“It really drives me crazy” - Legendary golf commentator ‘can’t stand’ some players’ putting approach

Jim Nantz is unhappy with the controversial AimPoint approach. The legendary golf commentator, known for his Augusta National whisper, has come out to reveal his hatred for players’ ‘backs to the hole’ putting approach. The 65-year-old stated that he can’t stand it.

Nantz is not a fan of this and has openly slammed it. The analyst said ‘it really drives him crazy’ to see golfers with ‘their backs to the hole.’ It is pertinent to note that the interpretive dance-esque moves pulled by golfers using the Aimpoint method has garnered criticism from several golf insiders. Nantz is the latest to admit that he ‘can’t stand looking at it.’

Jim Nantz went off on the Aimpoint system while speaking on John Huggan’s The Thing About Golf podcast:

“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?...

"I know they’re trying to win and trying to find a shot over the course of four days that can make the difference but, to me, if you’re playing a lot of golf and you’re standing over a 20-footer, it’s a cup outside the left, it’s the left edge, play it a cup and a half. I mean, all this, is it really making a difference? Maybe it is. But I can’t stand looking at it.”

It is pertinent to note that the interpretive dance-esque moves pulled by golfers using the Aimpoint method have garnered criticism from several golf insiders. Nantz is the latest to admit that he ‘can’t stand looking at it.’

For the unversed, AimPoint Express is a method of predicting aim while putting. The system, founded in the early 2000s, tested thousands of golfers of varying abilities to find the correct line using a different method. The popular green reading method has since been used by players at various levels of the game, including on the PGA Tour.

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How does AimPoint work in golf putting?

Aimpoint was introduced as a remedy to golfers’ green-reading woes. The method, adopted by pros, including Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Stacy Lewis, has become more popular in recent years.

According to experts, the Aimpoint method brings together physics and feels to give a consistent reading of the greens. The initial step in the green reading method is to feel the slope of the green. Golfers need to straddle the ball’s path to the hole about halfway to the hole to understand the percentage of slope.

Following this, the players are forced to stand behind the ball and lift their hand while closing one eye. The pointer finger is just outside the hole to gauge the line. The player can put up one or two fingers based on the percent slope felt. Having judged it correctly, the player can then line up the ball at the aim point and roll it at that spot.