I'm telling you guys...line on ball

[Trippels]

36 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

 

While it does feel against the spirit of the rules, it would be hard to outlaw. All golf balls are going to be branded by a logo (and probably a product name: ProV1, TP5, etc.). 

 

So long as people can pick up, clean and replace their golf balls on the putting green, it'd be near impossible to stop golfers from finding some way to line up a logo. 

Make a rule for manufacturers that any ball must have stamped two circles of a certain size, oriented 90 degrees from each other. (So one on the pole, one on the equator)

Any marking indicating brand logo and model name must be placed within one circle. Any personal marking (dots, initials) in the other.

 

When a player marks their ball on the green and picks it up, when it is replaced one of the circles must be placed facing down.

 

Easy to implement for manufacturers, no impact on players outside of the goal of removing any aiming opportunities. allows for leniency without being exploitable.

Only negative is a small uptick in the number of times you'd have to mark a ball and check if its actually yours when in thick rough since you'd be faced with a white side more often. If you only had one circle for markings this would be more of an issue.

 

Would obviously never happen though, any if the line doesn't matter, who cares?

[iacas]

7 hours ago, getitdaily said:

Maybe I did. Just like you poorly use the line on the ball.

 

I didn't poorly use the line on the ball. No worse than others. I just said it didn't help, and every bit of my experience with hundreds of players, PhD's, etc. backs that up.

 

Plus, it was slower. It removed some athleticism and the ability to change my mind or make an adjustment.

 

And more.

 

7 hours ago, getitdaily said:

3 rounds has been plenty after numerous practice attempts over the last year to get it right.

 

No. Putting is the most highly variable skill in golf. Three rounds is a tiny sample size.

 

6 hours ago, Pepperturbo said:

Two weeks in any endeavor is NOT nearly enough of a sampling.

 

Yep.

 

Also, it'd be hilarious (to me, anyway) if how you said you conducted your tests on the practice green was an accurate re-telling of how you conducted your tests. 😄

 

Cheers, man. Like I've said all along, if you like it, cool. Go for it. But I won't teach it based on all I've seen and studied and found and discussed, and I think telling everyone that they have to do it is flat out silly.

[getitdaily]

3 minutes ago, iacas said:

 

I didn't poorly use the line on the ball. No worse than others. I just said it didn't help, and every bit of my experience with hundreds of players, PhD's, etc. backs that up.

 

Plus, it was slower. It removed some athleticism and the ability to change my mind or make an adjustment.

 

And more.

 

 

No. Putting is the most highly variable skill in golf. Three rounds is a tiny sample size.

 

 

Yep.

 

Also, it'd be hilarious (to me, anyway) if how you said you conducted your tests on the practice green was an accurate re-telling of how you conducted your tests. 😄

 

Cheers, man. Like I've said all along, if you like it, cool. Go for it. But I won't teach it based on all I've seen and studied and found and discussed, and I think telling everyone that they have to do it is flat out silly.

And I'll advocate it as much as I can. Cheers.

[Kuuuch]

Just because I’ve found this discussion interesting, I asked Marcus Potter (pga tour putting coach) if he had to guess what % of tour pros use a line on the ball what would it be. He said he’d estimate over 50% use a line. 
 

Didn’t ask for specifics on if that’s a) they always use a line or b) choose when and where they want to use a line - for instance putts that are inside the cup.

[iacas]

48 minutes ago, getitdaily said:

And I'll advocate it as much as I can. Cheers.

 

The new convert is often the most zealous.

[GungHoGolf]

I’ve been using the line for the last 6 months religiously. I’m an Aimpoint Express devotee. Average ~29.5 putts. 

 

Today I was playing with a very speedy group including a couple plus-caps, so I decided to skip the line and pick an intermediate point 1-2 ft in front of the ball. 25 putts - over 100 ft holed. Shot a 77 with two doubles and four birdies (two over 30 ft) on fast slopey greens. No 3-putts. 

