Do you line your balls up before you hit them?

[SVB]

Just interested, on the green do you use a line up line or feature on the ball to line up or prefer to play it without such an item in your sight?

I've tried both and find, particularly for longer putts, the line up line is really difficult to get accurate and is more of a distraction than help.

What do you do - any nuggets of wisdom out there?

 

[ManinBlack]

Just interested, on the green do you use a line up line or feature on the ball to line up or prefer to play it without such an item in your sight?

I've tried both and find, particularly for longer putts, the line up line is really difficult to get accurate and is more of a distraction than help.

What do you do - any nuggets of wisdom out there?

I agree, I'd rather line up standing over the ball.

 

[turkish]

Was a bit of a revelation to me when I started using the line on the ball. Obviously line it up on the break I think Is right but would say it's definitely helped me

 

[Imurg]

I've seen people take longer to line up the line on their ball than it takes them to miss the putt.....
If you're going to line it up it needs to be 100% correct...1° out and you've missed. I doubt most of us could..
A. Line it up 100%
B. Actually hit the ball on that line

with the regularity that makes it worthwhile doing it in the first place.

The Pros do it because they can. Many of us do it because they do it....

 

[Val]

Long putts I don't but from 10 feet I do and found it miles better as all I need to concentrate on is pace

 

[Hobbit]

I make sure the line is nowhere in sight. I find it distracting. I use the alignment mark on the putter, lined up with something a couple of inches in front of the ball. The ball just get in the way of me swinging the putter towards a blemish a few inches in front of the ball.

 

[Blue in Munich]

I make sure the line is nowhere in sight. I find it distracting. I use the alignment mark on the putter, lined up with something a couple of inches in front of the ball. The ball just get in the way of me swinging the putter towards a blemish a few inches in front of the ball.

This. Clean bit of ball with no distractions, pick your spot and go.

 

[turkish]

I've seen people take longer to line up the line on their ball than it takes them to miss the putt.....
If you're going to line it up it needs to be 100% correct...1° out and you've missed. I doubt most of us could..
A. Line it up 100%
B. Actually hit the ball on that line

with the regularity that makes it worthwhile doing it in the first place.

The Pros do it because they can. Many of us do it because they do it....

To counter that though you need 3 parts right- the line/break, the connection, the weight.... it doesn't take any longer lining up what you think is correct!!!

I've lined it up totally wrong but got the connection wrong and still holed it.

I think lining it up just gives you a higher chance of holing it or no more than 2 putting. A 3 putt will only happen with me if I get the weighting wrong.

 

[ScienceBoy]

i do it for a routine and to help alignment. It does not have to be exact as I know where I am putting to as I have picked out a spot. It just ensures I get my body and face aligned together to avoid crossing over.

It is great but I think too many trust it as alignment on its own and forget about the actual fundamentals of lining up. It is just a guide and should be part of a set up for good alignment, not 100% of your alignment!

 

[upsidedown]

Tried it a while back but gave it away but having just had a session with the Pro on his new putting lab have gone back to it.

Now line on the break ( Accept it may well not be 100% right but has to be better than no aiming ) and concentrate on setting up putter top line to line on ball and then make the stroke . Feel so much more confident and that's half the battle

 

[Bobirdie]

I do use the line especially on putts inside 6ft. Longer putts i use it but I don't spend a lot of time trying to get it spot on as its most likely my swing won't be when trying to hit it with a bit of power

 

[Foxholer]

...
If you're going to line it up it needs to be 100% correct...1° out and you've missed. I doubt most of us could..
A. Line it up 100%
B. Actually hit the ball on that line

with the regularity that makes it worthwhile doing it in the first place.

The Pros do it because they can. Many of us do it because they do it....

Actually, you can be more than 1 degree out and still sink a putt in many cases, even from quite a distance.

I used to line up, but now find it more of a distraction.

 

[louise_a]

I don't think I can line it up accurately, so I don't even try.

 

[Green Bay Hacker]

I never used to use the line on the ball and preferred not to see any marks at all when putting but was told during a lesson about 18 months ago that the line is there to help you. Was advised to use a sharpie to extend the line as this will help get the line of the putt. I now have a line that covers half the ball and I have knocked, on average, almost 3 putts off a round.

 

[tsped83]

I make sure the line is nowhere in sight. I find it distracting. I use the alignment mark on the putter, lined up with something a couple of inches in front of the ball. The ball just get in the way of me swinging the putter towards a blemish a few inches in front of the ball.

Exactly this. Verbatim.

 

[Simbo]

I use the line on the ball to line putts up, I usually pick the breaking point of the putt and aim the line on the ball at that, then use the line on the putter to form a straight line with the line on the ball.

 

[fenwayrich]

I always use the name (Titleist) not the line, not precisely but just as part of the routine. Perhaps bizarrely, I don't like a sight line on a putter, just find it very offputting. I use an original Ping Anser which doesn't have one, and I doubt I will ever change.

 

[3565]

I can't understand why you wouldn't want to use it??? I've used the line method for a long time now, even before drawing a line, I used to use the printed Professional 90 stamp on Titleists.

You stand in the middle of the fairway with your yardage books/markers, Gps devices or lasers to give you yardage to the front/middle/back/flag and 'majority' of players have gps/lasers now, yet when you get closer to the hole you have an aid that has now got little arrows imprinted on the ball that can line up to your intended target, place a putter that has 'possibly' an alignment line on it, behind the line on your ball, now you just make the stroke. It's there to help.

Funny how players think it's a distraction whilst putting yet a tilted logo or logo that is visible on the ball in middle of the fairway isn't?

 

[Piece]

The extended line on my ball is fundamental to me. Takes out any doubt in my putting stroke and i definitely hole more putts now than i ever did.

 

[chrisd]

Like many of the posters who do use the line I do it because it helps as I make the transition from looking at the putt line to standing over the ball. I also use the line on tee shots for the same reason, even if it doesn't work, in my head it helps! It isn't the be all and end all of alignment though