Smartline Putting Ball Marker

[cnosil]

I received a smartline ball marker for Christmas and have tried it a couple of times and personally believe it does have some benefits.  Of course there are some caveats to that claim.  

What is the smartline ball marker?  It is a ball marker that will help you line up your ball based on what percent the green slopes.  If you look at the picture below,  the red line points straight at the hole, the white lines directly to the right and left of the red line are for 1% slope, the second set of white lines for 3%, and the black line between is for 2% slopes.    

I have self taught myself Aimpoint so I kind of use the slope percentage in my putting approach.  The hardest part for me if figuring out were the line on my ball should point when I pick the aim point in the distance.  The ball mark solves that by bringing that line closer to my ball.  Part of what this marker does is confirm my read and gives me confidence that the line on my ball is lined up correctly.  Obviously, it doesn't help with speed, but I find that I am keeping the ball above the hole which improves the chance of making the putts.  I think the biggest benefit is on those 3% slope putts since it is hard to convince yourself that the ball really needs to start that far out.   If you purchase you receive the marker, printed instructions, carrying bag, and  a code that will allow you to access some instructional and practice videos.    

The biggest negative is that if you don't use a line on your ball or use a spot in front of your ball it would be very difficult to line up your ball properly.  Also, while I generally use a larger ball marker this one is bigger that the one I previously used. 

Cost:  $20.  Probably a bit expensive even with the free shipping and the videos.  For someone not familiar with how Aimpoint works or wants some ideas on how to compensate for multiple breakers the videos aren't bad.  The marker itself is high quality and heavy; It is something you will have to carry in a pocket since it isn't magnetic.   

Overall, it is a simple to use aid that can be used during your round; it is USGA legal.  Even if you don't subscribe to the Aimpoint approach but used a line on your ball it it a handy tool to get your ball lined up correctly.   While it won't fix technique or help with speed control I think it can provide some benefits on the green.  I would rank it as an 8/10 and would recommend it for someone that does use a line on the ball.  While the cost is a drawback in my mind,  I have spend $20 on golf stuff that was far less useful.  This product will stay in my bag since it fits into my approach for putting.  

Product website: https://smartlineputting.com

Can be purchased via Amazon if you would prefer that route:  Amazon Link

 

 

 

[PING Apologist #9]

Most interesting... Does it have a 1/2 moon shape to it so you can slide it under the ball? Look like it does, but just wanted to verify. Great review BTW!

[cnosil]

2 minutes ago, PING Apologist #9 said:

Most interesting... Does it have a 1/2 moon shape to it so you can slide it under the ball? Look like it does, but just wanted to verify. Great review BTW!

It does.  Below is an image of the marker showing the curve you were asking about.  

[PlaidJacket]

I have or had I should say... a Scotty Cameron "ball tool." Not sure where I got it or where it went. I looked. Anyway... I recall using it maybe once? The web page where I found the photo says it's $44!! I hope I didn't buy it. LOL

Cnosil, my bet is you'll give it a try a few times and then return to your normal routine. With your 7 hcp you're already a decent putter without this aid.

Here is the Cameron design...

 

 

[cnosil]

1 minute ago, PlaidJacket said:

I have or had I should say... a Scotty Cameron "ball tool." Not sure where I got it or where it went. I looked. Anyway... I recall using it maybe once? The web page where I found the photo says it's $44!! I hope I didn't buy it. LOL

Cnosil, my bet is you'll give it a try a few times and then return to your normal routine. With your 7 hcp you're already a decent putter without this aid.

Here is the Cameron design...

 

 

Yep,  I have seen the Cameron ball marker and various variations.  The one think I never heard spoken about with the other aids was tying it to slope and ultimately Aimpoint.     

Plaid, right now I am pretty sure I will keep using it because  it does fit into my normal routine.  What it does is help minimize the "adjustments" I was making to line up the line on my ball.  Instead of trying to bring the alignment spot from the hole back to the ball,  I just figure the percentage of slope I want to use and set my ball down in the correct orientation based on the marker.   I guess time will tell.  

[PING Apologist #9]

13 hours ago, cnosil said:

It does.  Below is an image of the marker showing the curve you were asking about.  

Neat, thanks!

