AimPoint for Different Green Speeds: Adjusting Your Reads for Fast vs. Slow Greens

One of the most common questions golfers have about AimPoint Putting, especially when traveling to different courses, is how to adjust for varying green speeds. A putt that breaks one way on a lightning-fast private course in Oakville will behave completely differently on a slower municipal track. Oakville’s PGA Certified Golf Instructor and AimPoint Putting Coach, Sean Carlino, explains how AimPoint seamlessly adapts to these crucial course conditions.

“AimPoint is fundamentally designed to be effective across all green speeds,” states Coach Carlino. “The system doesn’t give you a static aim point; it gives you a read relative to the speed of the green you’re playing on. The key is accurately assessing that speed before you even start your round.”

The Impact of Speed on Break: Carlino emphasizes the physics behind it: “On faster greens, where there’s less friction, the ball maintains its speed for a longer duration. This gives gravity more time to pull the ball downhill, resulting in a more pronounced break for any given slope percentage. Conversely, on slower greens, increased friction causes the ball to slow down more quickly, reducing the time gravity has to act laterally, leading to less break.”

How AimPoint Adapts:

• AimPoint Express: “With AimPoint Express, the system inherently adjusts based on your initial calibration,” Carlino explains. “When you learn Express, you calibrate your finger width to a ‘standard’ green speed. If you then play on faster greens, you’ll naturally feel that you need to hold up more fingers (or spread them wider) to account for the increased break, even on the same slope percentage. For slower greens, you’ll hold up fewer fingers.” It’s an intuitive adjustment built into the visual.
• AimPoint Conventional: “For Conventional AimPoint, which involves feeling precise percentages, your instructor will teach you how different percentages translate to break on various stimp readings,” says Carlino. “You’ll learn that a 2% slope on a fast green might mean a full cup of break, while on a slow green, it’s only half a cup. The numbers remain consistent, but their visual interpretation changes.”

Pre-Round Assessment is Key: “The absolute most important step is to gauge the green speed accurately before your round,” Carlino stresses. “Find a flat practice green area and roll a few putts. Get a feel for how hard you need to hit it to make it travel a certain distance. This calibration of your ‘speed touch’ directly influences how you apply your AimPoint read for the day.”

By understanding how speed influences break and calibrating your AimPoint method accordingly, you’ll ensure your reads are always spot-on, no matter the course conditions in Oakville or beyond.