What color is your putting "track?"

[Dan Drake]

So, I think (genuinely hope!) almost everyone has had this happen to them at least once.  I've had it happen twice and I remember both times VERY vividly.  You are standing over a putt and for whatever reason, the golf gods decide to show you the line.  

 

And you can't NOT see it.  

 

There it is, superimposed right on the green surface with enough color differentiation to pick out from just about anywhere you move to.  It's just like the first down line on an NFL broadcast on TV or the augmented reality stuff that you can do with your phone now.  Right there on the green.  Somehow, someway, the line is just there and all you have to do is roll the ball at a decent speed and you KNOW, and I mean flat out KNOW, that the ball is going in the hole.  You may even mention it to one of your playing partners because it is just that blatant that you aren't even worried about jinxing it.

 

It's going in.  

 

So, I ask you, GolfWRX, when this happens to you, what color is the track that you see on the green surface?  And yes, there is a purpose to this question that I'll get to later, if it becomes reasonable to do so!  (If there are enough different answers, I'll make a poll with the color choices for better compilation)

 

Thank you!

 

Dan Drake, PGA

[stryper]

I don’t see it when I’m standing over a putt, but sometimes I see it as I’m walking up from behind…like “how can anyone miss this?”  Awesome feeling, but I can’t really put a color to it. 🤷🏻‍♂️  

[rooski]

I know just what you mean, I'd say mines cerulean, so happens to be my favorite crayon color as a young kid. Not so much different than the green but looks about like this.

 

Granted not everybody sees their putts with an augmented reality-esque line like you and I might so the question might not make sense to all

 

Edited September 23, 2021 by rooski

[baudi]

The idea of seeing a line always strikes me. I fail to see a superimposed picture.  The educated guess of the outcome is the result of a rationalized method set as an imperative.  Hardly trustworthy at all.

 

Sometimes I feel the awareness; the response is a decisive set of actions leading to a drained putt. On the outside it looks like confidence, on the inside it feels like intuition. It just happens beforehand.  

[steventoo]

4 hours ago, Dan Drake said:

So, I think (genuinely hope!) almost everyone has had this happen to them at least once.  I've had it happen twice and I remember both times VERY vividly.  You are standing over a putt and for whatever reason, the golf gods decide to show you the line.  

 

It's happened to me a few times... at least once, it's lasted the entire round (and that was a career best).

 

I've never really thought about it, but my line is purple. Which is interesting to me because the only form of synesthesia I have is that some bourbon tastes like the colour purple. I don't associate any other flavours with colours - no other whisky, wine, beer, brandy, etc. It's just that one thing.

 

So... purple putting lines and purple bourbon. It's the Porsche Ultra Violet colour, or the McLaren Lantana Purple.

[Valtiel]

Interesting, I can safely say that my superimposed line is the exact same color as whatever green I am on, which is why I suck. 

[bladehunter]

White.   Always a white line showing the entire path.  

[Medson]

Follow the Yellow Brick Road. 

[Precis1on]

I'm partially colorblind, so even if I did see something, I'm pretty sure I questioned my sanity. 

[Tax77]

Green, its camouflaged well.

[Soloman1]

I don't see a track. I see a curve with red on one side and green on the other.

 

I do not want the ball to ever be on the red side. I will err on the green side.

 

 

[miamistomp]

white

[TheDominator273]

Dark green, it looks similar to when they darken the grass inside the yard to gain on Sunday Night Football broadcasts.

[MaineMariner]

Hah, this is a great topic. I envision a red line that's about the width of the ball. I'm pretty sure that's from a video game I used to play.

[Hawkeye77]

19 hours ago, Dan Drake said:

So, I think (genuinely hope!) almost everyone has had this happen to them at least once.  I've had it happen twice and I remember both times VERY vividly.  You are standing over a putt and for whatever reason, the golf gods decide to show you the line.  

 

And you can't NOT see it.  

 

There it is, superimposed right on the green surface with enough color differentiation to pick out from just about anywhere you move to.  It's just like the first down line on an NFL broadcast on TV or the augmented reality stuff that you can do with your phone now.  Right there on the green.  Somehow, someway, the line is just there and all you have to do is roll the ball at a decent speed and you KNOW, and I mean flat out KNOW, that the ball is going in the hole.  You may even mention it to one of your playing partners because it is just that blatant that you aren't even worried about jinxing it.

 

It's going in.  

 

So, I ask you, GolfWRX, when this happens to you, what color is the track that you see on the green surface?  And yes, there is a purpose to this question that I'll get to later, if it becomes reasonable to do so!  (If there are enough different answers, I'll make a poll with the color choices for better compilation)

 

Thank you!

 

Dan Drake, PGA

Played with a friend way, way back and he shot 69 on a tough course (first time he broke 70). He was departing for Northwestern University for college in a few days and he swore all the way around he was seeing a purple putting line!  Must have, he made everything.

 

Ever since then I have waited, and waited, and waited to see anything resembling a color showing me the way to the hole.  Never knew it was a thing, and hadn't thought about it forever, until I clicked on this thread.  

 

Now I feel more inadequate!  

