Adam Scott’s unusual green-reading technique, explained
If you've been watching the Presidents Cup, then you've likely seen Adam Scott read his putts in an unusual way. Here's why he does it.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Adam Scott does things a little differently on the greens. He uses a broomstick putter that rises to his chest, for one, and he putts with the flagstick in the hole. But the oddities don’t stop there — he reads the green in an unusual way, too.
If you’ve been watching the Presidents Cup this week, you’ve likely noticed it, but for the uninitiated, it involves the way he uses his feet and fingers to understand the slope of the greens. The technique is called AimPoint, and it’s become popular over the past several years.
Michelle Wie West explains the benefits of AimPoint putting
The first step in the process is to feel the slope of the green with your feet. Do this by straddling the ball’s path to the hole about halfway to the cup. When straddling the line, determine the amount of slope you feel, on a scale of 1 to 5.
Next you stand behind the ball and close one eye. Lift your hand in front of your face so that your pointer finger is just outside the hole. Based on the percent slope you think is affecting your putt, put up that many fingers (i.e. one finger for one percent, two fingers for two percent, etc.).
With the correct number of fingers put up, you now have your aim point. For example, if you feel 3 percent slope, your aim point would be your ring finger.
With the aim point established, all you need to do is line up your ball with that point and roll it on the correct line. If it works for Scott, it can work for you, too.
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