What’s wrong with Adam Scott’s Putting?

I was frustrated watching Adam Scott putt over the last few weeks. It was like he was putting with one arm tied behind his back. Just didn’t look comfortable or ready.

He should have won the Australian Masters. He wasn’t at his best and certainly did well to recover from a poorish first round. And I’m sure he was disappointed to only miss the playoff by one stroke.

I think it’s fair to say he didn’t putt very well. Ball striking was exceptional for the most part.

Not sure he would have won the Australian Open even with brilliant putting. Jordan Speith’s last round was out of this world and he would have been hard to beat.

Scott was clearly the best player in the field at the Australian PGA. And with 9 holes to play he should have gone onto win. It took a brilliant round by Greg Chalmers just to make the playoff and Wade Ormsby hung in there all day to have a chance.

I think it’s time for Adam Scott to do away with this Aimpoint thing. It looks clumsy and I’m not sure it’s good for golf.

Holding fingers in the air and trying to read the green through one’s feet defies logic to me. I’m convinced that Adam Scott (and any regular player) can see and feel the slope of the green quite naturally. At best, Aimpoint can only give an approximation of the slope, but this is something any golfer can do in a second or two using regular methods. There’s no need for all this stuffing about.

If all players in the field (just imagine it at your club?) adopted the same routine the duration of a round of golf would certainly increase. Golf would come to a standstill and we all know that the game is already too slow.

Younger players shouldn’t be encouraged to putt the same way. They don’t need it and everything should be done to make golf quicker, not slower and more deliberate. Young golfers are typically the best putters at the club anyway. And they’re great putters because they’re uncomplicated. They look and then react to the target – quite naturally learning how greens and golf balls react. They only become clumsy as they get older and start listening to all the bullshit.

To be fair, it just looks ridiculous. I know the 3rd best player in the world can get away with it, but it still doesn’t look that flash.

My final argument is this:

In the recent playoff Adam Scott belted 7 drives in a row down the middle. He didn’t need any magical tricks or aiming techniques to do so. He walked into the ball, got set and then let rip. Brilliant stuff!

If he can do this then surely he can roll the ball along the grass without any sort of tips, tricks or crazy techniques. Putting just isn’t that complicated, especially compared to driving a golf ball 300+ metres.

This putting routine his holding him back. It’s hijacking his ability and making something that should be simple, way too difficult.

And if the recent three weeks are anything to go by it’s not working that well. The three-putt on the last hole Sunday was proof enough that it’s time to putt in another way. We can all have a bad day on the greens, but Adam Scott has had more than his fair share over the last month. He could do a lot worse than,

Look at the hole.
Walk in.
And then putt.

He should putt the same way he drives the ball. Let his talent and ability to shine through and make putting more natural and instinctive.

There has to be a better way.

Aaron Baddeley became the best putter in the world with this simple approach. I’m sure it can help you (and maybe Adam Scott too).