Do You Put a Line on your GOLF ball?

[LottaBalata]

I do not use a line on my golfballs. . .Like Wi--I basically play it where it lies. I rarely mark my ball, unless I'm in someone's way on the green, or I need to clean the ball.

I don't see how a skinny, little, little line, can help when I see a "path" to the hole from my ball. The path may be 3 or 4 inches wide, or it may look like a burnt tire track on other days, just depends on how I'm putting.

BTW, the days it looks like a tire track are the days it just falls in from anywhere.

[Harry Longshanks]

Originally Posted by usa1950

Hate lines... I don't even use the line the manufacturers put on the ball. Only white showing for me.

Originally Posted by usa1950

I will NEVER buy shorts for any of my clubs. No way....... That's where I draw the line.

Hypocrite.

[Wi-Golfer]

What about plumb bobbing a putt? Better than a line or worse? Does it actually work or is it just another gimmick that some pro's used to do?

[warbirdlover]

Plumb bobbing works. Rocco does it. I don't know how else you can see a break. I've done it for years. I don't take it as the "exact" line but use it for seeing breaks.

[Eracer]

It definitely works, but only for a single break. And it's marginally useful on anything over about 15 feet.

And...I guarantee you that 90% of the people who look like they're "plumb bobbing" have absolutely no clue as to how to actually do it.

[phatheadaf]

I put with the Nike sign on the ball face up (from when i crouch behind it to look a the putt), then with I stand over it, it's facing perpendicular to my position.

I tried to use the line, it's too exacting, makes me feel that if I lined it up off taget, even a little, then I'm going to blow the line... and the putt.

A.

[phatheadaf]

and I don't mark my ball... i have a very supportive gf who buys me personalized boxes everyone once in a while, so no i don't mark my rock anymore.

when i used to mark it, i'd fill in the dots on the blank side in the shape of a capital "A" (for my first initial). Pretty noticable. Sometimes i still do it, if i'm in a slump or something, just to change the Karma.

My girl became a Tiger fan from being with me and noticed his rock says his name on it, so she knows i'm a fanatic so she picked me up a few boxes, and i've not yet gone through them.

A.

[Wi-Golfer]

Originally Posted by Eracer

It definitely works, but only for a single break. And it's marginally useful on anything over about 15 feet.

And...I guarantee you that 90% of the people who look like they're "plumb bobbing" have absolutely no clue as to how to actually do it.

I haven't a clue on how it's done, just looks a bit odd but if the person doing it actually can make it work for them, great.

[LyleG]

Originally Posted by cabinessence

For putting, I position the ball so that there's only white on the top. So no line.

Exactly what i do.

[Pa Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by Wi-Golfer

What about plumb bobbing a putt? Better than a line or worse? Does it actually work or is it just another gimmick that some pro's used to do?

Kinda funny because the only real flaw I ever saw in my putting game was reading the break going straight up or over the tier on a green. Could never figure them out and how to read them, and in one of my practice sessions a couple weeks ago I spent about 4 hours trying to figure them out to no avail, and after 4 hours I figured why not try Plumb Bobbing the tier by picking two points at the top and bottom of the tier in line with the hole (or where I could see the break after the tier). It helped alot. Still would never use it anywhere else because I can usually read break pretty well, but it worked great for tiers or probably when you just can't get a fix on a break.

[eclark53520]

Tried the line, but i got way too focused on the line on the ball and my distance control sucked...now i focus myself 100% on distance control.

I still suck at putting...but i have cut down my three putts to some degree.

[warbirdlover]

It definitely works, but only for a single break. And it's marginally useful on anything over about 15 feet.

And...I guarantee you that 90% of the people who look like they're "plumb bobbing" have absolutely no clue as to how to actually do it.

Eracer

It "seems" to give the line even when there is a double-break. I've had numerous double-break putts that I've made going by the line shown. Maybe I was just lucky?

Very simple to do. Stand back a few feet from the ball (this distance needs to be found where it gives the most accurate read) and line up the ball with the cup with your eye. Then hold the club at the grip lightly and line up the bottom of the shaft on the ball. The top of the putter shaft shows the break (putting line). And be careful with how you hold the putter head. Some putters are not vertical until you have the head rotated in a certain way. When I get a new putter (not very often) I play with a bubble level (longer is better) to find it. And it's NOT perfect but in most cases, at the very least, shows which way the ball is going to break. Most critical is how you hold the putter and the distance you stand behind the ball. On pretty flat greens I've went by the break this shows and it's pretty accurate on those greens.

[SiberianDVM]

I did a little experiment last evening on the practice putting green: putting without using the line on ball vs. using line on ball.

Made twice as many 10'+ putts using the line. On shorter putts it didn't matter.

I also found out that I putt much better in practice then I do when playing, especially in tournaments. Tension is a killer when putting. In practice, my shoulders, arms, and hands are relaxed and the stroke is free flowing. When the stroke counts, I tense up and get jerky.

[warbirdlover]

How fast do you guys go on the backswing? I've gotten to take it back now very slowly making sure I'm on my chosen line and it also gets me to accelerate on the stroke. I control the distance by how far back I take it. Thoughts?

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by warbirdlover

How fast do you guys go on the backswing? I've gotten to take it back now very slowly making sure I'm on my chosen line and it also gets me to accelerate on the stroke. I control the distance by how far back I take it. Thoughts?

I don't even think about it. I just do what feels right at the time.