Aimpoint help on reading putts 6ft and in

[Golfingdad]

Golfingdad I apologize.  I did read that wrong, or I read it right but interpreted wrong because I'm in a bad mood from work.....  Anyway,  I apologize....

Don't worry about it.  I'm sorry too.  We both misunderstood each other.  It's not the first time it's happened, won't be the last. ;)

Another thing I do on short putts that are flat-ish is something else I remember from my class.  We learned to pay attention to the drainage points on the green - where the water runs off.  If I see that there is one directly behind the hole, for example, I'll try to hit it dead center.  If I see that point 30* to the right of the hole, I'll aim inside left edge.

On the putts that are clearly on a 2% or higher slope, I'll do my midpoint read just like I would on longer putts.  If I miss, it's, like Erik said, something I screwed up in my read or stroke (usually a speed thing for me).

[boogielicious]

@MattM

For what it is worth, I find it harder to feel a slight slope, 1% and less, than a higher one.  This is especially true for me when it is uphill, i.e., 30% up.  I think these take a lot more practice than steeper slopes for reads.

One drill I did last year was to find a 1% or less slope on the putting green and put a tee in the ground.  I would putt around the clock with 5 footers and watch the break right at the hole.  For a six footer, at most it is going to be a 1" outside the cup break if the stimp is 10 or less.  On the side hill 90 deg putts, the break may happen in the last six inches.  Keep this in your mind when visualizing the putt.

The other aspect is capture speed.  I tended to putt too easy on shorter putts and not through the hole.  AimPoint wants you to putt with speed enough to go past the hole.  When the ball is rolling very slowly near the cup, any minor slope around the cup can affect it more.  I know I can make a 2 footer, so I am now a little more aggressive on the 5 footers when the aim point is inside the cup.

Hope this helps.

[MattM]

Ive tried the ole, "if I poured a cup of water" thing on a green and I just don't see it or maybe not have the imagination. When it's been raining it's easy because you can see where the dark spot on the fairway or whereever is from the water. My eyes just can't see that slope.... Boogielicious I like your training idea. I am going to give that a shot (hopefully on Sunday) when I go out. Part of it is that I had the damned level set wrong, but the other is that subtle slope. Here is the other issue and I'm wondering if you guys have a way to combat this. I have a sneaky suspicion sometimes that when I do my mid read I'm actually standing on a little hump in the green. It seems like in the courses I play this happens a lot. How do you guys combat that? Do you walk the entire length of your putting line just to verify you weren't standing on a little hill? I like where this is going though.....I personally don't think there are enough threads about aimpoint on their site or this one. It's good to go over war stories with people that practice this, and to find out what their eventual fixes were for the problem....

[newtogolf]

Not sure if this is too far off topic but was hoping someone could explain difference between Aimpoint and this new Aimpoint Express Adam Scott is using.  I noticed him doing this thing with two fingers to help read his putts and then read an article that it's part of Aimpoint Express which I'd never heard of.

[MattM]

I'm intrigued by this too... I didn't see anything on the Aimpoint site yesterday but I wasn't looking for it either....

[boogielicious]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Don't worry about it.  I'm sorry too.  We both misunderstood each other.  It's not the first time it's happened, won't be the last. ;)

Another thing I do on short putts that are flat-ish is something else I remember from my class.  We learned to pay attention to the drainage points on the green - where the water runs off.  If I see that there is one directly behind the hole, for example, I'll try to hit it dead center.  If I see that point 30* to the right of the hole, I'll aim inside left edge.

On the putts that are clearly on a 2% or higher slope, I'll do my midpoint read just like I would on longer putts.  If I miss, it's, like Erik said, something I screwed up in my read or stroke (usually a speed thing for me).

Ive tried the ole, "if I poured a cup of water" thing on a green and I just don't see it or maybe not have the imagination. When it's been raining it's easy because you can see where the dark spot on the fairway or whereever is from the water. My eyes just can't see that slope....

