Putting with a line?

[Zeph]

Tried it, but always spent a lot of time adjusting the line to get it right. I use an intermediate target a foot in front of the ball now. As I walk up to the ball, I align my clubface to the intermediate target. After that, I align my feet. From there, all I focus on is getting the right speed.

[TheGeekGolfer]

  allin said:

On any putt longr than six feet I am convinced it is of no benefit.

WRONG! It has even more benefit on longer putts as your aim can be off considerably once you get over the ball. Most people have a VERY HARD TIME lining up a putt standing sideways. People say that speed is 'more important' than line, but... if it's a 10' putt and you are off on your line by a degree to two, then you might miss by a foot. If the putt is 30', next thing you know, you missed it by 4 feet, or worse (if you caught the wrong side of a break or something). Obviously pace is VERY IMPORTANT, but the line is equally important on long putts.

[brgolf]

I happen to find the line extremely difficult to line up with the hole. It takes too long and I can't say I've always found it helpful.

It isn't really that aspect of alignment that causes most missed putts in my experience.

[brgolf]

  TheGeekGolfer said:

WRONG! It has even more benefit on longer putts as your aim can be off considerably once you get over the ball. Most people have a VERY HARD TIME lining up a putt standing sideways. People say that speed is 'more important' than line, but... if it's a 10' putt and you are off on your line by a degree to two, then you might miss by a foot. If the putt is 30', next thing you know, you missed it by 4 feet, or worse (if you caught the wrong side of a break or something). Obviously pace is VERY IMPORTANT, but the line is equally important on long putts.

It is of no benefit to me for two reasons.

The first is that I find it time consuming to accurately line up the line on my ball with the putting line. A far quicker and easier method is to place the ball, approach it from behind and place the putter down before moving to the side of the ball. The second is that because my ball and the putter are in such proximinity actually establishing that the putter is perfectly aligned with the line on the ball is uncertain. I prefer two points slightly further apart and this means using a mark on the green 6-12 inches way as a waypoint for my putt. For short putts a line on the ball is of minimal help and what counts for most is the stroke itself, firm and accelerating.

[umpiremark]

I use the line on the ball exclusively. I also have one of those plastic dealies that came with my bag where you draw the long line down the equator and two perpendicular lines on the sides. I just started using that and I like that, because lining up the perpendicular lines insures my ball is lined up straight. I'm an engineer, so I think like an engineer!! If I set up the line with my intended target/line of putt, it's one less thing I have to think about standing over the putt. If I hit the putt good speed, proper stroke and the ball is left or right a few inches off the line, I know my read was off; but my putt stroke and speed was good. If I keep that up all day, I know I'll putt better and one or two just may drop in. Gimmick? Perhaps but I like the confidence it gives me (personally) and isn't that what everything is about? If what you do gives you confidence, who cares what it means to anyone else. If that weren't true, there wouldn't be 500 putter shapes, sizes, looks, feel, right?