[Petethreeput]

I had never really thought about. On those rare occasions when I see an actual line it is yellow. I have always assumed it was because before fidelity sponsored the putt track I think the lines were yellow.

[bladehunter]

Dan describes this happening perfectly.  
 

for me. It happens on its own.  As in I never can “ make “ it happen.  You try. But.  Sometimes you just hit a shot and walk up and somehow say “ hmm. This is going in “. You don’t decide to say that.  It’s some sort of premonition that comes to you.   2020 club championship, I had this happen on the final day.  From hole 7-11 I walked up and knew.  Truly knew that I would make the putt.  5 - 1 putts in a row. 4 birdies snd a par.  My playing opponent actually  said “ my god , let up man” as the one on 10 dropped.  
 

sure do wish I knew how to access that on command.  
 

 

[stingerfade]

I see a lighter green line the width of the ball. always have 

[Dan Drake]

2 hours ago, stingerfade said:

I see a lighter green line the width of the ball. always have 

I guess in my excitement, I did sorta forget to mention mine, lol!  Mine is lighter green as well, almost but not quite neon or highlighter.  And it is the width of the hole.  

[b.mattay]

I'm amazed people have this amount of visualization. I just align putts inside 20 feet to a point that I feel has a 50/50 chance of being high or low and align longer putts to where I feel I will never be low. 
 

I am kinda jealous of those that have ever seen tracks 🤔. Seems like a freeing way to putt!!
 

[Ghostwedge]

My visualization isn't that good but I can tell you I "see" my line better on bent greens  compared to bermuda and combo grass.

[baudi]

Quote

It’s some sort of premonition that comes to you. 

Copied from Bladehunter. As a non native speaker a premonition comes with a negative connotation to mind. In case of missing the putt as a certainty the feeling is exposed far more often. Unfortunately seldom the mind is strong enough to prevent proceedings and step out of the routine. Learning these signs and follow up hold me back being a better golfer. 
 

 

[bladehunter]

4 hours ago, baudi said:

Copied from Bladehunter. As a non native speaker a premonition comes with a negative connotation to mind. In case of missing the putt as a certainty the feeling is exposed far more often. Unfortunately seldom the mind is strong enough to prevent proceedings and step out of the routine. Learning these signs and follow up hold me back being a better golfer. 
 

 

You’re correct.  I’ve had the premonition of missing it far more often.      Often times it’s the short putt with more than a cup of break. You try to block it out. But you truly know that you’d better not hit it hard , since it’s not going in.  Stepping out would be smart.  But then we need to figure out how to block the feeling from our mind.  I’m not sure how to do that. Once you’ve seen the future. It’s hard to unsee it. 

[stingerfade]

1 hour ago, bladehunter said:

You’re correct.  I’ve had the premonition of missing it far more often.      Often times it’s the short putt with more than a cup of break. You try to block it out. But you truly know that you’d better not hit it hard , since it’s not going in.  Stepping out would be smart.  But then we need to figure out how to block the feeling from our mind.  I’m not sure how to do that. Once you’ve seen the future. It’s hard to unsee it. 

This is so true. So many times it’s like, “ I KNEW I would miss that 4 footer!” But have had times - prob only enough I can count on two hands in twenty years - where I absolutely KNEW it was going in the hole. I’m talking putts of 20 ft or more. Wish I could figure that out ha

[naval2006]

My line's dark green and shiny.  The days it happens I'm a devil with the putter.  But I sometimes try to force the line to show up and it's useless.  

[Shilgy]

10 hours ago, Dan Drake said:

I guess in my excitement, I did sorta forget to mention mine, lol!  Mine is lighter green as well, almost but not quite neon or highlighter.  And it is the width of the hole.  

Pretty much what I see…..a bit lighter than the putting  green color and as wide as the hole.

  Although….on occasion I see a line of dancing worms that the ball gets to knock down as it rolls to the hole. **

 

 

** most will not get this reference but back in the late 80’s early 90’s Chuck Hogan had a video series where Mike Reid, PeterJacobsen and Johnny Miller described their mental games. Radar often saw dancing worms on the green.

[Ghostwedge]

So Reid equated spike marks to dancing worms ? Hmm.....

[Abh159]

Like someone else said, I don't really see it when I'm standing over the ball, but I'll see it when I'm behind the putt reading it.

 

I don't know that it's necessarily any specific color. The best way I could describe it is that it's almost like a slightly darker line or "rut". Sort of what you get when you play really early (before they mow the greens) and you hit a putt with dew still on the ground if that makes any sense 🤣.

[markmcco]

15 hours ago, Hawkeye77 said:

Played with a friend way, way back and he shot 69 on a tough course (first time he broke 70). He was departing for Northwestern University for college in a few days and he swore all the way around he was seeing a purple putting line!  Must have, he made everything.

 

Ever since then I have waited, and waited, and waited to see anything resembling a color showing me the way to the hole.  Never knew it was a thing, and hadn't thought about it forever, until I clicked on this thread.  

 

Now I feel more inadequate!  

He had probably dropped a gram or two before teeing off...

[Hawkeye77]

9 minutes ago, markmcco said:

He had probably dropped a gram or two before teeing off...

Haha, nope. Just 18 at the time and straight as an arrow!