman who was familiar with the AimPoint approach to putting.
At my urging, he showed me the AimPoint chart and immediately two things happened:
- My brain immediately shutdown
- I started to back away slowly while not making eye contact like I had just bumped into a mean mama bear with cubs.
Let me explain. Show me anything with a bunch of numbers and charts and I am immediately transported back to college where I struggled with the likes of differential equations and discrete mathematics. These are not happy memories and I try to avoid them at all costs.
Soon after, I met fellow golfer, Missy Elliot, (no, not THE MISSY ELLIOT) and had the opportunity to play a round of golf with her. On the first green she pulled out, OMG, that very same AimPoint chart that I had been repressing in my subconscious.
She walked around her putt, consulted that chart, lined up her putt and drained it. AimPoint very rapidly moved back to the front of my mind and by time we finished the round, AimPoint had climbed to the top of my bucket list!
For some background, I have struggled with reading greens since I began wielding a putter. I have tried the plumb-bob method and reading the putt from every angle, but have never truly been confident that I have the correct read while standing over my putt.
I then resort to the putt and pray technique, which sometimes works, but far more often, not so much.
Mark Sweeney, founder of Aimpoint, has changed all of that for me. He claims “the AimPoint Green Reading method will transform anyone’s game by teaching you the one aspect of putting which is never taught--exactly where to aim.”
Huh. That's a bold claim!!
Who doesn't want to know exactly where to aim a putt?
Since I was going to Orlando for the PGA Merchandise show, I contacted Sweeney to ask if I could schedule a class with him. After signing up for the Midpoint class, Sweeney suggested I also take the new AimPoint Express green reading class as well. He explained I would be able to immediately use it my next round. The AimPoint Midpoint green reading system is more accurate and scientific, but requires more practice to master.
Upon my arrival in Florida at the Marriott Golf Academy, I was very excited, but still somewhat skeptical. How scientific can this really be? If it's so accurate, why isn't everyone using it?
I decided to jump in with an open mind, because Lord knows, I definitely have room for improvement when it comes to reading the greens and sinking putts!
Aimpoint Express is the beginning level of the process. At the beginning of the class, Sweeney had each of us stand near markers placed on the green at various spots with differentiating degrees of slope. He wanted us to feel what a two degree slope feels like with our feet versus three degree of slope or four degree of slope.
For putts less than five feet, when standing behind your ball and facing the cup, if you are leaning more on your left foot, then the putt will break to the left. Most of us know that, but how much of a break to allow is the problem many struggle to conquer.
The amount of break depends on the amount of pressure you are feeling on your left or right foot. The class teaches you where to aim relative to the cup, based on the slope that is read through the feet.
For putts longer than 5 feet, you would take the slope measurement midway between your ball and the cup. Sounds a bit like witchcraft, doesn't it?
At first, I felt silly standing at my ball trying to discern the slope. AimPoint green reading is based on feel and balance, not on the visual as we normally read greens. I closed my eyes so I could better concentrate on what I was feeling with my feet and body. I am sure I looked silly, as if I were conjuring up the spirits of past great putters such as Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan or Walter Hagen!
Looking silly I can deal with. I am the girl that uses the bent at the waist, table top Michelle Wie putting stance so I am accustomed to looking silly!
Using the new AimpPoint Express method, I drained my first putt. Fluke? Luck? Or did it really work?
In a very short time it became evident that the putts I didn't make still had the correct line. The read was good but the speed was off. Having the correct line was a very important key for me. By the end of the AimPoint Express class, I had become completely convinced this putting method is not hocus pocus, but a great tool to have in my bag.
I am now ready for the next step, Midpoint Green Reading.
Midpoint is more accurate as it adds more factors into the putting equation. Slope, angle, speed of the green, distance, and even the measurement of the golfer’s arm, fingers, and hands can affect putting performance.
All of these factors give the golfer an exact point to aim the putt. With Midpoint, the slope is read front to back, not side to side, as in the Express lesson. Skills in diagnosing the correct slope are learned while either leaning forward on your toes or backwards on your heels. Once you’ve determined the slope, the angle, the distance, and the speed of the green you are ready to break out the AimPoint Chart!
Bring it on, I am past the panic level by this time!
I must admit, it is slow going at first. Getting used to plotting slope, angle, and distance takes practice. However, once these factors are understood, the chart makes perfect sense. Eventually the process can be accomplished in 30 seconds or less for each putt.
I am an Aimpoint believer!! Can I get an Amen??!!
Notable tour players that use the AimPoint method include, Stacy Lewis, Na Yeon Choi, Charley Hull, Beatriz Recari, Sir Nick Faldo, and Justin Rose to name just a few.
If you are lucky enough to have a certified AimPoint instructor near you, take the class! It is money well spent.
It has become my ace in the hole.