Back to being a line on the ball truther (for now)

[kiawah]

Preface: I used the line on my ball to putt when I was in high school/college and just stopped making putts altogether at some point, which led to me just looking down at the blank side of the ball at address. I still use it from time to time on the carpet to check out how I'm rolling it, and there's usually no discernable wobble. I have been grinding on my putting recently but nothing seemed to stick or work. I would make dozens of putts in a row on the practice green from 5 feet and in, around the hole, going through my full routine every time, but the results just wouldn't translate onto the golf course. Whenever I tried to pick a spot on the green to aim at, I would look down at the ball and by the time I looked back up, I had no idea which blade of grass I was looking at a few seconds earlier. Lots of second guessing and frustration. My speed wasn't very good and my reads were borderline awful. I track my strokes gained on the Golfmetrics app and over the last couple of months I hadn't managed multiple rounds of putting to a "5 handicap" level more than once or twice. I had been alternating between an Odyssey 2 ball ten (usually my backup) and my Scotty Cameron Newport 2, but neither seemed to outperform the other decisively. 

 

Fast forward to Saturday. I hadn't played in a week and my ball striking was rusty but not horrible. My putting was just demoralizing. Anything outside of 30 feet was unmakeable and I couldn't manage to make more than a couple of 4 footers despite some good chips and some solid lags. I went into the clubhouse to watch the PGA Championship and every time the camera zoomed in on the putting green, I noticed virtually everyone was using a line on their golf ball. Between beers, I decided right then and there to order myself a golf ball stencil so I could start using the line again. I also decided to give my Odyssey another chance since I had been having second thoughts about my alignment and the 2 balls make it really easy to see where the putter is aimed. 

 

The stencil arrived early Sunday afternoon and I headed to the course to see if the starter could squeeze me onto the course. I ended up shooting under par with 27 putts. Crazy. I didn't even warm up. Golfmetrics tracked me as a plus 11 handicap putter for the round. Needless to say, it was my best putting performance of the year, perhaps even the past two or three years. The big key for me was to read the putt from behind the ball before I lined it up and to really make sure I had it lined up where I wanted to before I stroked the putt. I knew it might not look right to my eyes but that I should trust it anyway. It was like magic. I was almost making putts that didn't even sniff the hole on Saturday and holing everything from 10 feet and in. It is remarkable how much being confident in your putting frees up your long game when you know you can get the ball down in 2 or better from just about anywhere on the green. I know better than to think this will be the norm every time I go out and play, but if you're a righty who is left eye dominant or someone who struggles to retain their target mentally, I think this is a great thing to try out. It's not as time-consuming or indecision-inducing as I let myself believe it was, and it probably actually saved me time since I never had to hit a putt for a third time on a hole. If you have a solid stroke and haven't been lining up your putts, a $5 golf ball stencil is definitely worth a try. 

[Abh159]

I've use a line for a while now, and I tend to putt much better with it compared to without.

 

That being said, I really only use it on putts inside of about 8-10 feet though. Outside of that and I feel like the line does more harm than good. For me at least.

[ferrispgm]

I know some people swear by it....but I tried it for a while years ago and the line never once looked like it was lined up properly and eventually it started making my stance get funky in an effort to make the line look square.  

[Mike_C]

I have gone back and forth with it.  When things go bad, I go back to it.   It is amazing what you think is the line vs what actually is the line when things go off the rails.   Right now I"m using a Spider Tour S, and using the line seems to help. 

 

My biggest problem is actually getting the line aimed exactly where I want it to be. Sometimes I can fiddle with it for many, many seconds and never get the ball to sit right, then just give up, which is bad....

 

I also think setting up on the practice green hitting short straight in putts with a line perpendicular to your aim line helps, with a mirror or drawing a line on the green, etc, comparing that to the putter face.  My tendency is always aiming/setting up the putter too far right, these things help me get back on track. 