Boogielicious I like your training idea. I am going to give that a shot (hopefully on Sunday) when I go out.

Part of it is that I had the damned level set wrong, but the other is that subtle slope.

Here is the other issue and I'm wondering if you guys have a way to combat this. I have a sneaky suspicion sometimes that when I do my mid read I'm actually standing on a little hump in the green. It seems like in the courses I play this happens a lot. How do you guys combat that? Do you walk the entire length of your putting line just to verify you weren't standing on a little hill?

I like where this is going though.....I personally don't think there are enough threads about aimpoint on their site or this one. It's good to go over war stories with people that practice this, and to find out what their eventual fixes were for the problem....

If you approach the putting line from below and see a hump, you can break the putt into two sections and do a midpoint on both sides.  You should be doing this if there is a change in slope along your line as well.  It only takes a few seconds more.  The hump may change the direction of uphill as well.

I had a putt like this in Florida, 20 footer.  The ridge was 30 up on one side and 30 down on the other.

[iacas]

xxx

If you approach the putting line from below and see a hump, you can break the putt into two sections and do a midpoint on both sides.  You should be doing this if there is a change in slope along your line as well.  It only takes a few seconds more.  The hump may change the direction of uphill as well.

I had a putt like this in Florida, 20 footer.  The ridge was 30 up on one side and 30 down on the other.

That's exactly what you do. Note that if the putt goes the same direction, you add two inches. If they go opposite directions (Left/Right or Right/Left) you just add the reads.

Not sure if this is too far off topic but was hoping someone could explain difference between Aimpoint and this new Aimpoint Express Adam Scott is using.  I noticed him doing this thing with two fingers to help read his putts and then read an article that it's part of Aimpoint Express which I'd never heard of.

It's a faster, slightly less accurate method (80-90% as accurate, though) that doesn't use the charts. It was originally developed for children, but adults are loving it, and it's particularly useful on longer putts (10 feet to 50+ feet).

It's new, but as I said, people are loving it. It's easier, and faster, and still dramatically better than "green guessing" which a lot of people are (mostly unknowingly) doing. @saevel25 , @georgep , and @Ernest Jones can tell you more.

[Golfingdad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by newtogolf

Not sure if this is too far off topic but was hoping someone could explain difference between Aimpoint and this new Aimpoint Express Adam Scott is using.  I noticed him doing this thing with two fingers to help read his putts and then read an article that it's part of Aimpoint Express which I'd never heard of.

I'm intrigued by this too... I didn't see anything on the Aimpoint site yesterday but I wasn't looking for it either....

I don't know the specifics, but as far as I know, it's just a slightly less accurate, but faster, version of the midpoint read.  You feel the slope with your feet behind the ball, then hold up a certain amount of fingers, and then (I think) that just to the side of your fingers is your aimpoint.  As you can see, it's a lot cruder than a midpoint read because it's pretty vague ... but maybe it's better for really long putts??  I don't know.

All I know is that the midpoint read doesn't take that long, therefore, I don't really see a need to speed it up.

I'm still surprised that I've never seen a pro doing a midpoint read.  Part of me wonders if it's because they already have all of the slopes precisely mapped out in their yardage book so there is no need to estimate it.

EDIT:  Was beat to it by somebody that knows more about it.  ;)

[MattM]

Is there like an instruction manual on this somewhere? Sounds at least interesting....

[boogielicious]

@Golfingdad ,

I have seen Justin Rose do it as well and Stacy Lewis, or their caddies.  They usually do it right when the get to the green and not when they replace their ball.  Most times, the cameras are not on them because they want action shots.

[iacas]

I don't know the specifics, but as far as I know, it's just a slightly less accurate, but faster, version of the midpoint read.  You feel the slope with your feet behind the ball, then hold up a certain amount of fingers, and then (I think) that just to the side of your fingers is your aimpoint.