 

I think it freed me up some, and definitely shaved 10-20 seconds from my routine. Will keep going with it for a few months and see if it works out. 

[MelloYello]

11 hours ago, GungHoGolf said:

I’ve been using the line for the last 6 months religiously. I’m an Aimpoint Express devotee. Average ~29.5 putts. 

 

Today I was playing with a very speedy group including a couple plus-caps, so I decided to skip the line and pick an intermediate point 1-2 ft in front of the ball. 25 putts - over 100 ft holed. Shot a 77 with two doubles and four birdies (two over 30 ft) on fast slopey greens. No 3-putts. 

 

I think it freed me up some, and definitely shaved 10-20 seconds from my routine. Will keep going with it for a few months and see if it works out. 

 

That'd be really interesting to hear about!

 

So many people spend their lives not using the line, so they come to the idea of the line with it seeming weird. Very rarely do we get a case of the opposite where someone is starting from a point of being extremely acclimated and competent with the line and going the other way towards not using it. You'd definitely need a really large sample size.  

 

It could also be the case that spending a few years with the line just makes someone a better putter WRT the fundamentals of alignment and start line--almost like training wheels. Maybe you've reached a point you don't really need the line anymore? 

 

 

. 

Edited June 7, 2023 by MelloYello

[GungHoGolf]

55 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

It could also be the case that spending a few years with the line just makes someone a better putter WRT the fundamentals of alignment and start line--almost like training wheels. Maybe you've reached a point you don't really need the line anymore? 

 

Good take. You’re probably right. 

 

What I don’t like about using the line:

 

1. I’m self-conscious about tweaking the ball to get the line perfect - can feel (or imagine) pressure from my playing partners  watching me if I adjust it more than once. So I tend to rush the process, and sometimes accept imperfect alignment then adjust when addressing the ball. None of that helps confidence. 

 

2. The line is only 1 to 1.5 inches long and is on a curved surface - let’s be honest, it’s pretty hard to tell if it’s off by a degree or two. Two degrees is only 1/3rd of a minute on a clockface - look down at a watch and imaging turning it that little bit. Two degrees off and you miss a 5-footer. One degree off (only 1/6th of a minute) and you miss an 8-footer. Similar to how aiming a rifle is far more accurate than aiming a snub-nosed revolver, using an intermediate point 1-2 feet in front of the ball intuitively feels more accurate to me because of the longer “sightline” - plus gives me a spot to intend to roll the ball over. 

[nsxguy]

6 minutes ago, GungHoGolf said:

 

Good take. You’re probably right. 

 

What I don’t like about using the line:

 

1. I’m self-conscious about tweaking the ball to get the line perfect - can feel (or imagine) pressure from my playing partners  watching me if I adjust it more than once. So I tend to rush the process, and sometimes accept imperfect alignment then adjust when addressing the ball. None of that helps confidence. 

 

2. The line is only 1 to 1.5 inches long and is on a curved surface - let’s be honest, it’s pretty hard to tell if it’s off by a degree or two. Two degrees is only 1/3rd of a minute on a clockface - look down at a watch and imaging turning it that little bit. Two degrees off and you miss a 5-footer. One degree off (only 1/6th of a minute) and you miss an 8-footer. Similar to how aiming a rifle is far more accurate than aiming a snub-nosed revolver, using an intermediate point 1-2 feet in front of the ball intuitively feels more accurate to me because of the longer “sightline” - plus gives me a spot to intend to roll the ball over. 

 

BOOM !!!

 

and

 

BOOM again.

 

I could've written that post myself.

 

These are exactly the reasons why I don't use the line. I stand over the putt, even looking at my spot between 1 & 4 feet in front of the ball and the line never looks right no matter how carefully I align the ball.

 

And it takes me forever to get the line "exactly" right - if I ever do.

 

Now, I should say that even without the line, I often feel, standing over the ball, my "spot" is no longer correct. I very often feel like my spot is LEFT of where I should be hitting it. This is almost certainly a vision issue with me; maybe dominant eye related, maybe setup related, but it's a real thing.

