[MGP]

I find sharpie lines on golf balls distracting. My own "how do I mark my Titleist" is a pretty simple set of three dots. Unless you look for them you hardly notice them. The alignment mark on the Top Flite D2's is one of the few things I really don't like about them -- looks like the sword of Excalibur or something.

I'm not a huge believer in mechanical alignment anyway, I align my putts much more by feel and seeing the line in my mind. I believe good speed is way more important to sinking a lot of putts than exact alignment. I remember seeing a "Playing Lessons with the Pros" this past spring where Brad Faxon hit 4 putts of about 15 ft. from the same spot all at different speeds and very different lines -- he sank all 4 of them. His point was there is no "right line" with putts that aren't perfectly level. Distance control and being able to see a line at the speed you are hitting the putt is most important.

Since I started concentrating on getting the speed right and just getting close on the line I have sunk a lot more putts, especially outside 10 ft. The other nice thing about this approach to putting is that if you do miss, your second putt is a generally kick in. I hardly ever three-putt anymore. Anything inside about 6 ft. the line is more critical but I'll hit those plenty firm and take as much break out of the putt as possible. Well that's what works for me.