I'm Fed Up With The Negative Narrative Around AimPoint - It's Lazy And Misguided

As someone who has never been particularly prolific on the greens, learning the AimPoint Express green reading method is one of the best things that has ever happened to my game.

I went into my lesson with Jamie Donaldson at Woburn Golf Club wondering how AimPoint works, but after trying it for a few months it helped me to reach my lowest ever handicap.

The negative narrative around AimPoint is lazy and misguided, with claims that it slows the game down often spouted by those who have never tried it and have no intention of giving it a fair chance.

I'm not saying that others should also do AimPoint, as each golfer should do whatever works best for their game, but I do take issue with the negativity surrounding others adopting it in an attempt to improve their performance on the greens.

When you consider the sheer volume of professional golfers using AimPoint and how some of these players consistently feature among the top putters on the PGA Tour, it's hard to argue that this method doesn't have merit...

I'm Fed Up With The Negative Narrative Around AimPoint

Over the past few months, I've committed to a significant golf improvement plan that has delivered some impressive results, like a 106% power boost that has helped me to hit driver over 240 yards (as a 22-handicapper).

However, despite a number of changes to my swing and strategy on the course, one thing has remained constant and unchanged - using AimPoint to read greens.

The confidence that this system gives me with the flatstick in hand means that I was never going to waiver, as it provides a process that I can trust and consistently repeat on the green.

Whether I can match the correct pace up with that line is a different matter, and something that I still practice to this day, but my putting has improved as a result of using AimPoint with a significant reduction in three-putts and huge misreads.

As an amateur, and a high-handicapper at that, I am used to receiving funny looks and the occasional jibe from other players on the course - but to be honest I couldn't care less.

You only have to look at the prevalence of this method on professional tours - if it's good enough for some of the best players in the game then it's good enough for me.

At the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational, AimPoint was used by winner Akshay Bhatia and runner-up Daniel Berger. In fact, with Morikawa and Aberg also using the process, it was only Cameron Young in the top-5 of the leaderboard who didn't.

There have already been three winners on the PGA Tour this season who use AimPoint and four of the top-5 putters in the world, based on their SG: Putting performance, all use this method to read greens.

Some reports suggest that up to 65% of PGA Tour players use or have used AimPoint, with top players in the game like Collin Morikawa defending the use of AimPoint when others have criticised it.

I will be the first to admit that pace of play on the PGA Tour is a serious problem, but the fault does not lie with a simple system that was designed to speed up play.

Taking one (or two) reads from between your ball and the hole takes far less time to carry out than walking to the opposite side of the hole to look from behind the cup.

I like to play quickly on the golf course, so often I will take my read while others are going through their process. Choosing a line based on that read takes seconds and once the ball is lined up correctly I am ready to go.

In fact, I'd confidently wager that I can get a read for a putt from 10ft just as quickly, if not quicker, than someone else who doesn't use AimPoint.

The bad press for this system is often caused by those who don't use it correctly or those who don't understand its purpose.

Taking an age to feel the slope of a 3-foot putt, or taking three or four reads along the line of one that is barely longer than that is unnecessary.

Like anything in golf, if you take the time to diligently learn you are more likely to see positive outcomes - and improving players who become better putters can only be a good thing for pace of play and the wider game.

My final gripe is this - the whining about people 'walking on your line' when doing AimPoint frustrates me.

I am more than capable of putting my feet in appropriate places to avoid your line and respect the etiquette of the game. Those who learn AimPoint correctly are taught to be conscious of other people's line and use appropriate spaces to take their reads.

In truth, hundreds of golfers would have walked over a green by late afternoon at most golf clubs, so the idea that your perfect line has been preserved especially for you to putt on is ludicrous.

Someone in the group ahead may well have had their size 10s right on your line for their own putt, so move on and find another reason to bash AimPoint.