Keegan Bradley can’t catch a break. The 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain finds himself in hot water once again, with golf fans demanding a ban on his controversial putting technique. After drawing criticism at the Sony Open, which was held from January 15 to 18, Bradley’s AimPoint method has reignited a firestorm that’s dividing the golf world.

The latest uproar began when NUCLR shared a video on X showing the 39-year-old squatting on the green, using his feet to read slopes for what appeared to be a relatively short putt. The caption asked a simple question: “#OPINION — Do you think Aim Point should be banned?”

The response from fans was swift and unforgiving, with many calling out the method as unnecessarily slow and disruptive to the game’s pace.

🤔 golf trivia

This Should Be an Easy One, Right?

01/10

What Is the Highest Men's Major Purse This Year?

$20M$21.5M$22M$22.5M

Oops, bogey!

But don’t worry, there’s still the back 9 to prove your high golf IQ

PLAY GOLF TRIVIA

At the PGA Tour’s season opener, the Sony Open, both Keegan Bradley and his caddie were caught on camera stepping onto the green to read a putt using the controversial method. The incident sparked widespread criticism across social media, with fans questioning why a professional golfer needed such an elaborate routine for basic putts. Yet here we are, barely 15 days later, and Bradley is back in the spotlight for the same reason.

The AimPoint green-reading method has become golf’s most divisive topic, splitting professionals, analysts, and fans down the middle. On one side, some tour pros appreciate the technique’s precision. On the other hand, vocal critics like Paige Spiranac and Lucas Glover have called for its elimination from professional golf.

Spiranac initially took a hard stance after a viral LPGA clip showed a player using AimPoint on a putt from just one foot away: “Ban AimPoint.”

However, she later nuanced her position, explaining, “In all seriousness, there’s nothing wrong with AimPoint. The problem is when it’s not taught correctly, which will slow down pace. Also, a player who is slow will always be slow with or without it. My issue is when they are so conditioned to use AimPoint that it’s a habit they have to use even on tap-ins. Trampling around the golf hole is not it.”

Even Lucas Glover didn’t mince words on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio: “AimPoint, statistically, hasn’t helped anybody make more putts since its inception on the PGA Tour. It’s also kind of rude to be up near the hole, stomping around where the break is in your feet. It needs to be banned. It takes forever.”

Meanwhile, the PGA Tour pro Ludvig Aberg is vouching for it. As he said, “I like to do AimPoint. I’ve done it for a while now.”

For Keegan Bradley, 2025 has been a year of AimPoint controversies. Even at the Hero World Challenge, where he struggled, fans were quick to blame his reliance on the method. The backlash has followed him from tournament to tournament, creating a narrative that won’t seem to fade.

Fans demand action as frustration boils over Keegan Bradley’s use of a controversial golf method

The comment section was not beating around the bush. Just cut straight to the point, with one user demanding, “Ban it.” It’s not exactly surprising, with many analysts echoing the same sentiment, including CBS’s Jim Nantz.

He said, “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.”

A fan suggested a creative way to speed up professional golf. “Allow fans to boo if putter takes too long. Silence enforced for normal period of time.” This shows frustration with long pre-putt routines that make the game drag on and turn exciting golf into a waiting game.

Another fan criticized the AimPoint technique, writing, “Yeah, because it’s useless and slows play.”

It reflects many who see the method as more show than really helpful. Keegan Bradley’s putting hasn’t been very good, even though he has read the greens carefully. In recent tournaments, he has averaged a modest +0.117 Strokes Gained: Putting, which means he has only made small improvements on the greens that haven’t always helped his overall scoring.

Another solution was to urge strict enforcement of existing pace-of-play rules, with a user insisting, “No, just put them on the clock!!!!”

The frustration stems from the fact that rules aren’t always enforced fairly; some players seem to get away with slow routines, while others are penalized.

A fan questioned how AimPoint could be banned completely: “I don’t see how you can ban it. Rule 100.0B says, ‘No using your feet to check the slope.'”

Enforcing a rule against a reading method that doesn’t actually break current rules would be difficult for golf officials. What is your opinion on this? Let us know in the comments.