AimPoint discussions are cresecendoing. The controversial putting method has been at the forefront of debate in recent times after two incidents in the Mexico Open and the Honda LPGA Thailand. Recently, at the Mexico Open, Aaron Rai nearly took 2 minutes to make his stroke on the green using AimPoint and ended up missing it. A Lim Kim. in Thailand, was spotted using the controversial putting method for a stroke that was 18 inches from the hole, a tap-in. These instances drew widespread criticism in golf circles.
The fabled CBS Sports commentator, and broadcaster with nearly 35 years of experience, Jim Nantz stated in October 2024, “It really drives me crazy when you see their backs to the hole, and they’re trying to feel the break, and they walk another five feet and they do it again,” Nantz said. “They go through this process [but] where’s the feel in it?”
Joining Nantz is Lucas Glover. He publicly called for it to be banned, saying, “Statistically, [AimPoint] hasn’t helped anybody make more putts since its inception on the PGA Tour,” Glover explained on his “The Lucas Glover Show” on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio. “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.”
Paige Spiranac also had a simple shout after the Honda LPGA Thailand event. “Ban Aim Point,” she said in reply to a tweet about A Lim Kim’s antics with AimPoint. While there are naysayers and non-believers, there are some people who have publicly defended it. One of them is South Korean golfer An Byeong-Hun. The PGA Tour pro took to X, to reply to a tweet asking if AimPoint should be banned, stating two reasons why the putting method is not the villain everyone thinks it is.
One is that, to do it properly, the player who is putting has to walk between the ball and the hole several times. This leads to the other putters, who are lining up their shots, being disturbed as well as creating disturbances near the hole that might cause balls to change in direction or speed. The University of Berkeley grad acknowledges that. But he has a very simple and direct way around it. “1. I agree it makes lots of spike marks around the hole but people get close to the hole to pick the ball anyway. When I have a short one left, I try to stay away from it until other players finish the hole.”
The second reason is that the method takes a long time to execute. An, however, feels that this is blown out of proportion. “2. It doesn’t slow up my play or some other guys who do aim points. Slow players will be slow no matter what they do. There has to be clear data to see which one is slower.”
No.
1. i agree it makes lots of spike marks around the hole but people get close to the hole to pick the ball anyways.
When I have short one left, I try to stay away from it until other players finishes the hole.
2. It doesn’t slow up my play or some other guys who do aim… https://t.co/Uo7IMoHKFX
— Byeong Hun An (@ByeongHunAn) February 24, 2025
And Byeong Hun An is not alone in defending AimPoint. Most recently Collin Morikawa made his thoughts clear about Lucas Glover’s comments on his beloved putting technique.
Collin Morikawa joins An Byeong-Hun
The two-time major winner, a fan of AimPoint, believes the method has “1,000 percent helped” him. Morikawa believes that more than the method in itself, the issue is with respecting other players’ shots and processes.
“Look, AimPoint does take longer if you’re not doing it properly, right, if you’re not doing it when other players are reading their putts. I think there’s a respect issue. I think some players might get a little bit too close to the hole, and I get that. When you get too close to the hole when someone else is putting it, I don’t want my line and putt to go over someone else’s foot and marks. But are you going to tell other players not to walk around the hole when we’re picking up putts?”
The two-time Major Champion also addressed the issue of time consumption. He argued that only when done wrong does the process take longer than the intended time. He made it clear that it is beneficial and should not be banned. And it is not just Morikawa. The likes of Viktor Hovland, Keegan Bradley, Lydia Ko, Stacey Lewis, and many more use this method to improve their putts.
What do you think of the AimPoint technique? Are you team Lucas Glover or Team Collin Morikawa in this argument? Do you think AimPoint really slows down play or is it a matter of perception?
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