Not that bold part either. And because this is public, guys, let's not just give a bunch of it away. You paid for your knowledge.

All I know is that the midpoint read doesn't take that long, therefore, I don't really see a need to speed it up.

95% of AimPoint students don't put in the practice time to get good and fast with the charts.

I'm still surprised that I've never seen a pro doing a midpoint read.  Part of me wonders if it's because they already have all of the slopes precisely mapped out in their yardage book so there is no need to estimate it.

That's part of it. Plus, they often don't show the pro doing his whole read. Stacy Lewis can be seen doing it fairly often.

Is there like an instruction manual on this somewhere? Sounds at least interesting....

No. Find an instructor… but if you're comfortable with what's now called "MidPoint," then just keep doing that.

[MattM]

I might shoot Mark Sweeney a message and ask him to post a video of the technique to only payed members of the site so we can try it if we want. For shorter putts. It would be better. I'd rather not have to do a mid read on a 5 foot putt if I didn't have to...

[Golfingdad]

@Golfingdad ,

I have seen Justin Rose do it as well and Stacy Lewis, or their caddies.  They usually do it right when the get to the green and not when they replace their ball.  Most times, the cameras are not on them because they want action shots.

OK, good to know.  Stacy Lewis is the one I've tried to watch doing it the most (because she's the one I've known who's used it the longest) but I've just never seen her doing it.

I'll now keep an eye out for Rose as well.  Thanks!

Not that bold part either. And because this is public, guys, let's not just give a bunch of it away. You paid for your knowledge.

95% of AimPoint students don't put in the practice time to get good and fast with the charts.

Noted.  I didn't really think I was giving anything away, though, since I don't even know quite what it is. ;)

[boogielicious]

AimPoint takes practice.  I usually spend the first 5 minutes of a putting/chipping practice practicing my reads with a level.  I have also learned to trust my first read and don't second guess.

[iacas]

I might shoot Mark Sweeney a message and ask him to post a video of the technique to only payed members of the site so we can try it if we want. For shorter putts. It would be better. I'd rather not have to do a mid read on a 5 foot putt if I didn't have to...

Do not do that. He'll simply refer you to your nearest AimPoint instructor.

If you want to learn Express, find an instructor and pay him to do it. Also, it's also not really a method for six feet and in.

[saevel25]

Do not do that. He'll simply refer you to your nearest AimPoint instructor.

If you want to learn Express, find an instructor and pay him to do it. Also, it's also not really a method for six feet and in.

Agreed. It might sound like we guard this like a secret, but its just respecting those who created this system for reading putts. They deserve all the compensation for the work they put in.

Midpoint is much better at close range, especially when the odds are higher at making a putt, you want the maximum amount of accuracy in your read.

[Golfingdad]

I have also learned to trust my first read and don't second guess.

This cannot possibly be stressed enough.

Aimpoint has definitely helped me putt better, but I also acknowledge that I don't practice it all that much so it doesn't (yet) help me as much as it can.

And, I still make stupid mistakes that involve precisely what you said, which cost me.  I get a read doing Midpoint, but I look at the green and it just doesn't quite look right.  So I say to myself "It can't be 6, I must have misread, I'll go 3" ... and then, waddya know, I miss it on the low side.

[Ernest Jones]

This cannot possibly be stressed enough.

Aimpoint has definitely helped me putt better, but I also acknowledge that I don't practice it all that much so it doesn't (yet) help me as much as it can.

And, I still make stupid mistakes that involve precisely what you said, which cost me.  I get a read doing Midpoint, but I look at the green and it just doesn't quite look right.  So I say to myself "It can't be 6, I must have misread, I'll go 3" ... and then, waddya know, I miss it on the low side.

I can out-stupid you with ease. When I was learning Aimpoint at Golf Evolution I actually got so caught up in getting all my inputs right that I actually set my aim point on the wrong side of the hole more than once!

Top that one @Barney !