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Putt With A Line - Sell It

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Canadan said:
I've putted for an awful long time without any sort of alignment aid on the ball.

Sell me on why I should use a line or alignment element.
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Check your aim -- if you are aim slightly right, an alignment line will move you left.
 
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Buster1 said:
Why wouldn’t you aim and align the ball on the green? It’s one of the few times you can use something to help your aim. When you shoot a rifle at a distant target... you use the sights or a scope to help. Try standing 90 degrees to the side of a gun and aim it...see what you come up with.

It’s a proven human error that the putt will look different standing over the ball than from behind it. Most of us can’t aim that precisely standing over the ball, so an alignment aid is a great assist.
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The best argument against using the line is human error. If you set up the line wrong (which isn't hard to do), you're already missing your line.
 
Canadan said:
The best argument against using the line is human error. If you set up the line wrong (which isn't hard to do), you're already missing your line.
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Agreed. But for me...setting up the line is 100x more accurate than standing above the ball and hoping I’m aimed correctly. 27 putts last weekend for me over 18 holes. YMMV.
 
I'm not a line guy. I tried, just didn't see the benefit for me. When it worked well, it was with a 2135 putter because I believed that helped remove the optical illusion that can happen if you aren't lined up properly.

My dad is a believer in using the line. It gets pretty annoying watching him make sure it's line up perfectly every damn time haha
 
I can't sell anyone on this one, because I'm still working it out for myself.

I've never used a line aid when I played more and have never marked a line on my ball. This weekend at the course and on the putting matt I have been trying to use the Pro V logo arrows on the greens and tee box. I'm not sure where I'll fall into this discussion.
The one thing I can say, is that there has to be a reason you see it on television so frequently.

My impression is that it is more of a big picture thing and you have to lighten up a little if your OCD like me. When I started practicing breaking putts with gates, under a line, or using an aim line tools, I found I greatly underestimated how much my aim line was off. It was weird how much I had been overcorrecting to compensate. So I can see where it can be useful even if you're not constantly readjusting your line aid.


I have also fallen into the camp that occasionally watches the putter go back. For me it doesn't work out well any time I try too hard to steer the ship. Distance is twice the problem for me anyways, and is a better focus.
 
I can't sell you on it because I don't use a line either and it works just fine.
 
In the 3 rounds since I started using the ball line, I've made 4 of my 5 longest putts ever. Yesterday I had 3 more times I set up at the ball, and my natural alignment did not match the line, but the line was correct.
 
Canadan said:
The best argument against using the line is human error. If you set up the line wrong (which isn't hard to do), you're already missing your line.
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I've used a line on my ball for years and not only do I use it on the greens, I use the line for every tee shot as well so that I can get my alignment correct. But here's the thing: I have to commit to my aim point before putting the ball down and aligning the line. But if someone questions their line after they putt the ball down, they are cooked. You can't have doubt about what the line is after you get the line on the ball aligned.

FWIW, I've always been someone that putts much better with an alignment line on a putter as well, and I think that I'm a mental midget when it comes to alignment. I don't think a line is for everyone. There are tons of people that do great with a putter like the 2-ball for alignment, I could never get used to that because I couldn't get the balls on the 2-ball to fit my eye with the actual golf ball. But on my shorter putts (6 feet and in) I love the line because I can just pick a start point and then focus on getting the line pointed at the start point.
 
I've stopped using the line, personally. It took too long to set my ball to the exact point where I was happy with standing over it. I switched to a Dave Stockton hybrid of choosing my line, then finding a spot 2 inches in front of the ball to create the alignment in my mind's eye. I'll then set up to that, and take my stroke. To me, this has been really helpful, and I'm not spending the additional time trying to make sure the line on the ball is exact.

-Bishop
 
Let me ask you this.......when was the last time you won the world putting championship? J/k.........give it an honest try and you never know. Maybe just in time for that match thingy you’ve got coming up. Odds are you will learn to make more of a consistent stroke using the line instead of subconsciously giving it a push or a pull.
 
Canadan said:
This is a great sample. Can you miss with this helping your line?

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Can't and won't.

I've attempted to use alignment aids of various methods before. It has always come down to trusting the line I set from behind the ball. It goes out the window of my brains eye when I get over the putt. Always looks wrong from that vantage point. Not way off mind you but enough to second guess it.