[romeopapazulu]

13 hours ago, cnosil said:

 

 

What tool do you use for drawing the lines on your ball?  That is a nice thick solid line.  My lines always come out looking like I was three sheets to the wind when I drew them.

 

 

 

[cnosil]

33 minutes ago, romeopapazulu said:

What tool do you use for drawing the lines on your ball?  That is a nice thick solid line.  My lines always come out looking like I was three sheets to the wind when I drew them.

I took those pictures off the products website.   I use the Pro Line tool which does a nice line;  have had it for quite some time.  

https://www.dwquailgolf.com/training/proline.html

I have tried a couple of others,  but never had any issues with them looking bad.  

[Sturgeon]

A very cool gadget. You can get exact that with a magnetic holder (to the belt or your cap) for less than two bucks from:

alibaba

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32450854504.html?pid=808_0000_0131&spm=a2g0n.search-amp.list.32450854504&aff_trace_key=&aff_platform=msite&m_page_id=1962amp-WMGUAs90Zq29VSNXfMTbtw1547070071472

Best, 

Henning

[PlaidJacket]

Sounds good. But I bet it doesn't come with the batteries. 

[cnosil]

2 hours ago, Sturgeon said:

A very cool gadget. You can get exact that with a magnetic holder (to the belt or your cap) for less than two bucks from:

alibaba

 

Don't disagree and there are other similar products in the marketplace.  As part of the price that I paid I received some training/instructional videos and have someone to contact if I do have questions.  Plus I already mentioned that price was potentially an issue.  The benefit for me is that the product is advertised as having the lines  set up based on particular green slopes;  I haven;'t seen that claim on any of the other products. 

[PMookie]

I ordered the 2-pack, one for each bag. I do see slopes of 4 & 5, but rare.


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[palvord]

This is a very clever tool and I may be adding it to my bag.

Using something like this to learn how to read greens could also be useful for newer golfers as well.


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[DaveP043]

I'm kind of interested in what angle the markings indicate.  Are they intended to correspond to a specific degree or percent slope of the green surface?  I ask as someone who has taken the Aimpoint clinic, and I do use and trust Aimpoint for most of my green reading.  On the other hand, I've never liked using a line on the ball, so I'm probably not in the market for a tool like this one, I'm just curious.

[romeopapazulu]

1 hour ago, DaveP043 said:

I'm kind of interested in what angle the markings indicate.  Are they intended to correspond to a specific degree or percent slope of the green surface?  I ask as someone who has taken the Aimpoint clinic, and I do use and trust Aimpoint for most of my green reading.  On the other hand, I've never liked using a line on the ball, so I'm probably not in the market for a tool like this one, I'm just curious.

Their website claims that the lines do match up to the % slope values, so it should be a great compliment to an aimpoint user.  I had one of this in the cart, but fortunately discovered before I pulled the trigger that I am incapable of aiming the line on a ball with a hole only six feet away, so I will probably not get much help with this either.  I love the idea though.

[DaveP043]

54 minutes ago, romeopapazulu said:

Their website claims that the lines do match up to the % slope values, so it should be a great compliment to an aimpoint user.  I had one of this in the cart, but fortunately discovered before I pulled the trigger that I am incapable of aiming the line on a ball with a hole only six feet away, so I will probably not get much help with this either.  I love the idea though.

I know an instructor who has experimented a little with the line on the ball and his students.  He says that a large majority of players can't effectively align the mark on the ball with their intended target, so apparently you're not alone.  I'm sure the line helps some players, but I've never found it particularly useful.  As with most things, there are a lot of ways to do something, and not every method will work for every person.

[Kenny B]

17 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I know an instructor who has experimented a little with the line on the ball and his students.  He says that a large majority of players can't effectively align the mark on the ball with their intended target, so apparently you're not alone.  I'm sure the line helps some players, but I've never found it particularly useful.  As with most things, there are a lot of ways to do something, and not every method will work for every person.

So true! My wife can't look at a line on the ball; it doesn't help her, but as someone who has to use it and find it effective, I just don't understand why someone can't align the mark on the ball with their intended target.  Is it that they just can't read the break, or they don't trust the mark standing over the ball?  

