Line Up Your Golf Ball To Putt

As simple and obvious thing as it is to do, I still see most average players fail to line up their ball. I don't care if you you use the brand name or make a line on it, if you don't have your ball lined up you are putting blind.

I, for the life of me can't figure out why it took the world so long to learn this little trick. I mean really, why use an imaginary line that you can't see when they make Sharpies.

But I didn't have the sense to do it until I saw somebody else doing it on TV. Innovation takes a while to catch on.

You benefit several ways by lining up your golf ball.

1) You create a visual image of the otherwise imaginary line

2) It makes lining up the putter simple. Not only making it square, but also making sure the putter face is in the same relation to the ball on every stroke.

3) You have a visual reference for lining up your body and feet.

4) You have a real line of reference for your eye alignment

5) It takes the guesswork out of picking your starting line once you get over the ball.

Just one word of caution. You must be totally committed to the alignment of the ball and the shot. If you don't feel right about the line, take a page from Jim Furyk and step back behind it again. Adjust if necessary.Being confident in what you are doing is half the battle. If there is doubt, your odds of success have decreased substantially.

That's an easy one Wayne: http://ezinearticles.com/?Lining-Up-Your-Golf-Ball-To-Putt&id=1155722

Strange as my putting average has come down since I stopped doing this .

Parallax lines is what you want mate

language Timothy!

Hogwash, this method is a waste of time as it is almost impossible to guarantee that one has aimed the line on the ball directly at the point of break on the putt.

Personally with so much advertising on balls these days I am finding it a struggle to find a white patch to look at.

 Totally agree John, and no mention of pace either.

Pace is probably the most difficult, for many it requires a feel for distance, which they find difficult to do.

And all these years I have used lines that on The Putter Head to line up, Doh!!!!!!!!!

TheLyth

If you feel you got something from doing that, Lyth, then who am I to dispute it, but I am quite sure that any method you adopted would have achieved the same results.

Personally the most important thing to line up is the face of the putter and having those cut lines on them only detract from what one is attempting to achieve. Just marketing ploys which have no basis in fact, whatsoever.

Not strictly true John.  My putter has four (the parallax) lines.  Two mark the width of the ball and two show the centre of the putter in two different planes.  I line up the ball between the two outer lines and look over the other lines until they are coincident - only then do I know that the putter face is square and central to the ball - simple really.  If I then concentrate on keeping the two central lines in alignment on the swing it meaans the head always hits the ball where I want it.

Hardly a new invention though. 

All well and good, Tim, assuming that the putter face is aligned with where you wish the ball to go.

In my days we used to hit the ball towards the toe on a right to left putt and towards the heel for a left to right putt, which would say to me that the sweet spot (If such a thing exists) is anywhere on the face.

I draw a line on my golf ball, about an inch long.

Not only do I use it for putting I also use it one the tee for my drives.

It gives me confidence that my ball is lined up to where I want it to go and all I have to do is make certain that my putter head is square to the line on my ball and away I go.

There were times when I used to put my ball down and address the ball, then I would think that this didn't look right and I'd step back, then I would find that I'm not square to my target line.

It doesn't happen that often now.

Russ

If anyones putting style completely destroys these arguments, it is yours, Darren. How you hole out so well really amazes me ,but also confirms that there is certainly more than one way to deliver the face of the putter on line.

Too true John.  The reason I do what I do is more to do with mechanics than fashion, I know that's the only way I can figure it my head - but that's the way my brain works.  I would never presume that just because it works for me that it's a definitive solution.  If you can't read the line then it's worth diddlysquat. 

The only line you need to look at is 4-6" in front of the ball . Set your putter up square to that and forget it just think pace, simples.

John putted  Bobby locke style today couldn't stop laughting how straight the ball goes from that position ,and with no follow through felt so wierd.

Well, Dave, you are his shape, you can draw the ball like him, so why not putt like him. One of the best in that department

I think all that was missing was the hickory shafted blade , I'm still smiling now to be honest.Imagine teaching that style you'd be ridiculed today, but it certainly cuts the mustard.

 I really don't go for any of these so called putting aids...some days I putt good others not so good but I feel the good days are due to how 'at one' with my putt ie head perfectly still with just my shoulders conducting the movement (I think that's what gives me a good strike which is also v important) rather than lines/logo on a ball but if that's what gives people confidence then that's got to be a good thing.

 What can you say?! What do we know?