 

The line on the ball  exacerbates the issue and actually seems to add "pressure" on what I see, where the pure color of the ball with a little script to the back kinda sorta frees up my mind. My last thought is how hard to hit it, not the line - already set up for the line.

 

 

 

 

[MelloYello]

1 hour ago, GungHoGolf said:

 

Good take. You’re probably right. 

 

What I don’t like about using the line:

 

1. I’m self-conscious about tweaking the ball to get the line perfect - can feel (or imagine) pressure from my playing partners  watching me if I adjust it more than once. So I tend to rush the process, and sometimes accept imperfect alignment then adjust when addressing the ball. None of that helps confidence. 

 

2. The line is only 1 to 1.5 inches long and is on a curved surface - let’s be honest, it’s pretty hard to tell if it’s off by a degree or two. Two degrees is only 1/3rd of a minute on a clockface - look down at a watch and imaging turning it that little bit. Two degrees off and you miss a 5-footer. One degree off (only 1/6th of a minute) and you miss an 8-footer. Similar to how aiming a rifle is far more accurate than aiming a snub-nosed revolver, using an intermediate point 1-2 feet in front of the ball intuitively feels more accurate to me because of the longer “sightline” - plus gives me a spot to intend to roll the ball over. 

While you're not using the line in that method, I'd suggest you've basically found another way to do exactly the same thing. In my mind, that proves the point that finding a way to set up which incorporates an "alignment guide" is still the best way to go about it. 

 

Maybe we shouldn't think of "spot in front of the ball" and "line on ball" as being different. They are both virtually identical in what they allow the player to do and I would argue any means of properly lining up to something you can see in the address position standing over a putt is ideal. 

 

For instance, I used to putt (especially short putts) by picking a spot out in the distance which formed a "straight" putt. So I'd be the type to simply say "two balls left of the cup edge" or "right edge" when aligning to a putt and I'd always be trying to align to that spot way off in the distance.

 

Note: Mike Malaska's now famous video explains why that's such an unreliable way to set up. 

 

While that way of setting up is instinctive and certainly not terrible, it's just not precise enough. It leads to a lot of inconsistency and a lot of misses slightly right/left. When every putt is a different distance and you're subject to the bias of your eyes (which I kind of doubt you'll ever truly get over) it's hard to even think of that as a real "system" of aligning. To me, that would best be labeled naïve alignment (in the scientific sense of the word meaning "untrained" or "unguided").  

 

Whether the golfer is using a line on the ball or picking a spot on the ground just ahead of the ball, he's able to align to something real that he can see / visualize while his head is looking down at the ball and then immediately go once he feels he has the right speed in mind.

 

I think that more mechanized / systematic way of aligning leads to a lot of consistency in setup as well as an improved ability to roll the ball where you're hoping with a stroke that doesn't have to deviate in order to push/pull putts. It's just better. 

 

 

.

Edited June 7, 2023 by MelloYello

[TourSpoon]

23 minutes ago, nsxguy said:

BOOM !!!

 

and

 

BOOM again.

 

I could've written that post myself.

 

These are exactly the reasons why I don't use the line. I stand over the putt, even looking at my spot between 1 & 4 feet in front of the ball and the line never looks right no matter how carefully I align the ball.

 

And it takes me forever to get the line "exactly" right - if I ever do.

 

Now, I should say that even without the line, I often feel, standing over the ball, my "spot" is no longer correct. I very often feel like my spot is LEFT of where I should be hitting it. This is almost certainly a vision issue with me; maybe dominant eye related, maybe setup related, but it's a real thing.

 

The line on the ball  exacerbates the issue and actually seems to add "pressure" on what I see, where the pure color of the ball with a little script to the back kinda sorta frees up my mind. My last thought is how hard to hit it, not the line - already set up for the line.

