Opinions on AimPoint (2019)

[BallStriker]

I will start with what I think is a great quote about AimPoint from (I think) Hunter Mahan......."AimPoint is like poker, easy to learn but hard to master"

So, I took the course a few years back and really felt it was worthwhile for the basic information and methods  -- that said, I think the real value comes with practice and honing your own personal reading concepts/mechanics (i.e., mastering the bend in the elbow for speed; mastering the ability to get the slope correct).  In any event, I unfortunately do not have the time to spend with the level on the green and practicing (so that is my loss).

Curious to other opinions on whether they have practiced and really "mastered" this approach (or, if not necessarily "mastered," have gotten much better with practice).  Erik, you are some kind of mensa-genius with lots of time on the course, so you opinion doesn't count (jk  😉)

 

Edited June 29, 2019 by BallStriker

[iacas]

It takes five minutes a month to stay in tune with your AimPoint reads/your level.

[billchao]

Like any other skill, it takes some practice, but I disagree that it takes a lot of time or is difficult to master. I'm assuming you took Express, which you might know was originally developed to teach kids, so it's not supposed to be hard at all.

It only takes a few minutes to calibrate my feet with a level. Same thing with elbow bend. I made my own calibration stick with an alignment stick and electrical tape and it only takes a minute or two to know where I need to be for a slow, medium, or fast green.

As @iacas wrote, a few minutes a month is all you need. I spend more time practicing my actual putting stroke than I do AimPoint.

[dennyjones]

I took an Aimpoint Express class 3 years ago.   It was the best $$ I've spent on golf.   I don't practice reading slopes much but it doesn't take a lot of practice to get a feel for slope percentages.

22 minutes ago, billchao said:

made my own calibration stick with an alignment stick and electrical tape

Do show and tell!

[saevel25]

59 minutes ago, BallStriker said:

AimPoint is like poker, easy to learn but hard to master"

Sounds like he’s not practicing... it’s an easy skill to learn. 

1 hour ago, BallStriker said:

Curious to other opinions on whether they have practiced and really "mastered" this approach (or, if not necessarily "mastered," have gotten much better with practice).  Erik, you are some kind of mensa-genius with lots of time on the course, so you opinion doesn't count (jk  😉)

I should practice more. It doesn’t take me long to use the first few holes to get calibrated.

[Shindig]

This just reminds me I need to take another AimPoint class.  I even contacted a local instructor two years ago and haven't gotten around to taking the class.   I last took one in 2010. 

[Zippo]

I find that I am no longer able to feel the slighter slopes in my feet - even with eyes closed. I think my balance has gone a bit. And, being a near dottering geezer who wonders about weird things, I wonder how the folks with one leg shorter than the other do with AimPoint...

[dennyjones]

1 minute ago, Zippo said:

I wonder how the folks with one leg shorter than the other do with AimPoint...

they would do just fine with Aimpoint.    They still learn the feel of slope percentages.  

[boogielicious]

To Hunter Mahan,

It is not hard to get proficient. It takes 5 to 10 minutes to calibrate. The really subtle breaks (1% and less) take a little more feel to read and require tune up for me. I also will look at the area right around the hole to see if the are subtle slopes there or the hole is crowned, which won’t be felt at the midpoint.