 

1 hour ago, kiawah said:

.I still use it from time to time on the carpet to check out how I'm rolling it, and there's usually no discernable wobble.

 

This actually helps me a lot too, it can be its own  "revealer" that something is wrong with my stroke, or my putter is not fit properly, especially launching the ball up too much at impact, causing bouncing.   I bought some of the Srixon Q-Star Divide balls just to practice this...

[ChaosTheory]

I've gone back and forth.  I don't like taking the extra 10 or 12 seconds, but it definitely makes me putt better.   But to be honest, if I didn't spend the 10 or 12 seconds lining up the ball, I'd probably spend that much or more over the ball trying to decide and commit to a perceived line.  People notice the time spent with the ball more than the time spent addressing it and fiddling with the putter.  With my ball lined up, I spend zero time thinking about my line when I get over the ball.  I never second guess the line on the ball.  It's better than what I can do from the side.

[Retsof2021]

3 hours ago, kiawah said:

. Whenever I tried to pick a spot on the green to aim at, I would look down at the ball and by the time I looked back up, I had no idea which blade of grass I was looking at a few seconds earlier.

This is my biggest issue. Sometimes it works on greens that have more imperfections, but on good greens, I have the same issue not being able to see the spot I picked out. I honestly don’t understand how pros can do it on the greens they play on. Imagine trying to do this at Augusta. I’d love someone to chime in that has success with this. 
 

All that being said, I use the line for most putts. I also like the feedback on my strike. Helps to understand when it was a misread vs miss hit during rounds. 

[mgoblue83]

The best part about the line is the feedback you get.

 

Regardless of whether you make the putt or not if the ball rolls true (line rolls end over end) then you hit a good putt. If not you didn’t. 
 

This is super helpful for working on your stroke and getting feedback on reading greens.

 

Many times a player will miss a putt and immediately assume they hit a bad putt when in reality they hit a perfect putt it was just a miss read.

 

Other times the same player will make a putt and assume they hit a good putt when in reality they misread and mishit the putt and it just happened to go in.

 

The line lets you know immediately whether you hit a good putt/read.
 

I coach high school golf and insist that all of my players practice religiously with the line. It’s their own choice to use it in tournaments but almost all of them will use it once they get used to it because they like the feedback and they like that it takes the guess work out of hitting a good putt. They find peace of mind knowing they hit a good putt even if it doesn’t go in.

 

[Hawkeye77]

24 minutes ago, mgoblue83 said:

The best part about the line is the feedback you get.

 

Regardless of whether you make the putt or not if the ball rolls true (line rolls end over end) then you hit a good putt. If not you didn’t. 
 

This is super helpful for working on your stroke and getting feedback on reading greens.

 

Many times a player will miss a putt and immediately assume they hit a bad putt when in reality they hit a perfect putt it was just a miss read.

 

Other times the same player will make a putt and assume they hit a good putt when in reality they misread and mishit the putt and it just happened to go in.

 

The line lets you know immediately whether you hit a good putt/read.
 

I coach high school golf and insist that all of my players practice religiously with the line. It’s their own choice to use it in tournaments but almost all of them will use it once they get used to it because they like the feedback and they like that it takes the guess work out of hitting a good putt. They find peace of mind knowing they hit a good putt even if it doesn’t go in.

 

 

Using a line on the ball is pretty individual - don't make kids who don't need it practice it. Definitely not the be all/end all in "feedback" - I'd argue the opposite but to each his or her own (as it should be with the kids).  "It's their choice to use in tournaments" - what? They are (forced to) practice something but some may be doing something different at tournaments?  Quite a disconnect and not a good one, IMO.

 

 

[Hawkeye77]

Plenty of stuff out there one way or the other, but in general, may work for some, may not and not something to be required.  Can't lose sight that not everything works for everyone.