 

I use the line as a reference from outside 10 feet. I know that if its set on the right edge and I need to be above that, I hit it above that because I know the line is right edge. It doesn't have to be perfect, I just have to know where its set to and worry about speed. Inside 10 feet I get a little more particular. Inside 4 feet its the white part of the ball only with concentration on my eye/head position.  Of course this is all subject to change on how I feel any given day but speed is king as once I am set I ignore the line. 

[iacas]

1 hour ago, GungHoGolf said:

2. The line is only 1 to 1.5 inches long and is on a curved surface - let’s be honest, it’s pretty hard to tell if it’s off by a degree or two. Two degrees is only 1/3rd of a minute on a clockface - look down at a watch and imaging turning it that little bit. Two degrees off and you miss a 5-footer. One degree off (only 1/6th of a minute) and you miss an 8-footer. Similar to how aiming a rifle is far more accurate than aiming a snub-nosed revolver, using an intermediate point 1-2 feet in front of the ball intuitively feels more accurate to me because of the longer “sightline” - plus gives me a spot to intend to roll the ball over. 

 

Yeah, I've made that point a few times. 🙂

 

It's tough to line up short lines, so if you're off a tiny amount… and then your putter may be off a tiny amount to that… you're adding that intermediary step. You may be introducing MORE error than just lining your putter up (to a spot somewhere along a longer albeit "virtual" line).

 

If being 1° offline is easy (and it is), it's also easy for your putter to be 1° off from the ball, then, too. Half the time that might work in your favor, but the other half of the time it's going to double your aiming error.

 

I doubt most here who practice lining the ball up ever really check their alignment often with a laser or something. I have for a lot of golfers. They aren't as accurate as some seem to believe they are here.

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by iacas
Hit post too soon.

[Soloman1]

Here’s my latest invention. Why make things simple when you can complicate the heck out or it?

 

The black line is always toward the hole, since it is a discreet object to align to, and any random aiming point is some fuzzy point either close to the ball or something far, like offset from the hole.

 

Align body and club to a red line for your percent break.

 

Hopefully this will really slow things down and throw the whole putting process into a higher, new dimension of OCD.

 

I think this could be very big…

 

What do you think? $29.95 for the plastic part to draw the lines?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by Soloman1

[Nels55]

11 minutes ago, Soloman1 said:

Here’s my latest invention. Why make things simple when you can complicate the heck out or it?

 

The black line is always toward the hole, since it is a discreet object to align to, and any random aiming point is some fuzzy point either close to the ball or something far, like offset from the hole.

 

Align body and club to a red line for your percent break.

 

Hopefully this will really slow things down and throw the whole putting process into a higher, new dimension of OCD.

 

I think this could be very big…

 

What do you think? $29.95 for the plastic part to draw the lines?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I marked up a ball per your example and tried this out on my little putting green and all I can say is wow!  I made 84 putts in a row using the line system!  Never missed no matter how severe the slope.  I believe that this will indeed revolutionize the putting game!

[GungHoGolf]

1 hour ago, Soloman1 said:

Here’s my latest invention. Why make things simple when you can complicate the heck out or it?

 

The black line is always toward the hole, since it is a discreet object to align to, and any random aiming point is some fuzzy point either close to the ball or something far, like offset from the hole.

 

Align body and club to a red line for your percent break.

 

Hopefully this will really slow things down and throw the whole putting process into a higher, new dimension of OCD.

 

I think this could be very big…

 

What do you think? $29.95 for the plastic part to draw the lines?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nah, you gotta put those lines on a ball marker, have Bettinardi mill it, and sell it for $100 - and to guarantee success, be BDC’s former caddie:

 

True Aim Marker

 

[Soloman1]

BDC and I have a history . . . 😉

 

[GungHoGolf]

41 minutes ago, Soloman1 said:

BDC and I have a history . . . 😉

 

 

Go on…

[Soloman1]

3 hours ago, GungHoGolf said:

 

Go on…

Nah, I'll PM you...

