Putting Alignment

[Royster1984]

I am having some issues with putting alignment using the marked line on ball technique.

When ever i try to use this alignment technique I tend to take to long to get it lined up and then not trust my alignment.

Watching the pro's it seems 99.99999% of them use a line to aid alignment, so I was wondering if anyone had any secrets to making it faster and more successful??

Thanks

Anthony

[iacas]

Don't do it. In our testing, virtually nobody can even line that line up very accurately.

[Zeph]

I tried the line thing, but never liked it. Felt like I never could trust it.

I do what I do with almost every shot on the course; find an intermediate target a foot or so in front of the ball and align to that.

[Golfingdad]

Don't do it. In our testing, virtually nobody can even line that line up very accurately.

What he said. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Ernest Jones]

I'm trying to break my self of the habit of using the line, but I've been doing it for so long that it's pretty hard to trust anything else.

[Mr. Desmond]

What he said. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

What they said ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I tried it for several years, and stopped about 5 years ago. I always felt uncomfortable with the line. It looked "off" and placed doubts in my head. The game is tough enough...

[Royster1984]

ah right thats awesome thought i was going to have to convert to it somehow but can stick with my own style

[inthecup]

Don't do it. In our testing, virtually nobody can even line that line up very accurately.

How did you test that?

[Jakester23]

How did you test that?

Have someone line up a putt without anything on the ball then have them attempt to line it up with a line on the ball then putt. That's just my guess but i doubt there is more to it than that. The problem with the line on the ball is. Your probably wrong on where you aim your line. What could happen is you compensate for your incorrect aiming point. Or maybe you do aim the line correctly but you push or pull your putt then misunderstand what just happened. Erik has expanded on it before and his findings show it doesn't help if anything it hurts.

[saevel25]

As someone who use to line up putts with a line. There are a few issues.

First, the putters eyes might not be over the ball. So if the line is vertical, and you are now looking at the inside half of the ball, the line looks off. Trying to line up the ball with the line on an angle is just counter productive.

Second, greens are not perfect and sometimes its very hard to get the ball now to roll half a degree or so. This can make lining up very tedious.

Third, this is horrible for a perfectionist because they might take forever trying to line up the ball.

Fourth, it might throw off alignment. I learned from my Edel fitting that lines on the putter can effect how you aim. With out two lines on my putter I aimed way right. Draw two lines, about a ball width apart, and I can aim straight. Now add another line, and it might throw off how you align your putter behind the ball. This also can defeat the purpose.

I just think there is a long list of things that caused me to stop doing this. I prefer not to look at anything on the ball while putting. I rather trust my putter and my ability to aim it. If someone has trouble aiming the putter, then go get a putter you can aim.

[iacas]

How did you test that?

By having them line up the line and then checking how well they aimed where they thought they were aiming.

The vast majority can't hit the same spot very well at all.

Also, adjusting how far to the left or right you put the ball in your stance (and an inch or two matters quite a bit) changes your aim because it changes where the ball sits relative to your dominant eye. So that's the "fix" if you aim poorly, yet you can't expect to be very consistent at that, either, particularly on various slopes.

[boogielicious]

I used the line for one year back in 2010.  I did not help and I stopped.  I use the line on my putter.

[Patch]

I use the line. I have one of those ball spinner things. The line goes all the way around the ball. However, I don't use it much for aiming purposes. Maybe on shorter putts sometimes. It's just how I mark my ball. Sometimes, though I do find a ball that might be bad using that ball spinner thing, which of course is a plus.

I aim putts the same way I aim longer shots. I pick a spot in front of the ball, along my chosen line, and roll the ball over that spot. Trying to find the correct line from my ball to the cup, on anything over 5-6 feet has not worked very well for me in the past, and is why I use an intermediate spot closer to the ball..

I practice by laying a dime on the ground in front of the ball, maybe a foot or so, and rolling the ball over that coin.

[Ernest Jones]

Made the commitment to not use my line last night. Built up some confidence in choosing the right intermediate target. I putt quite well using the line but learning how to spot putt with an intermediate is really speeding up my process. My preshot routine on putts is a bit too lengthy to begin with so this is a nice change. Trying to putt more like Rory, at least in terms of process. Next step is to eliminate the practice strokes. I think my feel for weight is good enough that I can just go with my instincts. I've also been leaving putts short lately and I think it's because I'm over thinking the practice strokes instead of just stroking it down the line.

[Mr. Desmond]

Made the commitment to not use my line last night. Built up some confidence in choosing the right intermediate target. I putt quite well using the line but learning how to spot putt with an intermediate is really speeding up my process. My preshot routine on putts is a bit too lengthy to begin with so this is a nice change. Trying to putt more like Rory, at least in terms of process. Next step is to eliminate the practice strokes. I think my feel for weight is good enough that I can just go with my instincts. I've also been leaving putts short lately and I think it's because I'm over thinking the practice strokes instead of just stroking it down the line.

Think the initial success shows you are on the right path for you...

I try to go through my process ... reading the putt, aim point or otherwise, no practice strokes, just staying loose, it's all about line during the initial reading and then looking what happens around the hole and after, and my last thought before letting go is speed. I've found that breathing helps...

[vangator]

Don't do it. In our testing, virtually nobody can even line that line up very accurately.

Did your testing show a person lined a putt up better by standing over the putt or that they just don't line it up well using the line? I use the line on the ball to line up putts. It only takes a few seconds. I have a line on my putter. I line up the line on the putter with the line on the ball. I tend to hit it where I aim. To not use the line on the ball (which means you can look down the line from behind etc) implies you can line the ball up better looking down from above the ball. That's like shooting from the hip. I'd rather use the gun sights.

[Mr. Desmond]

Did your testing show a person lined a putt up better by standing over the putt or that they just don't line it up well using the line?

I use the line on the ball to line up putts. It only takes a few seconds. I have a line on my putter. I line up the line on the putter with the line on the ball. I tend to hit it where I aim.

To not use the line on the ball (which means you can look down the line from behind etc) implies you can line the ball up better looking down from above the ball. That's like shooting from the hip. I'd rather use the gun sights.

No, it's not.

I'm fortunate to have a putter fit for me.

If you don't, you might try spot putting instead of a line on the ball. Find your read, get behind the ball, find your spot an inch in front of the ball, get the speed, roll ball over spot.

Or if the line works, good luck with it.

But don't knock what works for others.

The line always introduced another variable in my head ... doubt. So I trashed it. But if it works for you, great.

[vangator]

No, it's not. I'm fortunate to have a putter fit for me. If you don't, you might try spot putting instead of a line on the ball. Find your read, get behind the ball, find your spot an inch in front of the ball, get the speed, roll ball over spot. Or if the line works, good luck with it. But don't knock what works for others. The line always introduced another variable in my head ... doubt. So I trashed it. But if it works for you, great.

Not knocking what works for others. I said what works for me and why. I see the pros putting the ball down very deliberately on the green when putting. I assume they are lining up the ball with the line on the ball. I have heard some say that in fact.