In recent times, the pace of play at golf tournaments has come under significant scrutiny. During the 2023 Masters, the likes of Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland received quite a bit of flak for their alleged slow play.
Most recently, LIV’s Brooks Koepka reiterated his frustration with slow play and even called for the at-fault player to be stroked. With the pace of play becoming a hot topic in the world of golf, a clip from the ongoing Charles Schwab Challenge has greatly angered fans. Here’s why!
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The 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge kicked off in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday, and golf fans are already frustrated with the pace of play. A clip from the event doing the rounds on social media shows not one but three PGA Tour pros using the controversial AimPoint method for deducing the greens. For the uninitiated, the method allows golfers to feel the slope of the green with their feet. By getting on the ball’s path, they tend to measure the slope percentage of a given putt.
Golf enthusiasts have taken jibes at this unique green-reading technique in the past as well. During the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, cameras caught Max Homa taking quite a bit of time to gauge the slope while his playing partner, MacKenzie Hughes, sported a frustrated expression. The World No. 7 eventually responded to the barrage of complaints on social media, saying that he would work on improving his game’s pace.
LIV golfer and 2-time major winner Dustin Johnson is another player with a particular affinity for this much-talked-about technique and even used it during the 2020 Masters, where he emerged as the winner. Despite golfers’ love for AimPoint putting, fans are yet to warm up to it, as evidenced by their exasperated reactions.
After the clip from the Charles Schwab Challenge process came to light, golf fans were quick to vent their frustrations. Some even wished for tournaments to do away with the technique completely. One fan noted that there are better ways to measure the severity of green than the AimPoint technique.
They look like they’re in a weird extraterrestrial worship ceremony.
— JDL_8 (@JDL811) May 25, 2023
It’s a better way to read greens and faster than normal reading. Not a single one of them has to faff around walking to the other side to see the putt from behind the hole. Why do you think they all do it 🤷🏻♂️
— George Gill (@george_gill7) May 25, 2023
AimPoint putting has been a mainstay in major events as well. In April, golfing influencer Paige Spiranac also raised her fingers at the use of the method at Augusta National. She even called for players to be penalized if they slowed down the game’s speed. A vocal critic of the process, Spiranac had made her feelings clear about it last year as well. And it seems like many in the golf world feel the same way as well!
Forget the roll back: simple rule change, A player will not straddle the line of his putt. Aim point gone 🫱🏼🫲🏽
— Andrew Hector🧢 (@AndrewHektor) May 25, 2023
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Genuine question – how long has AimPoint been a thing? Seems to have reached saturation point extremely quickly. https://t.co/OvZUrJqu6x
— Sam Harrop (@sam_golf) May 25, 2023
Despite its fans’ disapproval, AimPoint putting enjoys great popularity among golfers. Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland, and Keegan Bradley are some other players who have adopted this green-reading method to improve their play.
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Watch This Story: A Strong Proponent of Equality, Paige Spiranac Slams Golf Society With Witty Social Media Post, Fans Approve: ‘I Support’
What is your opinion on the AimPoint technique? Do you think tournaments should curb its application down the road? Tell us in the comments!
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