[KMeloney]

Last night ,walking 9 holes, I eschewed the line for anything over 10', down hill, and/or a real slider, and I made a lot of putts that I probably had no business making. On the 8th hole, I had a dicey little 3' right-to-left up-and-over putt, used the line on it, and missed it on the low side. Despite using the line on the ball for everything for years now, I suspect that using the line on that putt (and hundreds of putts like it) kept me from adjusting the pace and/or line once over the putt, and, in probably really helped me to miss the putt.

 

I found last night's putting to be pretty enlightening. I'm going to take the same approach during my round tomorrow and see how it works out.

[MelloYello]

Contrary to conventional wisdom it seems that a lot of habitually awesome putters are actually tinkerers with the small stuff, open to the idea of occasional change. I just think of Lydia's grip tweaks and Inbee's rotation of putters. 

 

It wouldn't surprise me at all to find out that some people actually putt their best with a little bit of novelty going on. I know it's true for me that I tend to lean very heavily into different "feels" so that after 1-2 days of doing something right I may begin to overdo it.

 

For that kind of player it might be dangerous to ever really rely on the exact same thing 100% of the time unless he has some set of drills or measuring tools that magically bring him back to a perfect baseline. 

 

There may be something to the idea of getting used to the line and suddenly making putts when you remove it? Maybe your alignment is sort of baked in at that point (at least temporarily)? 

 

Still, I think it's obvious as to why using a line might not be the best idea at long range or with touchy putts that force speed & line to be perfectly matched.

 

Keep in mind that straight putts don't require the same degree of precision when it comes to matching speed & line, a skill I usually call "touch." This is precisely why speed isn't always the critical element in putting. A straight 3-footer for instance, isn't about speed control. 

 

 

.

Edited June 9, 2023 by MelloYello

[PracticeSwinger]

Spitballing here, so don't kill the messenger, but with all that about talk about : setting the line is locking you into a specific speed and/or that it might create self doubts when you step into your play box 'this isn't right', etc. For intermediate range, let's say 6-10 footers (or 4-15 ones if you want to enlarge it) wouldn't it be a good idea to set the line directly towards the hole? Could help you calibrate once you get over it that, this is the straight line from my ball to the hole, my intermediate spot is there (from aimpoint, feel, your call) to set the putter head where I want to aim - and the delta is just a general idea of the 'amount of break' you play?

[Nels55]

30 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

Contrary to conventional wisdom it seems that a lot of habitually awesome putters are actually tinkerers with the small stuff, open to the idea of occasional change. I just think of Lydia's grip tweaks and Inbee's rotation of putters. 

 

It wouldn't surprise me at all to find out that some people actually putt their best with a little bit of novelty going on. I know it's true for me that I tend to lean very heavily into different "feels" so that after 1-2 days of doing something right I may begin to overdo it.

 

For that kind of player it might be dangerous to ever really rely on the exact same thing 100% of the time unless he has some set of drills or measuring tools that magically bring him back to a perfect baseline. 

 

There may be something to the idea of getting used to the line and suddenly making putts when you remove it? Maybe your alignment is sort of baked in at that point (at least temporarily)? 

 

Still, I think it's obvious as to why using a line might not be the best idea at long range or with touchy putts that force speed & line to be perfectly matched.

 

Keep in mind that straight putts don't require the same degree of precision when it comes to matching speed & line, a skill I usually call "touch." This is precisely why speed isn't always the critical element in putting. A straight 3-footer for instance, isn't about speed control. 

 

 

.

Absolutely.  My game is like that through the bag, I constantly have to have something 'new' to get excited about.  Years ago I took a personality test as part of Carey Mumford's Double Connexion system and my personality tested out as Driver / Craftsman which is somewhat similar to Arnold Palmer's personality though I do not have anything remotely like his charisma.  Anyway, Arnold changed putters constantly and had a large room full of clubs.  So, I think that being able to stick with something for life or having to change stuff all the time is definitely related to personality.

[Gr8Balls]

A lot of good debate on this, love it.

 

My process ---

 

I went to a line with perpendicular short cross lines, -|- about three years ago.  I wasn't rolling the ball on my intended target, and it helped me align properly.