I've found for myself that looking for a spot 2-3 feet away from the ball on the line I see from behind the ball helps more. There is nothing showing on the ball when at address that gets in my head and I can free feel the stroke I want through that spot.

Don't play enough and not good enough to trust a line in the sand. I want to step over it every time.

I can say that today I rolled that exact putter in blue and saved more putts than switching to GEICO.
 
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arydolphin said:
I've used a line on my ball for years and not only do I use it on the greens, I use the line for every tee shot as well so that I can get my alignment correct. But here's the thing: I have to commit to my aim point before putting the ball down and aligning the line. But if someone questions their line after they putt the ball down, they are cooked. You can't have doubt about what the line is after you get the line on the ball aligned.

FWIW, I've always been someone that putts much better with an alignment line on a putter as well, and I think that I'm a mental midget when it comes to alignment. I don't think a line is for everyone. There are tons of people that do great with a putter like the 2-ball for alignment, I could never get used to that because I couldn't get the balls on the 2-ball to fit my eye with the actual golf ball. But on my shorter putts (6 feet and in) I love the line because I can just pick a start point and then focus on getting the line pointed at the start point.
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I totally support the usage off the tee, because accuracy on the line with driver isn't that big of a deal. When i'm on the range I aim it in-to-out to promote a draw.

This year I'm taking a run with alignment on the ball and will keep doing it until I drive myself crazy. I suspect it won't hurt.
 
For a long time and my putting was pretty solid, I used a putter without an alignment line. However, I would use the line on the ball.

I switched to a mallet and used the ball alignment aid. And it seemed to help. One of the things I've begun to notice is that alignment from behind the ball is different from the side.

I'm excited to try the triple track and see how it benefits my game.
 
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OITW said:
For a long time and my putting was pretty solid, I used a putter without an alignment line. However, I would use the line on the ball.

I switched to a mallet and used the ball alignment aid. And it seemed to help. One of the things I've begun to notice is that alignment from behind the ball is different from the side.

I'm excited to try the triple track and see how it benefits my game.
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I'll be getting an alignment marker that has the three lines that will simulate TT. And I'm going to get a dozen or so of them as well.

We'll see if it makes a big difference.
 
Canadan said:
I'll be getting an alignment marker that has the three lines that will simulate TT. And I'm going to get a dozen or so of them as well.

We'll see if it makes a big difference.
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I’ll be following along, seeing how it helps or hurts could possibly impact how i go forward
 
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OITW said:
I’ll be following along, seeing how it helps or hurts could possibly impact how i go forward
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haha right? I think I'll have the marking tool by late March. Not sure for MC or not.
 
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OITW said:
I hope you get it in time, would really like to see it.
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I might have it DURING the MC, just not before haha - Good chance some of the old boys are going to come around to try and spectate.
 
I'd like the three mark alignment aid. where can I get the template. Started using the single line around the ball about 5 years ago. I have learned that is my thing. To just stand over the ball I would hit a 20ft put 1 in 25 times. With my alignment mark, I have improved that greatly;; maybe 4 in 25. I'm routinely hitting a 20ft putt on every round. I can see where the three line would help
 
Putt With A Line - Sell It

I have always used a line on my ball when putting.

I read my putt to find an aiming point a few inches in front of the ball. I then aim my ball to that point.

When I address the ball I hover my putters alignment line over the line on the ball to make sure I am still aimed where I need to be. If not correct I will make an adjustment and repeat my routine.

I strive for a good setup position and using an Eyeline mirror helped me realize that the line on my ball may be pointed at my intended target while standing behind the ball, but it is not the case when at address.



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I think the line helps on the longer lag putts to make sure you start that putt on line, with the shorter putt I prefer no line and try to feel it more.


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OITW said:
One of the things I've begun to notice is that alignment from behind the ball is different from the side.
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Definitely true. I searched to try to find an article which describes the reasoning, but wasn't able to. I believe it's simply due to perspective; the line you see while "down the line" is the true one, whereas a side perspective is skewed due to a person's height over the ball, and the fact that they're not actually standing "over the ball". This is all based on something I'd either heard or read (it could also be from Phil Mickelson's "Secrets of the Short Game", which is likely still on YouTube).

Because of this, I always choose my line from behind the ball, then choose that "Intermediate Target" which I believe the Golden Bear and Lefty both have discussed. Once the putter face if perpendicular to the line from the ball to the intermediate target, I know my putter face is now on my intended line.

-Bishop
 
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