Green reading is challenging for every golfer, as the slightest misjudgment can send your ball significantly offline. A few years back, I encountered the AimPoint Putting system. Golf coach and founder Mark Sweeney was adamant about simplifying putting for every golfer.
As with everything, I was skeptical, even after the endorsements from Stacy Lewis, Justin Rose, and Lydia Ko. However, after recommending the DVD to my playing partner struggling for accuracy, I saw the results over time.
Once you understand AimPoint putting and have your green reading down pact, I recommend reading our guide on how to putt. This helps you improve your putting stroke to combine accuracy with distance control.
Pros & Cons of AimPoint Putting
Pros
- Improves your ability to read greens
- Works to enhance your accuracy
- Brings consistency to your putting
- Helps you enter a pre-shot routine
- Designed to reduce 3 putts
Cons
- It takes time to understand the system
- It is not entirely accurate
Tips For Using AimPoint Putting
- Read our full article
- Familiarize yourself with the AimPoint Putting chart
- Straddle the line of your putt at the start and middle to gauge the slope direction
- Assign a value of 1, 2, 3, or 4% to the slope, depending on how severe it is
- Close one eye when holding up fingers to read the line
- The outside edge of your hand is the aim point for your putt.
What Is AimPoint Putting?
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The AimPoint Putting System was developed by Mark Sweeney to simplify the alignment of putts with excess slope. Tour professionals and amateurs find that the 10-second AimPoint putting method makes it easier to determine where to aim every putt for superior accuracy.
The system gives you a better understanding of how severely the green slopes and the ideal point to aim. It also provides golfers with a structured pre-shot routine system that helps them enter the zone.
Sweeney developed the AimPoint Green Reading Chart, which suggests that every finger counts as a degree of tilt. When you have an idea of the slope, stand behind the ball as you hold up the necessary fingers to the high side of the cup.
The edge of your outside finger is the aim point, and if correct will propel your ball toward the cup.
What Are The Benefits Of Aim Point Putting?
AimPoint helps golfers understand the undulation of a green and how a putt will break. It demystifies green reading for the average golfer and aids the pros in maintaining consistent accuracy.
Besides the alignment benefits, some golfers suggest it assists with their pre-putt routine as they enter the zone while searching for the line.
When these factors combine, it helps golfers start the ball on the intended line and finish close to or on target. As a result, average golfers have a better chance of bagging a 2-putt, while low handicappers and pros may drain it.
For a more detailed guide on the topic, review our guide on how to read greens.
How Do The AimPoint Putting Technique Work?
Step 1 – Study The AimPoint Express Tutorial
In the below sections, I will guide you through the steps for mastering the AimPoint Express Putting System. For optimal results, I suggest watching the video, which is the AimPoint Express explained in detail.
Conversely, if you have the dollars available, you may consider taking Sweeney’s lesson for $500 per hour. Since most average golfers lack this level of disposable income, you can follow my guide below.
The tutorial explains how each degree of slope on the green represents one finger width. It is up to you to judge the severity of the green slope. If you feel the green has five degrees of loft, you hold five fingers to the high side of the cup, and the edge of your pinky finger is your target.
Step 2 – Feel The Tilt
Once familiar with the AimPoint Green Reading Chart, head to the practice green and employ it in your training session. The first step is to pick a target hole and place a ball on the green.
Next, stand with one leg on either side of the ball, and determine which side is the low side. If your left leg stands on the shorter side, the ball breaks from right to left, and you must aim toward the right side of the cup.
Renowned instructor Jamie Donaldson shows the chaps from Meandmygolf (video above) how this step is to execute.
When you know which way the green slopes, I recommend walking a quarter of the way to the cup and standing over the line with one leg on each side. Again, feel how the green slopes and assign it a value. Then place a tee at that point, and remember your estimate.
Next, walk halfway to the cup, and stand over the line to see the tilt level from the high to the low side. Assign a value to this point based on the intensity of the tilt. With this in mind, proceed back to the strike zone, and stand behind your ball to prepare for alignment.
Step 3 – Judge The Degree Of Tilt
Use the highest slope degree value determined at the quarter and halfway points to the cup. For example, if the quarter mark is a 2 and the halfway mark has 3 degrees of tilt, you go with 3.
When the high point sits to the right of the cup, hold up your index, middle, and ring finger to the right of the cup. The outside of your ring finger is your Aimpoint, based on the information you gathered.
Step 4 – Line Up Your Ball Up At AimPoint
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After completing all the AimPoint Express Putting program steps, use the alignment aid on your ball to point at the target line. Next, place your putter face behind the ball, square to the target, and prepare for your backstroke.
Step 3 in the below video by Erika Larkin shows you how to maximize the use of your golf ball alignment aid for better accuracy.
Step 5 – Putt The Ball
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Now that your alignment is watertight, you are ready to putt. Pay attention to the roll of your ball and the break of green to identify if you employed the AimPoint Green Reading guide correctly.
For example, if the putt breaks from right to left and your ball stops 3 feet below the cup, you need to aim marginally further right. Conversely, when your golf ball finishes right of the cup, you must aim marginally left to catch the slope down to the cup.
Adjust your setup accordingly until you have the correct line, then stroke multiple putts to work on your distance control.
My buddy that I mentioned earlier found that employing this drill in his putting training helped improve his understanding and judgment of sloped putts.
FAQ
How Do You Find the Slope of AimPoint?
You find the slope of the AimPoint golf system by standing on either side of the ball to determine which side the green slopes to. Once you have the angle, you test the severity of the undulation by standing on either side of the line, halfway to the cup.
This gives you an idea of how many degrees the green slopes and how many fingers you should aim for the high side of the hole.
Which PGA Tour players use AimPoint?
Adam Scott, Justin Rose, and Jordan Spieth are three high-profile golfers who have used or currently use the AimPoint Putting Chart system. In addition, LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka dabbled with the system when he plied his trade on the PGA Tour.
Besides the men, LPGA Tour star Stacy Lewis and Lydia Ko also employ the system in their putting routine. It must have the desired effect, as the two stars have notched up an impressive 32 LPGA Tour victories.
Conclusion
That answers the question: what is Aimpoint in putting? As you notice, it is a genius system designed by Mark Sweeney, which has aided amateurs and professionals on the green. Although it is not the holy grail to your putting woes, it is a start to keep you on line.
The green-reading chart does take some work to perfect, but with the assistance of my 5-step guide and the DVD, it is easy to execute.
If you struggle to read the line and understand the slope of the green, I recommend trying the AimPoint Putting System to see why it has worked for the average golfer and the best in our game.
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Matt has played golf since he was 4 years old and has written over 150 articles at GolfSpan since 2021. Matt specializes in product reviews using his postgraduate degree in Sports Marketing from Johan Cruyff Institute. Matt has a handicap index of 10.8 and currently plays weekly at Pilar Golf Course near his home in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He also loves his Callaway Odyssey Exo Rossie putter and likes a pepper steak pie with curry gravy at the turn. You can connect with him on LinkedIn.
- Best score: 70
- Favorite club: Callaway Odyssey Exo Rossie
- Favorite ball: Srixon Q-Star Tour
- Favorite food at the turn: Pepper steak pie with curry gravy
