Putting alignment lines...

[Bigvivec]

Does anyone do this? I do, but have found that I have gotten away from it…I had success in the past with the line, and for a few months last summer and fall had a lot of confidence using it, making putts that I didn’t prior to using the line…putting went south, and though I still mark the ball (easy for ID as well…I use a red marker) I got away from using it, and again had success for a time using intermediate aim points…putting has gone south again and I am now in the process of addressing the issue...haven’t decided on using the line or not as there are more fundamental issues associated (developed a strange stroke that took the pressure off my no longer sore elbow and now have issues with a straight 6 foot roll)...regardless of my issues, it has been a cause for a bit of reflection…
How do you line up your putts?

[coralpro]

I just pick a spot to putt to and don't concern myself with alignment marks on the ball. I try to have the same release always so the spot I'm aiming for is my key and then the force of stroke is the determining factor if it follows that line.

[mr3856a]

I always line them up with that little line on the side of the ball, I just see no reason not to. Takes 1 element out of the equation.

[coralpro]

Originally Posted by mr3856a

I always line them up with that little line on the side of the ball, I just see no reason not to. Takes 1 element out of the equation.

Not really IMHO. You still have to hit the putt at the hole with a stroke that doesn't alter its' course. If your stroke falters off line it really doesn't matter which way the stripe is facing. Now for those that have a problem seeing which way to face the putter I guess it can be helpful.

[Wazmankg]

I line it up with the label (Titleist or whatever). I really don't think it makes much difference though.

[Bulls9999]

1. I use a thick black line on my ball for alignment. Sometimes I'll point the line straight at the hole, but aim 'across the black line' on the ball to hit a breaking putt.
2. I only use a nearby 'spot' on the green that I must 'run over' only when I have putts that I can't keep both my ball and the hole in my peripheral vision. For short putts of 2-6 feet, I am (some how) looking at both the ball and the hole at the same time, making sure I track the line I intend the ball to move on.
3. For long putts, I waggle my putter back-and-forth with ~1-ft backswing & 1-ft followthrough, without breaking my wrists, back and forth about 4-5 times to get the 'speed/force' that I need to move the putter to get the ball to the hole.
4. Long putts...I don't really putt 'at the hole', but i pick a spot somewhat short of the hole that I 'need to get the ball to' so that it will get the rest of the way to the hole on it's own....this is my key for long putts....I don't ever send it by the hole anymore since doing this. I'm always looking for the 'target spot', sometimes 8 feet short of the hole (downhill) that if I get the ball to that spot, the grade will take it the rest of the way.
5. I'm a lag putter, so my ball dies at the hole...if I miss, it's usually a tap in you could make with your eyes closed.

Originally Posted by Bigvivec

Does anyone do this? I do, but have found that I have gotten away from it…I had success in the past with the line, and for a few months last summer and fall had a lot of confidence using it, making putts that I didn’t prior to using the line…putting went south, and though I still mark the ball (easy for ID as well…I use a red marker) I got away from using it, and again had success for a time using intermediate aim points…putting has gone south again and I am now in the process of addressing the issue...haven’t decided on using the line or not as there are more fundamental issues associated (developed a strange stroke that took the pressure off my no longer sore elbow and now have issues with a straight 6 foot roll)...regardless of my issues, it has been a cause for a bit of reflection…
How do you line up your putts?

[TwillDog]

I mostly line mine up. I figure if I take the time to mark the ball on the green, I might as well do something that may be positive for my stroke. I rarely roll it perfectly once it's lined up though. I rely a lot more on what I see and feel once I'm over the ball than the line on the ball...

[spankwhitey]

I used to mark a line but now I play the TopFlight D2 Distance ball and it has an alignment line printed on it. I use the line on short to mid range putts. On long putts I would second guess how I lined up the putt and then mess up the putt so I just go on my first impulse on the long putts.

[GolfSavage]

My best friend uses a line. He has on of those plastic things with a slot that you clip over a ball and then draw a line. He bought me one for Christmas, and I tried it, but found it more of a pain to squat down and try to line the ball up on my mark. I prefer to just set my putter behind the ball, and align the putter towards my mark while looking down. My putter has three lines, the outer lines set at the width of a ball, and a longer center line for aligning the putt. Works quite well for me.