 

It's evolved into a simplified process for me now, and I'm putting better as a result.

 

I pick my break and line it up.  This isn't meticulous or perfect, especially outside 6-7 ft.  I know I'll miss most outside that range anyways, so why stress over it.  My chosen line isn't necessarily correct anyways.

 

The cross lines give me a reminder of setting up square to the ball.

 

Now I'm lined up within reason, setup square to that line, and am free to concentrate on speed and a hitting it solid.  I used to pick a spot infront of the ball to roll it through, but found I'd lose track of pace doing that.

 

I also used to second guess the line when standing over it - eyeline/alignment issues for sure.  This is now something I just trust and send it.

 

Short putts I'll be precise with the line and make sure I'm rolling the ball end over end on that line.  Long ones I don't worry about once I'm setup - I only think about hitting it solid with intended pace.  Most of them end up rolling properly anyways, and when they don't I get a reminder to be diligent about being setup square to my line.

 

 

It really is so personal and individual dependant. 

 

What's been the most useful for me I believe is having a quick repeatable routine that I trust.

 

 

[Soloman1]

[MelloYello]

1 hour ago, Gr8Balls said:

A lot of good debate on this, love it.

 

My process ---

 

I went to a line with perpendicular short cross lines, -|- about three years ago.  I wasn't rolling the ball on my intended target, and it helped me align properly.

 

It's evolved into a simplified process for me now, and I'm putting better as a result.

 

I pick my break and line it up.  This isn't meticulous or perfect, especially outside 6-7 ft.  I know I'll miss most outside that range anyways, so why stress over it.  My chosen line isn't necessarily correct anyways.

 

The cross lines give me a reminder of setting up square to the ball.

 

Now I'm lined up within reason, setup square to that line, and am free to concentrate on speed and a hitting it solid.  I used to pick a spot infront of the ball to roll it through, but found I'd lose track of pace doing that.

 

I also used to second guess the line when standing over it - eyeline/alignment issues for sure.  This is now something I just trust and send it.

 

Short putts I'll be precise with the line and make sure I'm rolling the ball end over end on that line.  Long ones I don't worry about once I'm setup - I only think about hitting it solid with intended pace.  Most of them end up rolling properly anyways, and when they don't I get a reminder to be diligent about being setup square to my line.

 

 

It really is so personal and individual dependent. 

 

What's been the most useful for me I believe is having a quick repeatable routine that I trust.

 

 

 

Yep, I had very much the same reaction to it. I felt it resolved some alignment confusion and freed me up on critical putts inside close range that were mostly straight.

 

To me, any alignment aid I can incorporate (and practice with) is going to = strokes gained and I've definitely gotten better on those most "makeable" of putts. 

 

While on the one hand, putting without the line can feel unconstrained, it's just as true that once we get out there on the green, we can get just as much paralysis-by-analysis when standing over a putting trying to decide exactly what line/speed to choose. 

 

In the end, we're trying to build consistency and repetition. I think you laid that out very well. 

[MelloYello]

1 hour ago, Varry_Hardon said:

Spitballing here, so don't kill the messenger, but with all that about talk about : setting the line is locking you into a specific speed and/or that it might create self doubts when you step into your play box 'this isn't right', etc. For intermediate range, let's say 6-10 footers (or 4-15 ones if you want to enlarge it) wouldn't it be a good idea to set the line directly towards the hole? Could help you calibrate once you get over it that, this is the straight line from my ball to the hole, my intermediate spot is there (from aimpoint, feel, your call) to set the putter head where I want to aim - and the delta is just a general idea of the 'amount of break' you play?

 

I would guess it's probably more just something each player needs to feel out for themselves. 

 

As others have alluded to, the line can look very screwy depending on where your eyes are relation to it (not to mention eye dominance). 

 

I tend to think there's a reason why pre-packaged alignment lines are simple & short and almost always placed directly atop the ball in its resting position (on the "north pole" so to speak).