 

https://golf.com/instruction/putting/should-you-use-line-on-golf-ball-top-100-teacher/

 

[mgoblue83]

19 minutes ago, Hawkeye77 said:

 

Using a line on the ball is pretty individual - don't make kids who don't need it practice it. Definitely not the be all/end all in "feedback" - I'd argue the opposite but to each his or her own (as it should be with the kids).  "It's their choice to use in tournaments" - what? They are (forced to) practice something but some may be doing something different at tournaments?  Quite a disconnect and not a good one, IMO.

 

 

That’s what you took out of my post? Wow.

[Hawkeye77]

14 minutes ago, mgoblue83 said:

That’s what you took out of my post? Wow.

That’s what you wrote. 
 

I don’t agree coaches should force using a line on the ball on students - way too rigid of an approach in general and especially for something as individual as putting. 
 

Not really a “wow” thing, just a difference of opinion. 

[iacas]

1 hour ago, mgoblue83 said:

I coach high school golf and insist that all of my players practice religiously with the line.

 

I wouldn't, because I wouldn't want to practice differently than I play.

 

Just now, Hawkeye77 said:

That’s what you wrote. 
 

I don’t agree coaches should force using a line on the ball on students - way too rigid of an approach in general and especially for something as individual as putting. 
 

Not really a “wow” thing, just a difference of opinion. 

 

I'm with that guy. ⬆️

[mgoblue83]

Just now, Hawkeye77 said:

That’s what you wrote. 
 

I don’t agree coaches should force using a line on the ball on students - way too rigid of an approach in general and especially for something as individual as putting. 
 

Not really a “wow” thing, just a difference of opinion. 

While I appreciate the feedback you are focusing on things that are not even close to the point in my post or the question in this thread. 

[Hawkeye77]

Just now, mgoblue83 said:

While I appreciate the feedback you are focusing on things that are not even close to the point in my post or the question in this thread. 

Actually, exactly the point. The line isn’t “truth” - it is right for some and wrong for others. 

[kiawah]

18 hours ago, Abh159 said:

I've use a line for a while now, and I tend to putt much better with it compared to without.

 

That being said, I really only use it on putts inside of about 8-10 feet though. Outside of that and I feel like the line does more harm than good. For me at least.

I hear ya, but I have way too many instances on longer putts where I can sense myself trying to aim "somewhere over there" as opposed to at a given spot. I think that the line will at least help me figure out if I have a certain aiming tendency on those putts so long as the roll is solid

[kiawah]

17 hours ago, ferrispgm said:

I know some people swear by it....but I tried it for a while years ago and the line never once looked like it was lined up properly and eventually it started making my stance get funky in an effort to make the line look square.  

I have that problem sometimes, too, but I think I will try to use those moments as an opportunity to just be decisive and stroke the putt to where I aimed it regardless of whether or not it drops. As I mentioned, I have gone away from using the line for long stretches, so I can understand not wanting to use it, but I just think it makes it easier for me to have fewer thoughts bouncing around in my head over the ball. 

[kiawah]

14 hours ago, Retsof2021 said:

This is my biggest issue. Sometimes it works on greens that have more imperfections, but on good greens, I have the same issue not being able to see the spot I picked out. I honestly don’t understand how pros can do it on the greens they play on. Imagine trying to do this at Augusta. I’d love someone to chime in that has success with this. 
 

All that being said, I use the line for most putts. I also like the feedback on my strike. Helps to understand when it was a misread vs miss hit during rounds. 

I have always thought about this exact situation. I have always been really good with intermediate targets on full shots but on the greens it is just so hard to find any real discolorations or spots to use as a reference point.

[GungHoGolf]

20 minutes ago, kiawah said:

I have always thought about this exact situation. I have always been really good with intermediate targets on full shots but on the greens it is just so hard to find any real discolorations or spots to use as a reference point.

If I can’t see a good intermediate “spot” between about 8-36” in front of the ball, I will nearly always use the line on putts longer than 3 feet. The spot doesn’t have to be directly on the line - I can imagine a point a couple inches or so to either side of it and align to it.

