Forget Aimpoint, Here Are the Best Drills to Get Your Green Reading Right

“Ban Aim Point”, Paige Spiranac vociferously claimed X, when A Lim Kim was spotted using the time-consuming and controversial putting technique for a putt that was mere inches away from the pin. Spiranac is not alone. Lucas Glover, a stern opposition for AimPoint had spoken about it as well. “Statistically, [AimPoint] hasn’t helped anybody make more putts since its inception on the PGA Tour. Statistics have borne that out. It’s also kind of rude to be up near the hole, stomping around figuring out where the break is in your feet. It needs to be banned. It takes forever.” 

The method which is also not easy on the eyes, has been used by a lot of pros during their career including the likes of Viktor Hovland, Keegan Bradley, Lydia Ko, Stacey Lewis, Collin Morikawa, and so many others. However, the vehement opposition to the method could lead to the PGA Tour banning it. Then what do you do?

Here are some green reading methods other than AimPoint that you can use to improve your game.

Brad Faxon’s method

Eight-time PGA Tour winner Brad Faxon is known for his putting. He led the PGA Tour in putting average in 1996, 1999, and 2000. In 2000, he set the single-season record with only 1.704 putts/greens in regulation. “My only secret is confidence… I just try to hit every putt as if I’ve just made a million in a row,” Faxon had previously stated.

But it is not confidence that allows him to make such accurate reads on the green. Unlike most other golfers, Faxon’s process doesn’t start at the green. It starts as soon as he hits the approach shot. “I always have my caddy hand me my putter as soon as I could get it. I wanted to feel what my putter was going to be like in my hands as I walked it up to the green,” the 1991 Buick Open Winner explained.

While making his walk to the green itself, he starts noticing the layout of the green by where his ball has landed. He also reads the grains with his, as they are more prominent downhill rather than uphill. Once he marks the ball, he tries to determine the starting line. He then starts to read the slope from underneath the ball. “You can see and feel the slope better from underneath than from above. You can also see more slope from down lower and from farther away.  That’s why it’s imperative that you start reading the green when you’re walking up there, while you’re holding onto your putter.” Faxon stated.

He then visualizes the apex of the ball’s trajectory, i.e., the high point. That is where the ball has to be when he makes his shot. And with practice, it does not take much time. “It’s not something that takes me a long time. I think the best putters in the world, when they trust their instinct, feel that and see it immediately, and you don’t have to be exact. You don’t have to be perfect to be a great putter.” 

As he approaches the ball for the stroke, he starts visualizing the path of the ball, and once there, he takes a few practice swings with his putter. This gives his hands a bit more mobility, and then he goes ahead with the shot.

Coin Drill

The Coin Drill, suggested by Alex Elliott, a PGA Tour professional, is a way of breaking down the line of the putt in two spots. The ball ideally has to travel across both the points marked by the coins. The coins serve as two intermediate points that also help in visualization in the long term.

Take two coins with you when you’re going to practice putting on the green. Look at a putt from all angles and try to gauge the slope and the distance well. Once that is done, you would need to mentally chart a path from the ball to the pin. On that path, you will need to place two coins so that the ball travels through both.

The chances are you could be wrong in your initial attempts. The idea is to improve with every putt and build this visualization into your pre-shot routine. This helps to build a strong picture of a putt when you are out on the course and could very well turn your 3-putts into a single putt.

The ‘Advanced’ Ladder Drill

While the coin drill fixes two points on your putting line, the ladder drill fixes zones. The advance in the title is just to bring to light the dedication and intricacy that is required to pull this drill off. PGA Tour pro and coach Ben Emerson is an ardent promoter of this technique, which helps you visualize the area and improve your putting range in a step-by-step process.

Set up a ladder using tees, based on the slope of the path of the ball to the pin. During the initial stages, you can use alignment sticks to chart the slope alongside the tees. Start with three balls, and the goal is to adjust the pace of the shot so that each ball stops at each zone. In case you miss a zone, you will have to restart. After trying this out with varying slopes and distances, the green reading pattern will show good signs of improvement and refinement.

Each process is initially time-consuming and requires a lot of practice to master. Once it is practiced regularly, the steps become easy to keep track of. The idea is to pick one that suits your game and mentality and work on it till it becomes perfect. ‘Don’t practice until you get it right. Practice until you can’t get it wrong.’ Wise words to live by.