Aimpoint and standing on competitor's line

[RCGA]

What's the rule around standing on a partner's line?

 

Let's say me and my competitor both have 20ft putts. My putt is going South to North and his is going Southwest to Northeast. 

 

If I "aimpoint" and straddle my line in front of my ball, I'm potentially standing on his line. Is that allowed? 

 

Also, is there a rule on how close to the hole I can "aimpoint"? I'm thinking of someone trying to "lumpy donut" their way into encouraging the ball to go in vs veer offline. 

[rogolf]

1 hour ago, RCGA said:

What's the rule around standing on a partner's line?

 

Let's say me and my competitor both have 20ft putts. My putt is going South to North and his is going Southwest to Northeast. 

 

If I "aimpoint" and straddle my line in front of my ball, I'm potentially standing on his line. Is that allowed? 

 

Also, is there a rule on how close to the hole I can "aimpoint"? I'm thinking of someone trying to "lumpy donut" their way into encouraging the ball to go in vs veer offline. 

There is no "rule" that prohibits you from standing on another player's line of play.  However, imo, it is not in the proper etiquette of the game.  If you need to, or do so accidentally, you should fix any damage that was done (he can also repair the damage to his satisfaction).

As to your question about someone trying to "encourage the ball into the hole" by creating footprints or altering the surface of the putting green, this is expressly addressed in Rule 13.1c(2), where it says:

"But if the player improves the putting green by taking actions that exceed what is reasonable to restore the putting green to its original condition (such as by creating a pathway to the hole or by using an object that is not allowed), the player gets the general penalty for a breach of Rule 8.1a."

[davep043]

I agree completely with everything @rogolf says.  I use Aimpoint myself, and I try to always be respectful of other players' lines.  Certainly straddling the line is optimal, but I don't think there's a significant loss in accuracy if you stand to one side to get your feels.  Or stand on your own line if you really think its critical, but don't do it to someone else.

[ShupeSC]

I would just put some practice into standing to the side of you line to get the slope. It comes in handy in a few situations.