 

I tend to trust intermediate spots more than the line on the ball, because of the longer “sighting radius,” similar to the increase in accuracy moving from a snubnosed revolver to a long rifle.

 

If you think about it, it’s pretty tough to perfectly align a short line on a curved surface perfectly to a target many feet away, even if you employ your putter shaft to help. A 1.5° error from 10 feet is a miss, and there are 6 degrees between 12:00 and 12:01 on a clockface. Can you accurately turn a ball with your fingers 6 times between 12:00 and 12:01?

Edited May 21, 2024 by GungHoGolf

[Socrates]

There is no right answer to this question.  Some do it and some don't, for many reasons.

 

I rarely get on greens good enough to be considered really "True" and realistically, picking the exact line isn't that important.  Don't get me wrong, you need to pick a good line that based on all the likely probabilities, is likely to produce a good result.  But hitting it on your intended line with a good stroke and roll is just as important.  If and when I do get on really good greens (it's been a while), I may employ a line if there are no obvious spots I can putt to.  Long distance putts, I may likely use a line so I don't make a massive mistake in the line.

 

Even Tiger, who uses a line, just gets it his line in the ball park and he will make an adjustment (little one way or the other) from the line on the ball if he feels it isn't just quite right.  Rather than re-mark it.  Now, obviously, his ability is way above ours so his mistakes are pretty rare.

[ThinkingPlus]

1 hour ago, GungHoGolf said:

If I can’t see a good intermediate “spot” between about 8-36” in front of the ball, I will nearly always use the line on putts longer than 3 feet. The spot doesn’t have to be directly on the line - I can imagine a point a couple inches or so to either side of it and align to it.

 

I tend to trust intermediate spots more than the line on the ball, because of the longer “sighting radius,” similar to the increase in accuracy moving from a snubnosed revolver to a long rifle.

 

If you think about it, it’s pretty tough to perfectly align a short line on a curved surface perfectly to a target many feet away, even if you employ your putter shaft to help. A 1.5° error from 10 feet is a miss, and there are 6 degrees between 12:00 and 12:01 on a clockface. Can you accurately turn a ball with your fingers 6 times between 12:00 and 12:01?

Well it helps that the clock is 10' in diameter in this case.

[kiawah]

1 hour ago, GungHoGolf said:

If I can’t see a good intermediate “spot” between about 8-36” in front of the ball, I will nearly always use the line on putts longer than 3 feet. The spot doesn’t have to be directly on the line - I can imagine a point a couple inches or so to either side of it and align to it.

 

I tend to trust intermediate spots more than the line on the ball, because of the longer “sighting radius,” similar to the increase in accuracy moving from a snubnosed revolver to a long rifle.

 

If you think about it, it’s pretty tough to perfectly align a short line on a curved surface perfectly to a target many feet away, even if you employ your putter shaft to help. A 1.5° error from 10 feet is a miss, and there are 6 degrees between 12:00 and 12:01 on a clockface. Can you accurately turn a ball with your fingers 6 times between 12:00 and 12:01?

Agreed that lining the ball up well is a skill. I try to use a combo of the two. I try to find an intermediate spot and then line the ball up to that spot when I can. I am pretty good at lining the ball up where I want it to, but I rarely set it down perfectly on the first try. For me, I think I'd rather run the risk of being a degree off as you said than just eyeball it and not even be close. 

[kiawah]

15 hours ago, Hawkeye77 said:

 

Using a line on the ball is pretty individual - don't make kids who don't need it practice it. Definitely not the be all/end all in "feedback" - I'd argue the opposite but to each his or her own (as it should be with the kids).  "It's their choice to use in tournaments" - what? They are (forced to) practice something but some may be doing something different at tournaments?  Quite a disconnect and not a good one, IMO.

 

 

I agree that it's not for everyone. I can see the merit in trying it in practice for feedback's sake but if you can't roll it end over end it might be detrimental to confidence. If you're a good putter that doesn't use the line, don't switch just for the sake of it. I just think it's a nice thing to try if you struggle with alignment or retaining your target.

