AimPoint Instruction

Hey guys. Does anyone live in or near Louisville, Ky? If so, would you be interested in getting an AimPoint instructor to come here?

I'm a 4 handicap right now but know that I could shoot some low numbers if I knew how to putt. I'm not sure what it is but I will generally 3 putt within the first 5 holes. Once I do that, I'm completely out of it(mentally) for the rest of the round. It is usually my speed that kills me. I've tried lessons with some local guys and I've done some drills but nothing is working. AimPoint is the only other thing I can think of.

Let me know if anyone is interested.

Thanks,

Patrick

Question... Have you ever had a SAM fitting with your putter?  One thing you want to understand is your impact face angle.  The larger the angle (open or closed) at impact - the smaller the hole will be.  Getting a SAM fitting will provide you this critical data point.

For reference, below I've attached a photo of an awesome chart that Odyssey had posted in their putting studio (just visited it yesterday).  You can see from this chart - that the larger your impact angle is - the harder it will be to make putts; as in essence -  you're making the hole smaller.

Therefore, while reading greens is obviously important to making more putts (Aimpoint will definitely help you read greens better)... The first part is understanding your putting stroke.  Are you properly fit into your putter, and if not - what you need to do to reduce your impact angles so that you increase your chances at making putts in the first place.

Very, very good data point here.

Hey BC, thanks for the response. I have never had a SAM fitting with my putter and would have no idea where to go. Sounds like something I should do though. I guess I could swing by Golf Galaxy and see what they can do.

Thanks again,

Patrick

I don't know anything about AimPoint but over the past 2 weeks my putting has improved dramatically and I haven't had a 3 putt in the last few rounds I've been out.  A month or 2 ago I was 3-6 putting all the time.  I hadn't played much in years so I have been going back and really starting over and learning how to do everything over again from scratch over the past few months.  I'm only a beginner/intermediate, but I'll tell you what has helped me tremendously.

Just 2 things:

When I putt I think about "throwing the ball" with my right hand and how hard I would have to throw/roll it to get it to the hole.  I then mimic that same feeling when I am actually putting.  I pretend or visualize that I'm actually throwing the ball.  Take a ball and actually throw it like your putting stroke and see how it close you get to the hole.  "Feel" how hard you have to throw it and then do the same thing with the putter in hand.  That made all the difference in the world in judgement of speed and direction for me.

The other thing I do is when I practice putting, I only do it from only 2 distances.  40-60ft away and 3-4ft away.  Your chances of making a 12-15ft putt are like 25%.  But you should be able to knock it within 3ft 90% of the time to have a 2 putt from that distance.  I take 3 balls and putt from a long distance 40-60ft and try to get them at least within 3ft of the hole.  If you make one great.  Take it out and then put it about 3ft away and putt all 3 balls from that distance.  If I can get a put within 3ft I will make it almost every time and usually the only time you don't get within 3ft are really long putts.  So that's why I only putt 2 distances when I "practice".

Don't know if that will help, but I wish you the best of luck.

Hey RealDeal. Those are two great tips....unfortunately I've tried them both. I have several friends who use the "throw the ball" motion and it works great for them. I tried it the second half of last year and still 3 jacked from everywhere.

I also had an instructor tell me to practice from similar distances that you suggested. Those are the only distances I have used on the practice green this year.

It seemed like both of those things helped out initially but after a couple weeks I would 3 putt a couple times and would be back to square one.

I'm starting to think it might be more of a mental problem.....

You can kind of test that by trying a new putter or by borrowing a friends.  If it's mental probably usually you'll play better for a few weeks because your thinking about how different it feels, how heavy it is, how bright and shiny it is etc, instead thinking about the actual putt.

We probably all have a unique nemesis in our putting, and different focus may work differently for each of us.    I've heard others tout putting practice focused only on those 2 distances, but I've found a significant improvement in my putting by putting a lot of time into those 15-20 footers.    My iron play is pretty good, so I pretty rarely find myself at 40-60 feet, but am pretty frequently between 12-20 feet.     But at that distance, I was pretty rarely sinking the birdie, and had a disturbing percentage where I would screw up distance and leave myself with a 4-5 footer to comeback, and then occasionally miss those resulting in a 3 putt.     After a lot of practice at that distance, I'm probably sinking 1 or 2 more birdie putts and cut out a 3 putt or two - that's several strokes I've shaved by just becoming a lot better at the distance I leave most iron shots.

Buy one of these... And use it.  Don't just let it sit there and collect dust.  I use mine regularly - and it has helped me improve my putting dramatically.

http://www.puttingalley.com/ (LOL I just looked at their site - first time since I bought it earlier this year - and they are using a photo on their website from my video!? Hhahaha - seriously I have nothing to do with this product - I just like it a lot.)

Anyway, here is a video I made using it in my kitchen... So easy to setup and it doesn't require anything other than a flat floor - now I use it on carpet.  There are two different sides (1" or 1/2").  I only practice on the 1/2".  I figured it forces me to concentrate more - and while it may have been agrivating at first getting used to hitting a perfectly straight putt... And have it fall off to the left or right over and over... It definitely pays off.  Nothing comes easy.  Practice makes perfect.

I'll also add... I bought the iPing cradle ($30) and downloaded the app for free.  I use it less frequently now than when I first picked it up - but it is great at giving you tempo numbers - but most importantly - gives you the Impact Angle number which I referenced above.

Knowing your Impact Angle number - and monitoring it is key.  As you can see from the photo I posted originally, near the top of this thread... Green are putts that will go in the hole - yellow is questionable - red will be missed.  You can quickly see how much this Impact Angle will effect making putts at various distances.

Combine the Putting Alley - with the iPing cradle - and if you can't improve your putting with regular practice... Then ones putting woes would have to be something mental or possibly a physical deficiency.

I've found 3 putting to be more about having the wrong speed than misreading the break.  Having good speed should get the ball within tap in distance most of the time.

Totally agree.  I think the idea with Aimpoint, though, is more about making mid range putts than it is about lagging the long ones.

Thanks for all the input guys. Beach, I just bought the Putting Alley....it looks pretty cool.

I have a Samsung Galaxy so I'm not sure if the iPing cradle will work for me or not. I'm assuming they will have it at Golf Galaxy so I'll go check it out tomorrow.

Thanks again for all the help. If I can't get this figured out soon then I'll have to start putting with my 3 iron....because that damn putter will be broken!!