 

Longer lines can appear curved and shifting the line forward or backward can always cause issues based on your eye position.

Edited June 9, 2023 by MelloYello

[DaveLeeNC]

This is my story and might well be unique to me, although there are things documented in this thread that are consistent with my personal experience. 

 

By way of background I am now 73 years old and have never been a good putter, and more years has not made that any better. I used to play and practice almost daily and, quite frankly, practicing putting seemed to me to be like practicing coin flipping. I am not exaggerating. It truly did not seem helpful. I have been to several local pros and nothing ever came out of that. So I treated it as just the way it is. The lowest index that I have ever maintained is around a 4.5'ish. 

 

Last year I had a small putting green installed (it was as much about backyard ambiance as it was putting) and it was marginally helpful. It was a big help in fixing my yips (cross handed putting). Other than that it was more coin flipping practice. 

 

Not long ago I 'committed' to the line (my play/practice is much reduced over previous years, BTW). It is early in the process but so far it seems to me that ...

 

1) You need to practice just setting your ball line properly. This surprised me. It is not hard to get MUCH better at this but you do need to work on it. 

 

2) On short putts this only works (for me) if you 'commit to the line' and get the damn hole out of your head. Once 'is my line right' crosses your mind at address, you are not using the line (and you are probably going to miss the putt). I am getting to the point where all I want to do is make solid contact and hit my line, hole be damned (it is not about that), and that is my only mental goal. This is not simple, I am not there yet, and I would never get there without a green in my back yard - but I am getting there. SHORT PUTTS ONLY. 

 

3) I don't yet know what the role of the line is on big breaking short putts or lag putts. 

 

4) I had tried the intermediate point approach in the past and was unable to make that work. Didn't try hard enough is probably a fair statement here. It is impossible on my back yard green as the surface is too regular. Use an artificial point in my back yard and then the 'natural approach' on the course?? Maybe. But for now the line seems to be working for me. 

 

5) See point #3 again 🙂

 

dave

 

ps. More not all that interesting info in this thread. Transition to Using the Line on Your Ball (Putting) - Instruction & Academy - GolfWRX

 

Edited June 10, 2023 by DaveLeeNC

[Haroputt]

I find putts over 6 feet I tend to look up to quickly to see if the ball goes into the hole and this quick lift up of my head or if I swivel to fast I will push/pull my putts 

The line helps me focus on the ball a spilt second longer cause I want to keep the line from wobbling and don’t lift up my head too soon 

It’s similar to the advice of hearing the putt drop into the cup rather than seeing it 

Edited June 10, 2023 by Haroputt

[Redpro]

On 6/3/2023 at 9:33 PM, goaliedad30 said:

I'm in Monte's camp on this one. I have tried an alignment mark on and off, and find that I get overly mechanical and don't stroke the putt freely. On longer putts, my distance control also suffered.

 

I putt best when I'm focused on pace, not line.

Same here. Obsessing about the line on the ball and using aim point took a lot of time, and I discovered that SPEED was king. I use a SeeMore mallet with alinement lines on it, so lining up the putter head to the aim point I picked is so much faster. Have been playing for 62 years and still learning!!

[jda]

I was glad to read through this thread.  I used to think that lines were not necessary.  I still do... for me... but not for others.  I was talking with a friend who is a good player and the way that he describes what he see when he reads a putt, approaches and stands over it is totally different from me.  I see something like what you see with the grids in Golden Tee and he sees just side to side slope from behind but it all looks flat when he addresses the ball and he has to remember what he saw.  For me, addressing the ball in the best indicator of break once I read the putt from a few angles and I see even more than I saw front, behind and sides, including the grain.

 

I have come to the conclusion that not everybody has the same spacial awareness as others.  I concluded long ago, most in baseball, that this cannot be taught.

 

I have no issue hitting a straight putt, so I don't need the line to hit it straight.  Using a line did not hurt me, it just never added anything of value.  Having a second dot on the putter to get it upright and square has helped more than a line ever did.