F4 Laser Cross Putting Aid Review

[iacas]

As you all know, training aids abound in golf. And, many of them are putting training aids.

Many of you have seen something like this:

This is the F4 Laser Cross putting aid available at Golf Store Outlet. I've had the chance to check one out and I've enjoyed using it, though I think the actual practical use is somewhat limited.

The packaging, build quality, and solidness of the unit is good. The unit comes with a clip and a laser unit that can be twisted and/or removed (for charging). The laser charges via micro USB and the cable is included.

The F4 Laser Cross Putting Aid clips on to your putter and is somewhat limited in the position at which it can be fixed, as the shaft has to be the right thickness to catch the guide with enough friction to stay in place. A little thumb screw or even some foam or padding may have been nice to accommodate differently sized shafts, but in practice, it fits at a good height on most putters we tried (though some belly putters or long putters didn't work very well with their thicker shafts).

Here you can see it attached just below the shaft label on my Edel EAS putter.

The Laser Cross does exactly what the name implies: it projects a bright green laser cross downward. Most putter shafts will accommodate this, and you can twist the F4 within the holster to align it appropriately. The top has a rounded square button that acts as an alignment aid and the on/off button.

A nice feature is that once the F4 is raised above a certain angle, it will shut the laser off. This not only saves battery, it likely saves accidentally flashing someone in the eyes with the green lasers.

The lasers are incredibly bright. They're bright enough to be seen on a very sunny day outside, and indoors or in overcast conditions, they really pop. Alignment is easy and straightforward, and you can generally get the laser to be positioned near the center of your clubface, even if it requires a little fiddling with the alignment and positioning of the F4 unit and holster.

Now… as for the usefulness… please be aware that you have to consider two things. First, this image again:

First, of course, the F4 is not going to help you check your alignment against a line you might draw on the top of your ball. Because your eyeline is likely nowhere near the shaft, the line on the ball itself will appear curved. That's fine, of course. The second thing you have to worry about is whether you've aligned your putter and the F4 to each other. The line projects forward about two feet, so you then have to pick a spot a foot or so in front of your golf ball and align both the putter and the line to that.

I'm not certain how aligning a putter with a big laser and bright green lines translates to putting without the F4 attached, but I don't think it hurts too much. I'm just not certain how much it helps.

And of course, you have to worry about the geometry of the putting stroke. As you swing the putter back, even with a stroke the SAM PuttLab would consider nearly perfect, the way in which you move the putter will shift the angle of the cross symbol. It'll point to the right a bit (for a righty) during the backswing, and left on the follow-through.

As I said above, the line is only about 2' long in any direction, so if you have a straight six-footer (or a six-footer that's right lip or something), you can't use the F4 to completely check your alignment before you hit the putt. You'll have to mentally "finish" the line for about the last four feet. (Positioning the holster higher on your putter shaft, if you can, will lengthen the lines of course).

Of course, the F4 doesn't have to be used JUST for attaching to your putter. I've hooked the F4 up to a tripod and projected the cross to help golfers with alignment of their full swing: the one side of the cross shows target alignment, while the other side can show ball position. I've used the F4 to set up my GEARS system (you adjust the target line direction when you calibrate the system). The F4 is almost more useful as a quick T-square than as a putting aid! Especially given how bright it is.

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The F4 Laser Cross Putting Aid retails for $59 (with free shipping) and is available here:

F4 Laser Cross Putting Alignment Aid

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Fact: when your putter is properly aligned to your target, you will sink more putts. Even with a perfect read and perfect stroke, if you are not lined up properly, you can still miss your putt. The F4 Laser Cross...

[Phil McGleno]

Using it for alignment is a good idea.--Do you have a picture of that, or a video of using it during a putting stroke?

These types of things probably should not sell in big quantities but for $59 if it's a good high visibility laser and it makes a plus sign-Then that can be quite useful for a golf instructor.

I have a putting laser that draws a line on the ground but not one that makes a +.

[iacas]

2 hours ago, Phil McGleno said:

I have a putting laser that draws a line on the ground but not one that makes a +.

Yeah, we have one of those too.

Here's a video and a picture showing the alignment: