DEBATE: AimCharts, Good or Hogwash?

[Richie3Jack]

Ever watch a tournament on the Golf Channel and they show the line of the putt and where the golfer should aim? That's AimPoint technologies at work. The creator of AimPoint Golf, Mark Sweeney, also does clinics on how to read greens. And part of the AimPoint technologies is providing an AimChart that can tell the golfer exactly *where* to aim putts inside 20 feet (provided it's on a 'planar' slope).

What are your thoughts on this? Do they work or not? For those who have experience with the AimCharts, have they been successful for you?




3JACK

[johngrahamgolf]

Granted, I am biased but they absolutely work.

Where most people struggle is accurately determining where they are on the green relative to their nearest zero line.

I also think that it requires practice that very few do. Bring your level out onto the putting green. Measure the slope every foot on the way toward the hole.

Only after you learn and understand how the bending of the green effects the read will you use the AimCharts as usefully as they can be.

[fearlessgolfer]

Still don't have the aimCharts, but their concepts do work.

After watching Orr's 201 Video, went to the practice green,dropped 8 balls around the circle.

Made 7 out of 8!!!! Yeah, they work!

Only challenge is THE READ during play, where it takes time and more skill, my playing partners play fast as well as their needling skills if U play too slow. lol

However, their overall concept has help me tremendously.

[Richie3Jack]

It took me practice to get used to reading the slope better. I asked one of the greenkeeper crew about the greens and he said that they usually try getting the greens between a 9-10 on the stimp, so I can usually figure that out right away.

One of the things I had to get used to was understanding what something aiming 7 inches outside the edge actually looks like versus 5 inches outside the edge of the cup.

Unfortunately, I've been working mostly on my ballstriking becuase of the cold weather and the improvements I want to make, so I haven't spent much time lately with the flatstick.

I do find the Aimcharts most helpful on putts inside 5 feet.



3JACK

[johngrahamgolf]

Been away for awhile during my busy season. Curious if anyone has continued their work with the AimCharts.

[Richie3Jack]

Jul 31, 2010 13:45:32 GMT -5 johngrahamgolf said:

Been away for awhile during my busy season.
Curious if anyone has continued their work with the AimCharts.

I haven't because I've been mostly working on my swing and then with putting, working on speed. I've found the working on speed and making is such a high priority has improved my putting quite a bit. It's not where it was when I was in college, but not too far away.




3JACK

[mchepp]

I have been using aimpoint. I have not taken a formal class mainly because I don't know when they are happening in my area. I will see a notice that the class occurred nearby, but no pre-notice of the class, seems I keep missing them. I have learned from David Orr's video and surfing around Mark's forum. I am hopeful he will put out a book, or some videos that I can learn the system better. He has mentioned a book on his website.

The only trouble I find with aimpoint is how to chart the zero lines on my green. A planar green is not problem. The trouble is when the zero line gets screwy, like a crown or saddle. I would like some software where I can put in the measurements from my green readings (BreakMaster) in some software and it will spit out the zero line that I can see from the software. Otherwise it has an element of guessing when the green is complicated. Maybe I am a bit too much of a perfectionist, but the software seems simple enough to create.

Overall, I like the aimpoint system. It is a simple way to read greens.

[johngrahamgolf]

mchepp,

Where is your area? Once you get to a class, you will have a better idea of how to find the zero's for the more challenging pin location area's.