As the old adage says, you drive for show and you putt for dough. Or, as Lee Trevino used to remark, ‘pros who putt for pars and dogs who chase cars don’t last long in this world.’
The global average handicap for a golfer is around 16 and most of the shots left out there on the course are putts. So, imagine if you could eliminate those three-putts? It’s said that the average golfer three-putts around four or five times a round.
This is where AimPoint, and more specifically, AimPoint Express, can help you make more putts and bring your score down.
Sandra van den Bergh is South Africa’s only AimPoint instructor and she recently gave Compleat Golfer a session, which lasted two hours.
AimPoint was developed by Mark Sweeney, who used physics to develop the system that believes gravity and friction will determine what the golf ball does. Whether you are on or off the green the physics remain the same.
Van den Bergh took Compleat Golfer through an entire session of AimPoint Express to help us better understand AimPoint and what exactly it entails. A number of professionals, including Australia’s Major champion Adam Scott, use AimPoint Express to read the greens.
Once you get the feel for what has been developed you will then start to realise there is so much opportunity to save yourself shots around the course and start to play off a more realistic handicap that you actually feel suits your game.
AimPoint Express is a green reading system that works on percentages and stimp (speed of the greens) to help you get the right line and get the right pace time after time.
Here’s roughly how AimPoint Express works. The golfer stands facing the hole and, using the feelings in his or her feet, estimates the steepness of the right-to-left or left-to-right slope on a 0 to 7 scale.
He or she holds up that many fingers, with one edge of the extended fingers aligned with the center of the hole. The other edge of his fingers serves as a guide for the putt’s starting line from which the ball will break.
Speed on the green is extremely important, and once you have learned green speeds it’s ingrained and you will handle the pace on any green you are putting on.
In addition, done correctly AimPoint Express should take you around 10 seconds versus the four- point walk which most players do when lining up putts on the green.
AimPoint Express classes are held around the country, so if you are struggling on the greens and looking for a solution that can really turn your game around or even want to find out more information then get in touch with Sandra van den Berg on 083 2911183 or email [email protected]