[mr3856a]

Originally Posted by coralpro

Not really IMHO.

How can it not take one element out of the equation? I bet it you asked people to line up a 30-foot putt just outside one edge or the other, I'd bet you $14 that 9 out of 10 times, they'd be lined up wrong.

Line up the line, problem solved.

[coralpro]

Originally Posted by mr3856a

How can it not take one element out of the equation? I bet it you asked people to line up a 30-foot putt just outside one edge or the other, I'd bet you $14 that 9 out of 10 times, they'd be lined up wrong.

Line up the line, problem solved.

Like I said it does depend on the person. I've seen people use the alignment lines and miss by two feet to the side. Point made is you still have to have the stroke nomatter what aids a person uses. May help many and it may not as well as some figure it is any real help because they can read and see the line while again others may not.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by mr3856a

How can it not take one element out of the equation? I bet it you asked people to line up a 30-foot putt just outside one edge or the other, I'd bet you $14 that 9 out of 10 times, they'd be lined up wrong.

Line up the line, problem solved.

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.

[mr3856a]

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".

If you can get closer by eyeballing it, I'll buy the whole case

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by mr3856a

If you can get closer by eyeballing it, I'll buy the whole case

I can. I use a spot about 2 feet in front of the ball... that's a 2 foot long line in 30 feet. Much easier to set up on the intended line with the feet and shoulders to a 2 foot line than it is to 1.5" line. That's just simple geometry.

[JPsuff]

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.

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

[Bigvivec]

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.

Give human eyes a little credit...7inches is alot to be off line on just a 30 foot putt and the little black or red line can be aimed using a variety of intermediate targets close enough so that it is at least aimed at your intermediate target and that is sometimes all you can ask for...

[Bulls9999]

I like an alignment line (mine is a thick line about 1-in on either side of the ball label (ProV1). The alignment line helps me keep the putter square to the intended putting line which may not be directed at the hole, but at the intended line which will then break to the hole. IMO, without the alignment line, you are looking at the hole, then you're looking at your intended putting line, and when you finally pull the trigger, you hope you are square to the putting line.

If people miss by 2 foot off on a 30-foot putt, then they've missed something and I don't think it can be blamed on an alignment line on the ball....perhaps they chose the wrong line, perhaps they didn't read the break properly, perhaps they didn't hit the ball correctly with sufficient force or too much force (perhaps as we had last week, they didn't take the effect of 30 mph winds into consideration).

Originally Posted by mr3856a

How can it not take one element out of the equation? I bet it you asked people to line up a 30-foot putt just outside one edge or the other, I'd bet you $14 that 9 out of 10 times, they'd be lined up wrong.

Line up the line, problem solved.

[mr3856a]

Originally Posted by Bulls9999

I like an alignment line (mine is a thick line about 1-in on either side of the ball label (ProV1). The alignment line helps me keep the putter square to the intended putting line which may not be directed at the hole, but at the intended line which will then break to the hole. IMO, without the alignment line, you are looking at the hole, then you're looking at your intended putting line, and when you finally pull the trigger, you hope you are square to the putting line.

If people miss by 2 foot off on a 30-foot putt, then they've missed something and I don't think it can be blamed on an alignment line on the ball....perhaps they chose the wrong line, perhaps they didn't read the break properly, perhaps they didn't hit the ball correctly with sufficient force or too much force (perhaps as we had last week, they didn't take the effect of 30 mph winds into consideration).

My Newport 2 has a line in the putter that I line up in-line with the line on my ball (if that makes any sense) so I know without a question that my putter is square to my line. Then I align my body to the line of my putter and the line on the ball, and viola, as they say...

Takes all the guesswork out of where you're lined up.

[JPsuff]

Originally Posted by mr3856a

My Newport 2 has a line in the putter that I line up in-line with the line on my ball (if that makes any sense) so I know without a question that my putter is square to my line. Then I align my body to the line of my putter and the line on the ball, and viola, as they say...

Takes all the guesswork out of where you're lined up.

Who says viola? The viola player?

And what does he know about putting?



-JP

[mr3856a]

Originally Posted by JPsuff

Who says viola? The viola player?

And what does he know about putting?



-JP

I figured someone might catch that - it's a family joke.