Should Lines On Ball Be Illegal?

[Double Mocha Man 627]

7 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

We understand. 
For example. I don't like cake, but I can at least accept it. 

You don't like cake?!  That's it.  I'm removing you from my friends list.

[ChetlovesMer 528]

1 minute ago, Double Mocha Man said:

You don't like cake?!  That's it.  I'm removing you from my friends list.

You may as well know the truth....  I don't like donuts either... (cue dramatic music) DUN DUN DUN DUNNNN!!!

[Double Mocha Man 627]

Just now, ChetlovesMer said:

You may as well know the truth....  I don't like donuts either... (cue dramatic music) DUN DUN DUN DUNNNN!!!

I hope you're not healthy because of those bad habits...

[PeaceFrogg 1]

1 hour ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Hopefully the folks on this site who use the lines on their ball for putting, lining the lines up 2-3 times see themselves in these threads... and stop!  You're slow and you're pissing the rest of us off (as golfing partners), legal or not legal. Line it up once.  When you get over the ball to putt and realize your friggin' lines are off by one-half degree just fix it on the fly in a subconscious change in your putting stroke.  All is good.  You weren't going to make it anyway.

As someone who uses the line for putting, I agree with your approach 100%. I line up the ball and play with it to get it right only when it's not my turn to putt and I am in no one's line. if I have to wait until it's my turn I just put the ball down so that the logo is facing me and go. And that speaks to a bigger issue: people who wait until it's their turn to line up theit putt whether they use the alignment line or not.

Edited August 4 by PeaceFrogg
grammar

[Double Mocha Man 627]

24 minutes ago, PeaceFrogg said:

As someone who uses the line for putting, I agree with your approach 100%. I line up the ball and play with it to get it right only when it's not my turn to putt and I am in no one's line. if I have to wait until it's my turn I just put the ball down so that the logo is facing me and go. And that speaks to a bigger issue: people who wait until it's their turn to line up theit putt whether they use the alignment line or not.

 

PeaceFrogg... you are always welcome to play in my foursome.

I have a friend who will simply not hit/putt the ball until all eyes are on him.  Doesn't start his practice swings or choose a club either, until everyone is watching him.  Luckily, he lives elsewhere, so I only have to put up with this a couple times every three years or so.  Though last time he was getting better.

[TourSpoon 231]

1 hour ago, billchao said:

I'm pretty sure all golf balls have seams on the cover.

Yes, but the Vardon seam is the King of Seams! No sharpie needed! 🤣

[Double Mocha Man 627]

12 minutes ago, TourSpoon said:

Yes, but the Vardon seam is the King of Seams! No sharpie needed! 🤣

And in terms of dimples it had outties, not innies.

[knott 6]

46 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

PeaceFrogg... you are always welcome to play in my foursome.

I have a friend who will simply not hit/putt the ball until all eyes are on him.  Doesn't start his practice swings or choose a club either, until everyone is watching him.  Luckily, he lives elsewhere, so I only have to put up with this a couple times every three years or so.  Though last time he was getting better.

Narcissist? 

Putting is kind of important so can understand if it takes a few second extra. Its not like searching for balls. If aiming aids is not to be allowed on balls same should maybe be applied to putters and woods also? 

Kind of like the idea to have to go by feel more but then putting bores me. I struggle to really care if the ball drops or not. 

[iacas 9,364]

7 hours ago, Bonvivant said:

@iacas, I think that the mental disconnect that I am having is that I consider the ball an object.

It’s not. “THE” ball is defined separately. Thus it supersedes other definitions. The club you’re using to hit the shot isn’t “an object” either or you wouldn’t be allowed to set that down behind the ball either.

Hell my putter has little lines on it. Oh no, objects that help with alignment.

What’s frustrating here is that you cited “spirit of the rules” and yet you seem to try so hard to ignore not only the “spirit” (which doesn’t exist) but the rules as actually written.

[Bonvivant 238]

11 minutes ago, iacas said:

It’s not. “THE” ball is defined separately. Thus it supersedes other definitions. The club you’re using to hit the shot isn’t “an object” either or you wouldn’t be allowed to set that down behind the ball either.

Hell my putter has little lines on it. Oh no, objects that help with alignment.

What’s frustrating here is that you cited “spirit of the rules” and yet you seem to try so hard to ignore not only the “spirit” (which doesn’t exist) but the rules as actually written.

Well said. I'm sorry that I made it frustrating, but happy that I learned. I talked a bit about club lines and how I feel they differ (they don't remain stationary until impact). So when I read another rule, pieces of equipment that the golfer is actively using shouldn't be considered under "any object" unless expressed in the rule? 

[Slim_Pivot 97]

I really don’t care either way. Watching some pros on TV adjust the line again...and again...and again is kind of annoying.

 They may be breaking a different rule by taking so long, but whatever

[Zippo 78]

9 hours ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Hopefully the folks on this site who use the lines on their ball for putting, lining the lines up 2-3 times see themselves in these threads... and stop!  You're slow and you're pissing the rest of us off (as golfing partners), legal or not legal. Line it up once.  When you get over the ball to putt and realize your friggin' lines are off by one-half degree just fix it on the fly in a subconscious change in your putting stroke.  All is good.  You weren't going to make it anyway.

Not an issue for me. My hands twitch enough that attempting to line up a mark on my ball with the hole was an exercise in futility. Heck, I used to have trouble keeping it on the tee peg!

I don't remember but, back in the day, did Byron Nelson, Palmer, Norman, Nicklaus and others line up a mark on their ball before putting or is that a more recent development? 

[boogielicious 2,569]

15 hours ago, Vinsk said:

You can’t pick up a line on a golf ball. 

Well you can’t! If we think about it in String Theory terms, the line on a ball is a giant mountain range. 
 

For me it’s the time factor. If they enforced the 40 second guideline, no one would use the line more than once.

[Patch 947]

I voted "no". I don't think they work that well for aiming purposes for a lot of golfers anyways. 

I think they might work better when used in conjunction with an intermediate target. 

Me, i use them for ball I.D. purposes. 

[anaveragehacker 1]

Golf has too many silly rules already. I couldn't care if you used a laser to line up putts. You still have to read it and hit it. Besides, the ball-maker putting an alignment aid on the ball is no different than someone using a marker.

[sjduffers 164]

I don't care what people draw on their balls, lines (sometimes many, many lines) or something else. I do care about the amount of time is takes to prepare for and hit a putt, and very rarely people using a line are quick. They do exist, but they are rare.

I used to use a line some years ago and when taking a lesson I casually remarked to the pro that I was lipping out a lot of putts.  He had me show him and so I "aligned" the line on the ball to my intended path, and proceeded to lip out the putt (from 15ft or so), we repeated the exercise a few times and he finally told me: "you're lining it up that way! Just use the white part of the ball and use your subconscious brain to do the alignment for you".  So, I did.  And I have been making many more putts ever since.  That aside in the lesson alone has paid huge dividends and lowered my scores measurably. 

[Missouri Swede 444]

3 hours ago, sjduffers said:

"you're lining it up that way! Just use the white part of the ball and use your subconscious brain to do the alignment for you".  So, I did.

Which part isn’t that?

[Bonvivant 238]

14 hours ago, Missouri Swede said:

Which part isn’t that?

I think he is referring to placing the ball down with no markings showing at all. I usually do this if I mark my ball, but sometimes I don't pay any attention to orientation.