Quote:
Originally Posted by JPsuff
That's basically the gist of this whole argument.
Tiger was a good putter long before alignment lines became en vogue. If you watch video of his amateur days, he was dropping putts from some unbelievable distances and under tremendous pressure and there wasn't an alignment line to be found anywhere.
And what I meant by "second guessing" was that if, during a setup, you see that the putter isn't quite trained on whatever intermediate target you've chosen, you could simply adjust your stance until it was. With alignment lines, if you sense that the line isn't pointing at the target, it's difficult if not impossible (visually) to simply adjust the putterhead's aim while staring at that line, because even though the head is now aimed correctly, the line will still be pointing in a different direction.
This of course means that you'd have to step away, reset the ball and then go through the whole setup all over again.
That is the single biggest reason why I don't like lines. If I sense that the ball is lined up incorrectly then I'd have to step out and reset the ball. But knowing that it's "possible" to incorrectly aim the ball (line), that would be just one more "nagging doubt" to have to deal with.
Lines on the ball are a relatively new thing to play with. Using lines on a ball has only been around for a few years but, like everything else in golf, if the pro's do it, you can bet the rent that every hacker in the country will be doing whatever "it" is in a matter of days. Lines may work for a handful of people, but there is no "science" or other proof that they actually work any better than not using them.
To me, there is probably some rhyme and reason to using them for some, but they're essentially a fad for most. Put it this way, if Tiger decided to stop using lines tomorrow and went back to a plain white ball, people would be tripping over themselves to get the 409 out from under the sink to clean the lines off of their own golf balls in a heartbeat.
C'mon folks, admit it. You know I'm right.
-JP
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I get the gist...just trying to summarize for our more impatient readers...
I also dig what you are talking about as far as "second guesing" insofar as when playing with feel,sometimes it just doesn't "feel" right when standing over the ball...this is what I was talking about earlier in the thread where I might open and close the face little in regards to feel...
My point was that what I feel is the most important part of putting...confidence...
Mechanics have their place, but putting is a relatively simple stroke...seeing the line is important as well but you could dip a 6inch roller into yellow paint and trace a line all the way to the hole, if you don't believe that it is going in the center of the cup, it ain't going in...in this vein, I support whatever it takes to boost that confidence when standing over a ball on the green...whether it means a new putter, balls with lines, hat on backwards...confidence is the key...
As far as the Tiger crack...I opened that can of worms...of course Tiger is good putter, line or not and has been for quite some time...point is, even he, as good as he was before, uses the line now...does it make him better? He seems to think so and he is the only one who counts when TW needs to make a putt...