I’ve been trying different aiming techniques to tighten up my putting proximity to the hole. Let’s take a look at a couple options including AimPoint Express.
Greening reading is one of the 4 essential skills in putting.
I pretty much took advice from Dave Pelz most of my adult life with regard to putting.
As a result, I have been playing too much break for years. Why? I have a Pelz putting video where he says you should most likely play 3 times the break you see.
I usually miss on the high side. That is the correct side to miss on. Low putts don’t go in.
However, I miss high and so far away the ball has no chance of going in.
Not every time, but regularly.
Recent Aiming Technique Practice
I’ve decided that green reading practice has to be bigger part of my practice routine.
The last couple weeks I’ve really started to focus on why I’m missing putts.
While my putting stats are good, they can be improved over18 holes.
I started out trying something new I bought over the winter. It’s called Slopegraide.
I used the smart poker chip that comes with the app. It reads putts for you.
I chose all breaking putts.
I’m really not having a problem with straight in putts.
The app had me making putts right away. However, you can’t bring the app with you on the course.
You really need to figure out breaking putts without a device.
What I have been doing is holding up the putter shaft sort of like what Bryson DeChambeau does.
It’s like AimPoint with your putter shaft. I’ve been doing that for years.
AimPoint Express Aiming Technique
(See AimPoint video at the end)
Out of the blue, I thought I would try AimPoint Express. At least my version of it.
I don’t like dinking around on the putting green. Not that I speed putt, but fiddling around with reading breaking putts from 60 feet can take a long time.
So, I tried it on a 6 footer.
I have an issue with using percent of slope vs degrees of slope. It’s personal thing. I read greens in degrees.
I really don’t think it matters if you read percent or degrees as long as you practice and are consistent with it.
So, I felt 1 degree of slope with me feet standing directly over my ball facing the hole.
I checked the green speed and it was running at a 10 stimp reading.
Knowing that, I held my arm at 45 degrees and held up one finger.
I put the right side of my finger on the pin and found my aim point on the left side of my finger.
It’s a good idea to use your dominant eye for this. In my case, I use use my right eye only to view the aim point.
I found a spot next to the hole and used it as my target.
After lining the putter up with that point next to the hole, I took my stance. Took a couple looks at the hole and pulled the trigger.
It went right in.
Conclusions
I’m going to continue to use my version of AimPoint Express.
By that I mean it really does matter if you walk off longer putts and average out the break to determine your aim point at the hole.
I’ve done that all along, but never really did the math.
I’m especially interested in what the ball will be doing in the last 1/3 of the distance of the putt. Why? Because the ball starts slowing down and will break harder there.
So, I check the slope at several locations. Look at the last third of the putt and visualize the ball rolling in the hole.
After making several putts using Aim Point Express, it appears I will be making more putts and my misses will be closer.
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Video: This is what I do for practice except I use degrees instead of percent.
Here is one of the only reasonable explanations of AimPoint Express I’ve found from Dan Hendriksen
There is a conversion chart here for percent to degrees, etc. I read in degrees to begin with using an Exelys Breakmaster.