Golf has spent the last several years searching for ways to speed up play, from reduced time limits on shots to penalties for chronic slow players. Yet one of the game's most controversial pace-of-play issues continues to unfold on the greens: AimPoint.
The green-reading system has become increasingly common on professional tours and among elite amateurs, but it's also become one of the most criticized routines in golf. Detractors argue it slows down rounds, damages putting surfaces, and creates an unnecessary spectacle. Supporters counter that it's simply another legal skill players have learned to master.
With pace of play once again under the microscope, it's fair to ask: Should AimPoint be banned?
What Is AimPoint?
AimPoint Express is a green-reading method that relies on players feeling the slope beneath their feet before selecting a starting line. Golfers typically walk around the hole, straddle the putting line, feel the gradient through their feet, hold up several fingers to gauge the break, and then step into their putt.
The system has helped numerous PGA Tour professionals become better putters and has been taught worldwide for years.
But critics argue that the process often takes too long.
Does AimPoint Slow Down Play?
One of the biggest complaints is time.
Studies examining professional golf have found that the average PGA Tour player takes roughly 35 to 40 seconds to play a putt. Players using extensive AimPoint routines can push that time closer to 50 seconds or more, particularly on longer or difficult putts. While an extra 10 to 20 seconds may seem insignificant, multiplied across 18 holes and four players, the delay can add several minutes to every round.
On television, viewers frequently watch players circle the hole, straddle the putting line multiple times, feel the slope with their feet, consult their fingers, then repeat portions of the routine before finally pulling the trigger.
Former players, broadcasters, and fans have increasingly questioned whether the routine has become excessive.
The Wear Around the Hole
Beyond slow play, superintendents have voiced concerns about turf damage.
AimPoint encourages golfers to repeatedly stand near the cup while feeling the slope with their feet. During a tournament week, dozens or even hundreds of players may gather in nearly identical locations around each hole.
That concentrated foot traffic creates additional stress on already vulnerable putting surfaces.
Areas immediately surrounding the hole can become:
Flattened or compacted
More susceptible to spike marks
Faster to wear during hot or dry conditions
Less consistent for players putting later in the day
While normal putting also creates traffic, critics argue AimPoint intensifies the problem because players intentionally spend extra time standing in the same areas around every cup.
Why Players Like It
Despite the criticism, AimPoint isn't without merit.
Many players believe it provides:
More accurate green reads.
Greater confidence over breaking putts.
A repeatable system that removes guesswork.
Better performance under pressure.
For professionals competing for millions of dollars, any legal advantage is difficult to ignore.
That's why many instructors continue teaching the method.
Should Golf Ban It?
A complete ban would likely prove controversial.
Golf has always allowed players to gather information before making a stroke. Reading grain, walking around the hole, crouching behind the ball, and consulting yardage books are all accepted parts of the game.
Instead of banning AimPoint outright, governing bodies could focus on limiting how it's used.
Possible solutions include:
Establishing a maximum amount of time allowed to read any putt.
Restricting repeated straddling of the putting line.
Limiting the number of times players can feel the slope around the hole.
Enforcing existing pace-of-play policies more consistently.
Encouraging players to begin reading putts while others are putting rather than waiting for their turn.
These changes would preserve the system while discouraging excessively long routines.
The Bottom Line
AimPoint itself may not be golf's biggest pace-of-play problem, but it has become one of its most visible.
Every extra second spent reading greens adds up over four rounds of tournament golf, and repeated foot traffic around the cup can contribute to additional wear on putting surfaces.
Rather than outlawing the system entirely, golf's governing bodies may be better served by enforcing quicker routines and encouraging players to be more efficient. Doing so would preserve the benefits of AimPoint while addressing the concerns of fans, broadcasters, tournament officials, and golf course superintendents alike.
As golf continues searching for ways to make the game faster and more enjoyable, the debate over AimPoint is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.
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