Is AimPoint permitted at Augusta National? Based on the questions raised by one of the pros, it seems that the controversial green reading method should be banned in the 2025 Masters Tournament. AimPoint has been the center of attention for a while now. It has received a lot of criticism from experts. Most believe that it is not as effective and takes a lot of time to execute. With the PGA Tour facing slow play issues, players using AimPoint on the course have been further scrutinized for disrupting the pace of play with the absurd method.
Popular analysts, Brandel Chamblee and Jim Nantz, have raised their concerns about the usage of the green reading method on a few occasions. Chamblee also provided data that shows how ineffective AimPoint is as compared to the traditional methods of analyzing the putting surface. The founder of AimPoint, Mark Sweeney, went into defensive mode as he provided unverified data that shows the impact of the approach. So, does the method actually provide any marginal advantage, or is it as good as traditional ways, and more importantly, is it prohibited to be used?
As reported by Golf Digest, Robert MacIntyre stepped on at Augusta National on the Wednesday of the Masters week. After spending some time on the Tea Olive green, he was seen talking to the three rules officials on the course. He was concerned because the historic golf course doesn’t permit green reading methods. Augusta National only allows the golfers to use the yardage books provided to them to approach every hole. So when MacIntyre started reading the green at Tea Olive, he wanted to confirm he could use the database he collects using AimPoint in his yardage book to assist him during the tournament.
Interestingly, the Scottish lefty got cleared as long as he didn’t use any other device besides the AimPoint reading method. We can assume MacIntyre spent the rest of the day walking around the 7,555 yards trying to figure out his best approach for the 2025 Masters Tournament. We can assume the database he collected will be extremely vital as he tees off in the first round. But does that give him a cheat code to Augusta National? Well, using the controversial green reading method didn’t give the likes of Collin Morikawa and Max Homa any advantage in the Masters tournament the last few years. So we doubt it will benefit MacIntyre much in his pursuit at Augusta National.
Golf – European Tour – British Masters – The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, Britain – June 30, 2023 Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre in action during the second round Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
Interestingly, Robert MacIntyre is not the first individual to gather data about the Augusta National Golf Course. The Golf Digest article revealed how another pro has also been recording his experience on the course over the years. Let’s see who that individual is.
The Masters Tournament cracked on paper by a golf legend
The article continued discussing how Robert MacIntyre’s methods have been used by others in the past. That’s when Akshay Bhatia was brought into the conversation. No, he isn’t the golf legend we’re talking about here. Bhatia was talking about all the information Phil Mickelson had collected over 31 appearances.
The American Lefty has won the tournament thrice in his career. He also has two other runner-up finishes in the Green Jacket event. In fact, from 2001 to 2004, Mickelson consistently finished in the top three of the leaderboard, winning it once in the process. With the abundance of experience in the tournament, the 54-year-old has also gathered a lot of information about Augusta National.
Bhatia mentions how his mentor from LIV Golf has an incredible Masters book that perhaps has some of the most intricate details about the course. In fact, Adam Scott referred to Mickelson’s notes to sink a critical putt that won him the 2013 Masters Tournament. While Robert MacIntyre might have collected a lot of data himself, it wouldn’t hurt him to take a peek at what the original Lefty has experienced in over 30 years. That would probably be far more informative than any information he collected using AimPoint 24 hours prior to the beginning of the tournament.
What are your thoughts about Robert MacIntyre using AimPoint as a cheat code to get an advantage over his peers at the 2025 Masters Tournament? Let us know in the comments section.
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