Exactly the same for me, accept I under read, typical amateur mistake. It does create a routine and a system. It’s a darn accurate system too.
Can any AimPoint users share how many putts they dropped per round that they’d attribute to AP? I recently took the class but I’m working on feeling the different % slopes. Wondering what kind of gains I can look forward to, like 2 fewer putts per round?
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I’m still too new to it and haven’t put it to user in an actual round yet, as I am still learning the system. However, if my practice sessions are any indication, I’m thinking at least two to four putts per round will be shaved off.
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Like anything else in golf, “it depends”
I think anyone who learns the system, struggled reading greens beforehand, should see an improvement. However, to really take advantage of AP you need to have speed control. That’s the key to capitalizing on better reads!
I couldn’t put an exact number on it because I don’t really track putts per round, but I know before I learned it I didn’t hole nearly as many putts, especially from 8-15’ (I was dreadful from those distances)
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I just had an AimPoint clinic - will post separately about it - but wanted to chime in that it’s going to be hard to attribute to the method itself if you have less putts in a round; for example, are you…
- good at starting your putt on your intended line?
- good at speed control on all different types of greens?
- good at gauging the level of slope along your putt?
…and… - have you convinced yourself to use the line that the method is indicating?
Or… are you having a great approach shot day and stuffing them in tight and right below the pins 
There are some nuances and attending an in-person clinic was really helpful to me; eg. one of my biggest problem putts are right-to-left downhill (I’m RHed) and getting shown directly where I was off in my read was a huge benefit.
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To be fair, no one sinks a lot of putts from outside 15’. It drops to something like 18% chance for the PGA (if I remember correctly) and goes south from there as you get longer.
After reading this thread I broke down and bought the aimpoint express video. I took my level out and worked on 10 foot putts. When I got the read from the level it worked incredibly well. I just need to train myself now to get the read with my feet.
What kind of drills did you use to practice reading with your feet?
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@Etmiller83 For me, I stand in various spots on the green, and I say the read aloud, put a tee in the ground where I made the read and then grab my level to confirm what I felt. I’ve been pretty successful in training myself with that method. I’ve used it four times on the practice green so far and I’m getting pretty good at identifying the slope, I’ve only misread with my feet a handful of times and only once was it not enough slope. I reinforce every time I’m on the practice green and probably will forever, just makes sense to continue to hone that skill.
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I’ve got to say that I am really starting to settle in with this AimPoint Express putting method. I haven’t put it to use in a round of golf yet, as I haven’t played a round since I watched the course and started practicing it. However, I have been on the greens everyday since, and my putting in my opinion has become excellent. I truly believe that this goes back to having a routine and doing the same thing before every shot. I am so focused on reading the green with my feet, making the visual read from behind my ball, focusing on that point, lining up the putter, looking at the distance and hitting a speed that I think will get it there. I have totally given up the second guessing on the read as I did before, because I know the read is good. This in fact, stops me from manipulating the putter at impact or trying to do something with the speed because of the self doubt on the read. I was such a horrible green reader that I was always thinking about my read standing over the golf ball. I don’t have to do that anymore, because SCIENCE.
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After a while, you’ll begin using the putts themselves to calibrate yourself before a round of golf. So you read one, it feels like 2%, you select your line stroke a putt the correct distance, and it breaks more. Take a look, move your fingers closer to your eye to get more break (as you would for faster greens), and stroke another putt. Do it for a few more locations, and you should be good to go. Remember that your selection of the line has to take into account both the slope and the green speed. Even if you KNOW the slope, using the level, you still need to calibrate for speed.
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I was out in Vegas right after I had learned AimPoint, and got a chance to spend some time with Joe Mayo (you might remember him as Trackman Maestro in his social media days). Anyways, he was with Tommy Armour III on the putting green when I first met him who has used AP for a long time.
He told me he knew it so well that he said on a lot of putts he didn’t even bother putting up his fingers anymore he just instinctively knew the lines. I’ve heard several other really good AP putters say this, and I’m starting to feel this way after years of using it. (I still use my fingers though just as routine). Either way, my point is that the longer you use it, the more ingrained it will become in your routine and I think you’ll get an even better feel for the slopes/reads over time.
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Went to a practice green that has all kinds of contours yesterday to work on guaging slope; lucky enough no one else was there so I could walk around and test a bunch of different spots.
As mentioned, it’s a (yet another golf…) skill that needs to be developed and refined; I have a digital level that reads in % slope on order to help.
One thing I did was compare reads with my old method … not that I needed to convince myself that AimPoint is better, but to check if and by how much they differed…
Answer: on downhill L-R putts … plenty!
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So far (I’m just getting going w aimpoint) I’m finding that I’m reading the putts better if I walk the line focusing on my feet than if I stand still and focus on my feet. Has anyone else experienced this?
Is it cheating if I install mini levels on my golf shoes?
Kidding, obviously.
Thanks to you all I just ordered the AimPoint stuff. Green reading is a huge focus of mine for next season and something I’m hoping to teach my son better than anyone ever taught me once he’s playing.
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Not that, exactly, but I’ve found that my first impression is usually the best. I’ll stop at a spot, close my eyes for maybe a second, and move on. The longer I stand in one spot, the more “level” it feels to me.
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Kinda similar… On more subtle breaks (where learning this method is really gonna help me!) I’m taking an initial read and then… turning 90° to what I think is the uphill side and then back … and then 90° the other way to what I think is the downhill side.
Doing that is probably all “wrong” as far as AimPoint is concerned, but as I sense the weight in my toes vs my heels it seems to help me confirm the direction of the slope.
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Yeah, I was taught for long putts to take a couple of readings along the line of the putt (eg confirm the direction of your initial read, look for changes, etc.).
Yea I always try to trust my first instinct, and closing eyes definitely helps!
Same here. My home club has moderately large greens, and a longer putt can have a number of smaller slope sections along the way, sometimes in different directions. I’ve found that “averaging” the reads along the way gives a pretty decent overall read. I’ll also do as you do, stand perpendicular to the line, in order to get a feel for the amount of uphill or downhill, which will effect the amount of break as well as the speed required.
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this makes a lot of sense to me actually, my immediate sense is more in my heels and toes, ill give that a shot
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