Interesting Putting Line Usage Scenario

[DaveLeeNC]

I wonder if anyone else has encountered this issue.  I have been bouncing around between using a line and not using a line of the ball (putting) for months now. Sometimes the line seems to help and sometimes not. I am a very bad putter and my primary issues are green reading and lag putts, so the line is not going to help those much (in principle). 

 

Today I discovered something that I had not realized. I can accurately line up my putter for putts inside something like 7 to 10 feet. Outside that range things change and I see a properly lined up putterface as pointing distinctly left of the target. Has anyone else run into this? 

 

dave

[mgoblue83]

54 minutes ago, DaveLeeNC said:

I wonder if anyone else has encountered this issue.  I have been bouncing around between using a line and not using a line of the ball (putting) for months now. Sometimes the line seems to help and sometimes not. I am a very bad putter and my primary issues are green reading and lag putts, so the line is not going to help those much (in principle). 

 

Today I discovered something that I had not realized. I can accurately line up my putter for putts inside something like 7 to 10 feet. Outside that range things change and I see a properly lined up putterface as pointing distinctly left of the target. Has anyone else run into this? 

 

dave

 

You have to separate these variables in order to improve your putting. Green reading and having a feel for distance may take a lot of experience to get better at but for now you should just be focused on making sure you are rolling the ball on your intended start line (regardless of whether that start line is a good read or not). 

 

Highly recommend using the line AND an intermediate point.

 

Pick a point 1-3ft in front of your ball and use the line on the ball to make sure you are aligned properly to that point. Hit your putt and watch the ball. If the ball is rolling true (line is rolling end over end with very little wobble) then you hit a good putt. If the ball is wobbling you hit a bad putt. The more good putts you can hit and the more experience you get with reading greens will greatly increase your chances of making putts.

[Haroputt]

10 hours ago, DaveLeeNC said:

I wonder if anyone else has encountered this issue.  I have been bouncing around between using a line and not using a line of the ball (putting) for months now. Sometimes the line seems to help and sometimes not. I am a very bad putter and my primary issues are green reading and lag putts, so the line is not going to help those much (in principle). 

 

Today I discovered something that I had not realized. I can accurately line up my putter for putts inside something like 7 to 10 feet. Outside that range things change and I see a properly lined up putterface as pointing distinctly left of the target. Has anyone else run into this? 

 

dave

I think that normal. I can follow the line with just by  moving my eyeballs without turning my head at all Up to about 8 feet 

that is a straight line 

longer putts i have to start turning  my head  to trace a line 

It’s easier to think of a curve and putt inside-inside path for longer putts and not use a line 

[Jimjam651]

On 4/1/2024 at 4:49 PM, DaveLeeNC said:

I wonder if anyone else has encountered this issue.  I have been bouncing around between using a line and not using a line of the ball (putting) for months now. Sometimes the line seems to help and sometimes not. I am a very bad putter and my primary issues are green reading and lag putts, so the line is not going to help those much (in principle). 

 

Today I discovered something that I had not realized. I can accurately line up my putter for putts inside something like 7 to 10 feet. Outside that range things change and I see a properly lined up putterface as pointing distinctly left of the target. Has anyone else run into this? 

 

dave

I have a couple of thoughts

 

Your read and aim could impact on your ability to putt with the correct pace, if you aim too low and don't allow enough break you might find you hit your putts too hard to compensate and the opposite would happen if you over read a putt and allowed to much break.

 

On the line issue, why not use the line on longer putts where you find it helps and not use the line where you don't find it as helpful?

[nitram]

Watch this Dave. I think it might answer your question.

 

 

[cav5]

If you're not a great putter to start with I'd find a heel shafted something with limited alignment aids on it and use no line on the ball. Develop some feel. You goal isn't to hit putts that go straight or such a distance. Its to eventually aim the stroke you find, after the fact of finding it, and for that you don't need any sort of lines.

 

I always feel left of where my logic mind percieves the target to be. I start pretty toe side as well. Remember your lines at address don't have to be the same at impact. None of its written in stone. Develop feel for an arc and repeat it amid distractions. Thats how you learn to putt. You don't need mirrors or arc aids or anything.

[DaveLeeNC]

54 minutes ago, nitram said:

Watch this Dave. I think it might answer your question.

 

 

Now this is an interesting full circle. I started my current putting journey after watching that very video (above).  Moving my head around (via ball position changes) did not seem to address my incorrect seeing of the line issue (at the time I was unaware of the fact that my vision of the line on shorter putts was different than longer putts). So at that point I committed to the line but I never liked it on longer putts as I felt like my feel for the putt got 'lost in the line'. 

 

There was a time that I felt like I had trained myself to see the line properly by doing a bunch of practice using the line. But I either fooled myself or lost that learning somewhere. So kind of full circle. 

 

dave

[DaveLeeNC]

1 hour ago, Jimjam651 said:

On the line issue, why not use the line on longer putts where you find it helps and not use the line where you don't find it as helpful?

 

That is where I am at the moment, but it somehow "does not feel like a good long term place to be". OTOH, we all know about 'feel isn't real' in golf. 

 

dave

[Jimjam651]

1 hour ago, DaveLeeNC said:

 

That is where I am at the moment, but it somehow "does not feel like a good long term place to be". OTOH, we all know about 'feel isn't real' in golf. 

 

dave

Its funny how we think isn't it? If it works and your putting improves it seems like a pretty good long term place to be!

[nsxguy]

3 hours ago, DaveLeeNC said:

Now this is an interesting full circle. I started my current putting journey after watching that very video (above).  Moving my head around (via ball position changes) did not seem to address my incorrect seeing of the line issue (at the time I was unaware of the fact that my vision of the line on shorter putts was different than longer putts). So at that point I committed to the line but I never liked it on longer putts as I felt like my feel for the putt got 'lost in the line'. 

 

There was a time that I felt like I had trained myself to see the line properly by doing a bunch of practice using the line. But I either fooled myself or lost that learning somewhere. So kind of full circle. 

 

dave

 

Totally understand the frustration with putting. Had I not cured the yips with a grip change about 9 months or so ago I'd probably have given up the game by now.

 

You may have seen both of these topics/posts in passing but just in case.

 

Putter Shape and Alignment

 

Lag Putting

 

Good luck 👍

[DaveLeeNC]

3 hours ago, Jimjam651 said:

Its funny how we think isn't it? If it works and your putting improves it seems like a pretty good long term place to be!

In my case it is just logic. I have only been tried this 'line only on long putts' on one round' So I really have no idea if it is effective or not. Based on one round I would say no, but one round is almost not a sample at all. 

 

dave

[DaveLeeNC]

2 hours ago, nsxguy said:

 

Totally understand the frustration with putting. Had I not cured the yips with a grip change about 9 months or so ago I'd probably have given up the game by now.

 

You may have seen both of these topics/posts in passing but just in case.

 

Putter Shape and Alignment

 

Lag Putting

 

Good luck 👍

I have a long indoor bike ride planned for tomorrow so maybe I'll get through all of the Putter Shape... thread 🙂

 

The Lag Putting suggestion that you offer matches my personal analytical style. OTOH, I have been trying to move away from analytics to pure feel. But still - I kind of like that perspective. 

 

Thanks. 

 

dave