[NittanyCPA]

16 hours ago, mgoblue83 said:

The best part about the line is the feedback you get.

 

Regardless of whether you make the putt or not if the ball rolls true (line rolls end over end) then you hit a good putt. If not you didn’t. 
 

This is super helpful for working on your stroke and getting feedback on reading greens.

 

Many times a player will miss a putt and immediately assume they hit a bad putt when in reality they hit a perfect putt it was just a miss read.

 

Other times the same player will make a putt and assume they hit a good putt when in reality they misread and mishit the putt and it just happened to go in.

 

The line lets you know immediately whether you hit a good putt/read.
 

I coach high school golf and insist that all of my players practice religiously with the line. It’s their own choice to use it in tournaments but almost all of them will use it once they get used to it because they like the feedback and they like that it takes the guess work out of hitting a good putt. They find peace of mind knowing they hit a good putt even if it doesn’t go in.

 

That bolded section just isn't true. There are factors at play that will affect that line going end over end. For one, Bruce Rearick talked about this, noting that many of the face inserts can alter that end over end roll.

 

Also, why force players to 'religiously' practice a method they may never use in competition?

[CoreyW1369]

OP:

 

tru·ther

[ˈtro͞oTHər]

noun

US ENGLISH

informal

truther (noun) · truthers (plural noun)

1. a person who doubts the generally accepted account of an event, believing that an official conspiracy exists to conceal the true explanation; a conspiracy theorist:

    

   😉

[mgoblue83]

3 minutes ago, NittanyCPA said:

That bolded section just isn't true. There are factors at play that will affect that line going end over end. For one, Bruce Rearick talked about this, noting that many of the face inserts can alter that end over end roll.

 

Also, why force players to 'religiously' practice a method they may never use in competition?

 

We use the line when doing technical work on our putting strokes. Typically 8-10 ft straight putts combined with other feedback mechanisms like gates and mirrors. Again, it's simply for the feedback of getting the ball rolling properly. I fully understand that every player is different and the line may or may not be right on the golf course but the visual feedback on a straight putt is very helpful. 

[NittanyCPA]

2 minutes ago, mgoblue83 said:

 

We use the line when doing technical work on our putting strokes. Typically 8-10 ft straight putts combined with other feedback mechanisms like gates and mirrors. Again, it's simply for the feedback of getting the ball rolling properly. I fully understand that every player is different and the line may or may not be right on the golf course but the visual feedback on a straight putt is very helpful. 

I get what you're saying, I also use a line. Just thought it was important to note that great putts don't always roll with the line going end over end.

 

Bruce has some great info posted here and on his blog, etc., definitely worth checking out.

[golferdude54]

I own a Perfect Putter ball roller and when I release a ball from it with the line pointing straight at the target and parallel to the straight edges of the device, the line stays true as it rolls every time. So the line on the ball is 100% reliable when it comes to feedback.

[GungHoGolf]

16 hours ago, ThinkingPlus said:

Well it helps that the clock is 10' in diameter in this case.

20’, but I get your point 🙂

[GoGoErky]

On 5/20/2024 at 9:37 PM, mgoblue83 said:

While I appreciate the feedback you are focusing on things that are not even close to the point in my post or the question in this thread. 

He took exactly what you wrote. So either you didn’t mean what you wrote or you mad he disagree with your method and forcing kids to do unnecessary things that may hurt more than help. Especially when there’s enough out there that show the line isn’t the end all be all

[GoGoErky]

17 hours ago, mgoblue83 said:

 

We use the line when doing technical work on our putting strokes. Typically 8-10 ft straight putts combined with other feedback mechanisms like gates and mirrors. Again, it's simply for the feedback of getting the ball rolling properly. I fully understand that every player is different and the line may or may not be right on the golf course but the visual feedback on a straight putt is very helpful. 

You can use a putting mirror and accomplish the samething. Setup, alignment, stroke