Putter Alignment Aid on Ball... Thoughts?

PuttingDoctor · August 15, 2013

Geez, I go away for a few days and you guys really open a can of worms! :busted_cop:

Everyone sees differently. Do you have an aim line on your putter? Personally I think if you have one on the putter why not use one on the ball?

I've been having great success of late with a method now adopted by golfers who could never or would never have used a line before. The reason they couldn't use a line was mentioned previously. They couldn't line up the ball reliably so they abandoned what they wanted to try.

So try this. Aim the ball in hand while standing tall and erect. Connect your elbow to your midriff and hold the ball out from your body and aim the line or logo at your aim point. Keep the fingers above the equator of the ball so that when you place it you won't have to move fingers at the critical moment.

When you have the ball aimed in hand simply allow your hand to fall to your side. Bring the ball up again and you'll see it's still aimed exactly.

Now approach your ball marker and crouch on both knees keeping your body square to the target line from behind. To place the ball on the surface the only movement comes from the forearm dropping from the elbow. There's no articulation of the hand the ball is simply placed with a vertical movement.

Practice this if you like standing at the kitchen counter and you'll soon be able to place the ball without any interference.

The results of this method are scary good. I can place the ball with 90% efficiency without looking up at the target from my crouch! Having to move the eyes / head / hand while searching for the line as you are in crouch behind the ball is a lot of work and mental effort for the golfer.

While not for everyone and certainly not for the golfer who doesn't have a line on their putter it is an advantage the USGA and R&A haven't outlawed....yet. :swoon:

WVP · August 15, 2013

I was waiting for you to chime in Glen. Like I had thought, it's something that works for some and doesn't for others.

Spiritomb · August 15, 2013

I don't like them. I feel they distract me from lining up, and I never once got one in from using it.

ZakRyan · August 16, 2013

[quote name='PuttingDoctor' timestamp='1376575625' post='7681100']
Geez, I go away for a few days and you guys really open a can of worms! :busted_cop:

Everyone sees differently. Do you have an aim line on your putter? Personally I think if you have one on the putter why not use one on the ball?

I've been having great success of late with a method now adopted by golfers who could never or would never have used a line before. The reason they couldn't use a line was mentioned previously. They couldn't line up the ball reliably so they abandoned what they wanted to try.

So try this. Aim the ball in hand while standing tall and erect. Connect your elbow to your midriff and hold the ball out from your body and aim the line or logo at your aim point. Keep the fingers above the equator of the ball so that when you place it you won't have to move fingers at the critical moment.

When you have the ball aimed in hand simply allow your hand to fall to your side. Bring the ball up again and you'll see it's still aimed exactly.

Now approach your ball marker and crouch on both knees keeping your body square to the target line from behind. To place the ball on the surface the only movement comes from the forearm dropping from the elbow. There's no articulation of the hand the ball is simply placed with a vertical movement.

Practice this if you like standing at the kitchen counter and you'll soon be able to place the ball without any interference.

The results of this method are scary good. I can place the ball with 90% efficiency without looking up at the target from my crouch! Having to move the eyes / head / hand while searching for the line as you are in crouch behind the ball is a lot of work and mental effort for the golfer.

While not for everyone and certainly not for the golfer who doesn't have a line on their putter it is an advantage the USGA and R&A haven't outlawed....yet. :swoon:
[/quote]

Cool tip Doc! I'm a loyal ball line user, so I will be giving this a try.

...I have a line on my putter, but Tiger Woods doesn't and he uses a line on his ball. But that is Tiger.

WVP · August 16, 2013

[quote name='ZakRyan' timestamp='1376632573' post='7686190']
[quote name='PuttingDoctor' timestamp='1376575625' post='7681100']
Geez, I go away for a few days and you guys really open a can of worms! :busted_cop:

Everyone sees differently. Do you have an aim line on your putter? Personally I think if you have one on the putter why not use one on the ball?

I've been having great success of late with a method now adopted by golfers who could never or would never have used a line before. The reason they couldn't use a line was mentioned previously. They couldn't line up the ball reliably so they abandoned what they wanted to try.

So try this. Aim the ball in hand while standing tall and erect. Connect your elbow to your midriff and hold the ball out from your body and aim the line or logo at your aim point. Keep the fingers above the equator of the ball so that when you place it you won't have to move fingers at the critical moment.

When you have the ball aimed in hand simply allow your hand to fall to your side. Bring the ball up again and you'll see it's still aimed exactly.

Now approach your ball marker and crouch on both knees keeping your body square to the target line from behind. To place the ball on the surface the only movement comes from the forearm dropping from the elbow. There's no articulation of the hand the ball is simply placed with a vertical movement.

Practice this if you like standing at the kitchen counter and you'll soon be able to place the ball without any interference.

The results of this method are scary good. I can place the ball with 90% efficiency without looking up at the target from my crouch! Having to move the eyes / head / hand while searching for the line as you are in crouch behind the ball is a lot of work and mental effort for the golfer.

While not for everyone and certainly not for the golfer who doesn't have a line on their putter it is an advantage the USGA and R&A haven't outlawed....yet. :swoon:
[/quote]

Cool tip Doc! I'm a loyal ball line user, so I will be giving this a try.

...I have a line on my putter, but Tiger Woods doesn't and he uses a line on his ball. But that is Tiger.
[/quote]

I won't try to speak for Tiger Woods. But I think with a line on the ball pointed at your intended direction, all you need to do is bring a square putter face back to the ball. The line on the putter helps do that for some and also clearly shows the putter sweet spot. It's all about the square face at impact.