Jim Nantz Goes Scorched Earth On Aim Point Putting System While Making Totally Valid Points

Published|Updated

Jim Nantz has been the lead broadcaster for the Masters for 35 years and has been in the booth for countless PGA Tour events over the last three-plus decades. In other words, he's seen it all on the golf course, but nothing appears to have irked him quite like the new Aim Point putting system.

Anyone who has watched any amount of televised golf over the last 10 or so years has seen at least one player using Aim Point. 

Long story short, Aim Point is a green-reading method where a player uses their feet to determine the slope level of the green and then, depending on that slope, they hold up one to four fingers in front of their eyes relative to the hole to determine the aim point. One finger means a small slope, while four fingers would be a significant one.

Max Homa, Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa, and plenty of other world-class players use Aim Point. While the system works for many, it also slows down the pace of play. The vast majority of professional golfers are slow, even those who don't use Aim Point, but the glacial pace is far more noticeable when a player is using the system.

Jim Nantz has certainly noticed it, and he is not a fan.

"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 explained on ‘The Thing About Golf’ podcast.

"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."

There are plenty of ‘old man yelling at cloud’ moments within golf media whether it be from someone barely old enough to legally drink alcohol or a 65-year-old veteran like Nantz. Plenty of folks will argue that this is one of those moments, but Nantz certainly isn't the only one who feels the same way about Aim Point. 

I'm Team Nantz on this one, but feel free to email me at mark.harris@outkick.com with your counterpoints.

Tags
Written by

Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.