Should Marking Your Ball with a Line Be Illegal?

[LeoLeo99]

I can fiddle for 5 minutes and it never looks right to me.

[golfortennis]

We are still talking about golf, right?

[davep043]

And how would you accomplish that? Would manufacturers not be allowed to write the product name in a linear fashion?

The article is pretty weak, it all hinges on defining a bit of marking on a golf ball as an "object".

[cxx]

Well they did make the Pelz 3 ball putter illegal. I'm sure they could declare any putter illegal that they wanted to with appropriate rules. We'd be left with the Calamity Jane and look alikes.

[davep043]

I don't remember that, was the putter deeper front to back than the length from toe to heel? That has been a part of the equipment rules for as long as I can remember.

[cxx]

I think the putter was judged to be "not plain in shape" although the first prototypes may have been a bit too deep. I'm sure Pelz could have fixed the too deep flaw if the design hadn't been subject to the less than objective judgement of USGA's equipment people. Anyway, Pelz sold out to Odyssey who came out with the two ball.

A lot of the modern putters may fail the "not plain in shape" rule if applied similarly to today's designs.

[phil75070]

My nephew worked with Pelz a long time ago and has the original prototype pictured here. And yes, where you see the screws would be the "face" of the putter, so longer than wide, thus non-conforming.

[Btpdx]

This article was completely silly IMHO.  Too an earlier posters point, nearly all balls have a form of alignment aid.  I rarely line up my putts with it personally.  The exception is usually on a severe breaking put, I use it to aim closer to the apex.  I have also done it when I have a 3-5 footer, because I can get the yips bad on those in tournament/competitive play.  That said, it never slows me down.  My ball is marked, I am reading my putt as the others are playing and I have my target line picked out and ball ready to place before walking up to replace my mark.  The bigger issue is definitely the fiddlers, slow putters, etc.

[taporsnap17]

But isn't the whole point of buying the Bridgestone Tiger ball just so that people that see that I'm using a ball with "TIGER" on it.  The fact that it happens to be a thin line that MIGHT be used to line putts up is a bonus but really, not the most important point

[sprcoop]

I use the line to practice and then only to see if I am rolling the ball end over end.

 

For some reason I really enjoy seeing it roll with a solid, pure black line maintained, no wobble. 

 

I see no better results holing it line or no line so I don't use one.

[Carl Spackler3]

The odd thing is how many people don’t line up their drawn on line correctly. To line it up straight you have to step back from it to look,  it from your squat. then I find it only helpful on dead straight puts. Usually it’s best purpose is to show your group how quickly your putt is off center

[C6 Snowboarder]

I don't use a line on the ball for this reason...  a ball is about 1.625" in Diameter  --   a line is only useful for alignment about 1.50" of this.  If a putt is 15 feet away - that is 180 inches away, and if you have a error in aligning the ball by .010" on this 1.50 long line,  you are going to miss the hole by 1.20"  - almost a ball out. I prefer to use a spot about 2 feet in front of the ball for a more accurate alignment and it takes less time  since you don't have to continuously rotate the ball to align your 3 minute putt. The .010" alignment would be extremely accurate for most golfers - more likely most of us would be ± .030" which you would then miss the putt by about 3.60" measured at the hole.  Forgettaboutit!

[sui generis]

29 minutes ago, C6 Snowboarder said:

I don't use a line on the ball for this reason...  a ball is about 1.625" in Diameter  --   a line is only useful for alignment about 1.50" of this.  If a putt is 15 feet away - that is 180 inches away, and if you have a error in aligning the ball by .010" on this 1.50 long line,  you are going to miss the hole by 1.20"  - almost a ball out. I prefer to use a spot about 2 feet in front of the ball for a more accurate alignment and it takes less time  since you don't have to continuously rotate the ball to align your 3 minute putt. The .010" alignment would be extremely accurate for most golfers - more likely most of us would be ± .030" which you would then miss the putt by about 3.60" measured at the hole.  Forgettaboutit!

 

Please check the equipment Rules about golf ball specs.

https://www.usga.org/equipment-standards/equipment-rules-2019/equipment-rules/equipment-rules.html#!ruletype=er&section=rule&partnum=4&rulenum=4

[C6 Snowboarder]

43 minutes ago, sui generis said:

 

Please check the equipment Rules about golf ball specs.

https://www.usga.org/equipment-standards/equipment-rules-2019/equipment-rules/equipment-rules.html#!ruletype=er&section=rule&partnum=4&rulenum=4

 

 

 i could not remember exactly -- I nknew it was 1.6 something..  - sorry bud wont happen again .. but same ole theory applies.

[sui generis]

51 minutes ago, C6 Snowboarder said:

 

 

 i could not remember exactly -- I nknew it was 1.6 something..  - sorry bud wont happen again .. but same ole theory applies.

 

 The "rulies" are taught, "1.68 is not the weight." ?

[C6 Snowboarder]

1 hour ago, sui generis said:

 

 The "rulies" are taught, "1.68 is not the weight." ?

 

Weight is not in inches is it...  thought you might not know this.

[harolease]

I sometimes pull my putts and the line helps on the days I am.  It helps align my eyes 

[sui generis]

7 hours ago, C6 Snowboarder said:

 

Weight is not in inches is it...  thought you might not know this.

 

Stick to snowboards.

[C6 Snowboarder]

2 hours ago, sui generis said:

 

Stick to snowboards.

 

 

ok Dude -- and don't forget to set your Rangefinder for KiloGrams.?.  - might help you be a better golfer.