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To putt with a line or not with a line...that is the question!

Depends on the putter I use.
Cure - the triangle alignment is better than any line on the ball.
SeeMore - I use the line.
 
I have 3 lines on my ball. They match up well with the lines on my putter. I line it up before hand and then line my putter up to those lines. I was previously aiming way right without this. I feel like I make a lot more putts, and if I don't is was usually a misread or a pace issue.

Really feel like this makes me a lot more consistent to do it this way.
 
There are a few reasons why I have a line on the ball.

One is I think I'm not good enough to putt without a line. Pros use it, so why not? In other places where I play less serious golf I use the line that comes with the ball.

Second, I'm an architect, so my brain works with visuals. I try to make the line on the ball align with the one on the putter, and kind of draw a straight line with them.

Of course my putter swing isn't a straight line, but the visual helps. Given the correct read, I miss more on speed rather than line.
 
A line on the ball is visual noise to me and only distracts me from my putting routine. 20 years ago I tried the putting with a line on the ball for 8 weeks one summer and kept track of my putting stats during that period. I averaged almost 1 full stroke worse putting with the line vs. without it. Part of the problem is I never felt like the 1" long line on a curved surface got lined up exactly at the intended target so I was constantly having to re adjust how the line was aimed.
 
I used to used a line and stopped this past season. A couple of reasons I did was because I'd worry so much about getting the perfect line it would take too long. 2nd a good friend of mine who is an assistant pro was out with me one day and asked if I putt to a straight line in front of me or if I envision the way the ball goes to the hole and drops in. I told him I like to envision it the whole way going in and that's when he recommended I stop using the line unless I was trying to hit something 5 ft or so in front of me. So I stopped using the line on the ball. I can't really say that it's helped or hurt any way though.


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i havent used a line in a long time. i try to pick a spot on my line just in front of the ball and aim to that. also helps me know whether i hit my line or not. Had 28 putts yesterday and sank several from outside of 8'
 
I don't use the line at all. I try to find a blank spot on the ball and make sure that spot is facing up. No site markings on my putters helps me to focus on stroke and feel rather than lining up the lines and focusing too much on that


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I use a line on the ball I make just to see if the ball is rolling off the putter end over end or if I put a side stroke on the putt. When I look down at the ball while putting, the ball logo's are positioned 12:00 & 6:00 with the start of the line I drew at 3:00. I look at the part of the line that's visible until the putter has hit the ball, then look at the rolling ball to see if the line is rolling end over end or has some side spin from a bad stroke.
 
Mach2 said:
I use a line on the ball I make just to see if the ball is rolling off the putter end over end or if I put a side stroke on the putt. When I look down at the ball while putting, the ball logo's are positioned 12:00 & 6:00 with the start of the line I drew at 3:00. I look at the part of the line that's visible until the putter has hit the ball, then look at the rolling ball to see if the line is rolling end over end or has some side spin from a bad stroke.
Click to expand...


Same reason I use a line too
 
I used to use the print on the seam of the ball to align my putts. After reading Stockman's book I stopped doing this and now prefer to putt with no markings and trying to find a spot a few inches in front of the ball to putt to. My putting has gotten a lot better since making this change. Also trusting what I saw and not questioning it once I am standing over the putt. When I tried using a line I found I would question it a lot. I do sometimes use the line when I have a 3 or 4 footer but I think I should stop doing this also.
 
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