Do You Put a Line on your GOLF ball?

[usa1950]

Don't worry, I'll make up for it by being far enough up for you to hit driver right after I get to my ball since I can outdrive you with a 6iron.

Ezra and I played 9 last weekend. He nuts a driver, starts whooping and hollering like he's in a long drive contest and shouting for the ball to "Go," and calling it various womens' names.

I'm up next, and nut one as well, but keep quiet as my ball flies past his.

When we get to Ezra's ball, I tell him... "Hey E, you know what? There building a new mall around here!" Surprised, Ezra says, "Really where at?"

I say, "Between my drive and yours." and point down the fairway to my Maxfli.

 

[mont86]

I eye ball my putts..

 

[VtDivot]

I mark, then replace the ball with Titleist reading left to right perpendicular to my line... extremely weird I know.

I do the same thing with the driver.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

Just use one of these pre-marked ones.

 

[Stooonne]

Ezra and I played 9 last weekend. He nuts a driver, starts whooping and hollering like he's in a long drive contest and shouting for the ball to "Go," and calling it various womens' names.

I'm up next, and nut one as well, but keep quiet as my ball flies past his.

When we get to Ezra's ball, I tell him... "Hey E, you know what? There building a new mall around here!" Surprised, Ezra says, "Really where at?"

I say, "Between my drive and yours." and point down the fairway to my Maxfli.

IIRC Tiger said that to Barkley when they played together (I think he said Wal Mart?)

As to the "line on the golf ball question"...I've been back and fourth with that. I keep gaining confidence by changing my mind on the issue. For a couple months I'll putt without a line on the ball and go cold. Then I'll switch the the line and it feels like I can't miss a putt. Then I'll get cold and stop using the line, and get red hot on the greens. Rinse and repeat.

 

[BStone]

I will place the ball so that I can only see white. If it was up to me, I would play a plain white ball. This helps me focus more on the line and stroke more than trying to line up the mark on the ball.

 

[Rockford35]

I mark, then replace the ball with Titleist reading left to right perpendicular to my line... extremely weird I know.

I do the same thing with the driver.

I'm the exact opposite. And, I only tee the ball up with the side logo to my right. Never the other way around.

R35

 

[usa1950]

I mark, then replace the ball with Titleist reading left to right perpendicular to my line... extremely weird I know.

I do the same thing with the driver.

More players should do this!!! I bought a new putter a month ago, and it has a sight line perpendicular to the line of the putt.... or in other words paralell to the putter face. I feel like I am aligning the entire FACE of the putter to the line, and I love it. You probably have the same feeling, I imagine.

I think that many, many player simply cannot line up a skinny line on a ball with the correct line of a putt, especially those that break more than a few inches.

You and I align the putter to a much LARGER target, in your case a line about an inch long, but parelell to the putter face, me, the entire face.

We're onto something here..... Aling something large, with something large, instead of a small line with a tiny sightline or dot.

 

[usa1950]

IIRC Tiger said that to Barkley when they played together (I think he said Wal Mart?)

Ezra swings a lot like Barkley, so good post stoooone! :laugh:

 

[floggerrushmd]

I don't put a line myself, but I do line up the one on the ball already. I find that setting that up with the line on my putter allows me to focus solely on weight when I step over the ball, and since I have been doing that I have made a lot more putts. If you don't do something to help yourself align your putts you are wasting shots on the course.

 

[warbirdlover]

Interesting comments. As WG mentioned I pick a spot a couple feet in front of the ball and that has been my "method" but I was thinking this might be more accurate. The_Bomber (Byron) always used a line and he is an excellent putter. Probably will just mark up a "putting" ball and fool with it for awhile, at least on the practice green.

 

[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.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

Unless you read the break & speed correctly, the lining up of the ball is a complete waste anyways. It's not so bad to read a simple left to right break, but when you get a nasty uphill shot that breaks one way then then the other, all you can do is hope & pray sometimes.

 

[ualtim]

I put lines on the ball. Spin'em and make a pencil line. Use a one of the line it up devices and create a line partially around the ball, I do not like a sharpie line all the way around the ball.

Off the tee I align the ball down towards my target line and on putts I also align it with the target line. While I do not spend a lot of time on the alignment and its not exact, it is close enough for what I need it for. Once I am over the ball, I barely even notice that the line is there and I always have it on top. I am thinking more of the target rather than the ball.

 

[The Salt Vampire]

You can't look like a "player" unless you arrange the ball some way on the green and on the tee. Whether it is lining up a line or logo or setting it so there is only white showing, doesn't matter. They are the only situations when you can exactly control your lie, why wouldn't you make them as perfect as possible?

IMO you look like a chop if you just drop it and play it regardless of how good you are.