Quote:
Originally Posted by Fourputt
If you can aim a 1.5" long line dead on from 30 feet away, then I'll buy the beer. It may help you psychologically, but in a physical sense, if that line is off by 1/32 of an inch, in 30 feet you are going to be misaligned by 7". By the same token, if the line is dead on and you misalign your setup by 1/64", you will still miss your line by 3.5" at the hole. And that assumes that you read the putt correctly in the first place. I can just about guarantee you that I can line you up 1/64 off and you won't be able to tell the difference.
IMO, its the mental confidence that you get from that line that makes the difference in your putting, not the actual physical positioning assistance that you get.
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I agree 100%
When I place my ball back on the green, all I want to see is a white ball. No lines, no letters, no numbers, shapes or colors. Just a plain white golf ball. I understand why people use alignment lines, but just as Fourputt said, if I'm off in my aim using an alignment line when I set the ball, than I can end up way off the mark by the time the ball gets near the hole.
I prefer to pick a target just on front of the ball (about six inches in front) and that's what I aim for. When I'm at address, I may see or sense something subtle about the putt and I sometimes make slight adjustments to my aim just before I make my stroke. With an alignment line staring up at me, I find it almost impossible to make such adjustments because that line keeps forcing me to line up the putter line with it and that creates a needless conflict.
Alignment lines may work for people who think in very precise and technical terms just as a perfectly square stance appeals to the same people. But to me, putting is more creative and sensory than it is technical and anything that forces me to set up a certain way is something I can't deal with.
I'll bet that if I went toe to toe for ten putts setting up my way against someone who uses alignment lines, I'd either equal their results or actually make more putts than them.
That's my opinion, anyway.
-JP