Back-to-back wins on the PGA Tour have put Adam Scott’s stellar putting on full display. Here’s some insight into the AimPoint Express system guiding him.
Editor’s note: GolfTEC does not officially use AimPoint Express as an instructional system; we’re highlighting resources for Coaches like James Kinney, who has been recognized as one of Golf Digest’s Best Young Teachers in America.
By James Kinney
Much has been made of Adam Scott’s switch to a conventional-length putter following the anchoring ban rule in 2016.
With two straight wins at the Honda Classic and WGC-Cadillac Championship, it’s safe to say he’s handling the change just fine. A big key to this is likely something that hasn’t changed, which is his method of green reading.
Scott is one of a growing number of players using AimPoint Express. If you’re not familiar with the AimPoint system, it may look odd to watch players waddling around the greens and pointing.
As opposed to standard methods of plumb bobbing, stalking different angles and looking for mountains, water, or high and low points to determine a putt’s break – methods with your eyes only – AimPoint Express adds feel from your feet to create a fact-based method of green reading. This can significantly help eliminate doubt, indecision, slow play and an overall lack of confidence.
AimPoint Express has no doubt worked for players like Scott, Lydia Ko, Stacy Lewis, Hunter Mahan and many others, so let’s discuss how it can help you make more putts on the greens, too.
So easy a caveman beginner can do it
As a longtime GolfTEC Certified Personal Coach and Level 2 Certified Aimpoint Express instructor, I’ve found AimPoint to be an easy method ALL golfers can benefit from. From 8-year-olds to 80-year-olds and beginners to tour professionals, I’ve taught all types this system and have seen a lot success quickly.
What I love about AimPoint is it’s a fact-based system requiring no guess work, akin to GolfTEC’s core guiding system of fact-based instruction with the golf swing.
Simply explained, you take what you feel in your feet to accurately and consistently predict the break of a putt. What controls a putt’s break is the amount of side tilt in the green, so the more the green is tilted, the more the putt will break. Using your feet to feel this side tilt, you assign value to this feel and this in turn provides a reliable read on any green in the world, regardless of speed.
Taking this undeniable input from your feet eliminates the potential of second-guessing from your eyes, and can immediately instill confidence in your intended line of the putt.
Laying the groundwork
It’s also helpful to understand a few basics about green reading in general, like on faster greens you’ll tend to play more break and on slower greens you’ll play less. This is because the ball is hit softer and travels slower on fast greens, meaning it has more time to take the break by the time it gets to the hole. And the ball is hit harder and travels faster on slow greens, meaning it has less time to break by the time it reaches its destination. This are accounted for with AimPoint Express and part of Scott’s putting regimen.
Another key to Scott’s success is how consistently he uses the AimPoint routine when he putts. He’s instilled it into his pre-shot routine every time on the putting surface, which helps further eliminate guess-work and add consistent confidence on every stroke.
It’s through this consistent routine, overall understanding of green reading and implementation AimPoint’s fact-based system that Scott’s seen such great success on the greens. So, take a page from his book yourself to improve green reading skills and do what we all want out there, which is hole more putts.
For more on James Kinney and AimPoint Express, click HERE.