Short-game wizard; Shane Lowry has had an interesting journey in golf. While he has not been consistently good, he is still able to pull off brilliant wins out of nowhere. His most shocking victory came after going 4 years of being trophyless, in 2019. Lowry broke into the scene at The British Open where he beat formidable opponents like Tommy Fleetwood. What was even more surprising was the margin of his victory at the Dunluce Course as there was a 6-stroke difference between him and Fleetwood.

Known for his excellent iron play, Lowry has always been known to deliver from a short range. So when the topic of AimPoint was raised, there was no surprise that he had something to say. Speaking to @Daniel_Rapaport, the Irishman was asked “What’s one rule you would like to see changed in golf?”

After a witty discussion about fans not wanting to see the pro play in his shorts, Lowry said, “AimPoint.” Intrigued by the response, the host said, “Really? So you would outlaw what? Straddling in the line?” Lowry immediately responded, “You’re not allowed to straddle in the line.“

This was brought into the conversation again when Dan Rapaport hosted Jason Day on the Skratch YouTube channel for a round of 9. As the pair were approaching a putt, Dan asked Day, “So how do you go about reading greens? Do you do it yourself? Do you bring them [caddies] in [to the conversation]?” Day immediately responded, “No, I do it myself.”

Dan then asked the question of the hour, “Are you an AimPoint guy?” Jason Day clarified that he is “not an AimPoint guy!” which prompted another question by the host. Dan immediately asked, “Are you an anti-AimPoint guy?” which warranted an explanation from Day. The 13x PGA Tour winner said, “I’m not an anti-AimPoint guy. The only thing that I don’t like about AimPoint is that when it’s your putt, they’re in their reading their putt.” Clearly frustrated by the entire scenario, Day continued, “Wait your turn and get out!”

While Dan agreed with the reaction, he also explained, “Because they’re trying to be fast,” indicating that pros usually do that to maintain the pace of play. Jason Day also stated that he understood their situation but “It’s actually bugging your playing partner.” This is when Dan mentioned how he questioned Shane Lowry as well about this as he stated “He wants to ban it. He thinks it’s terrible.”

Intrigued by Lowry’s statement on the issue, Jason Day asked, “What was his reasoning behind it?” Dan shared that Shane Lowry also had the same thoughts as Jason Day as it was related to “personal annoyance.” Trying to explain the reason behind his annoyance, Day said, “I don’t mind AimPoint. Once it’s your turn, then go in and do it. Don’t do it when someone is on.”

It’s interesting to see that Jason Day and Shane Lowry have the same issue about the AimPoint method. The pair also went on to discuss how other pros approach the AimPoint method. So what is the science behind AimPoint?

Is AimPoint more annoying than helpful as Shane Lowry suggested?

AimPoint is basically the science behind reading the green. It suggests that the percentage of the deviation on the break can be used to determine the method of playing the putt. Instead of going with the traditional method of visually reading the green, pros use a database of the slope to measure the possible outcome from every point. The study suggests that this is the most accurate method of approaching a putt.

Many pros use this method to help their game, but there are still those like Shane Lowry who think it’s a waste of time and resources. Coming from the master of the short game himself, we can say that he is as trusted of a source as any study that is conducted about AimPoint. Then again, the preference should also depend on the skills and technique of the golfer.

What is your opinion about AimPoint? Do you agree with Shane Lowry that it should be banned or would you prefer taking the scientific approach to golf? Let us know in the comments section.