Mark on ball aligned to target; line on putter aligned with mark on ball; make a straight putt. Easy peazy, lemon squeezy, but it doesn't work for my wife.

I might give this marker a try even though I don't/won't do Aimpoint.  I'm essentially doing the same thing with my read of the slope and aligning my ball, then set up square to the line.  Maybe I would be more precise if I used a standard reference.

[romeopapazulu]

1 hour ago, DaveP043 said:

I know an instructor who has experimented a little with the line on the ball and his students.  He says that a large majority of players can't effectively align the mark on the ball with their intended target, so apparently you're not alone.  I'm sure the line helps some players, but I've never found it particularly useful.  As with most things, there are a lot of ways to do something, and not every method will work for every person.

I think I saw something similar on one of the Aimpoint intro youtube videos.  I remember thinking that the PGA pro explaining the gist of the situation was really full of himself when he stated that most amateurs couldn't line up the ball correctly.  Then I thought he was referring to them lining the ball up to the apex of the break, hence underestimating the break.  Now I see that he really meant what I thought in the first place.  But I'm less offended now. 

[cnosil]

On 1/11/2019 at 2:44 PM, Kenny B said:

So true! My wife can't look at a line on the ball; it doesn't help her, but as someone who has to use it and find it effective, I just don't understand why someone can't align the mark on the ball with their intended target.  Is it that they just can't read the break, or they don't trust the mark standing over the ball?  

I think it depends on how far away the person is trying to line the ball up to.  Lets say for a ten foot putt a person is doing aimpoint, they are picking a spot left or right of the hole.   From a time perspective,  I probably could get it set right,  but it will take some time.  If you pick an point to aim at 4 or 5 feet away you may have the same issue.  With this marker,  you may still have a problem lining the center line up with the hole for the same reasons above, but I can align the line on my ball to the line on the marker much quicker and by looking at it from the top down,  feel like I get pretty close.  

I think a secondary issue with the line on the ball is that due to parallax issues,  the line doesn't look like it is point to the correct spot when a player takes their stance......unless their stance takes how they see the line into account.   

[Kenny B]

On 1/12/2019 at 3:34 PM, cnosil said:

I think it depends on how far away the person is trying to line the ball up to.  Lets say for a ten foot putt a person is doing aimpoint, they are picking a spot left or right of the hole.   From a time perspective,  I probably could get it set right,  but it will take some time.  If you pick an point to aim at 4 or 5 feet away you may have the same issue.  With this marker,  you may still have a problem lining the center line up with the hole for the same reasons above, but I can align the line on my ball to the line on the marker much quicker and by looking at it from the top down,  feel like I get pretty close.  

I think a secondary issue with the line on the ball is that due to parallax issues,  the line doesn't look like it is point to the correct spot when a player takes their stance......unless their stance takes how they see the line into account.   

My wife doesn't want to see anything on the ball when she putts, not even logos.  But it's funny that she loses strokes each round putting and won't try a change in how she lines up or sets up to the ball.  When we played in a Chapman tournament two years ago, I had to mark the ball so I could putt well, but then she didn't have a "clean" ball to look at when she putted.

I am not a fan of Aimpoint.  Justin Rose seems to do OK with it, but I've watched other pros use it without much success... Adam Scott is the player I most associate with Aimpoint and he could have won a lot more tournaments if he could putt.  Lexi and Wie are others that don't inspire confidence in the system.  It probably works for some, but  I have never seen anyone use it in person.

[cnosil]

I am not a fan of Aimpoint.  .

 

 

Aimpoint makes 100% mathematical sense. The human factor and rub of the green is why it isn’t 100% flawless. Given a green speed, ball speed, and a slope a ball will always roll and break the same amount on a perfect green. I use it some, but watching me you wouldn’t know I do.

 

Just curious, why aren’t you a fan and how you measure a players success with it. Just interested in your perspective. Adam Scott has more issues associated with his putting than picking the line.

 

 

[Kenny B]

3 hours ago, cnosil said:

 

Aimpoint makes 100% mathematical sense. The human factor and rub of the green is why it isn’t 100% flawless. Given a green speed, ball speed, and a slope a ball will always roll and break the same amount on a perfect green. I use it some, but watching me you wouldn’t know I do.

 

Just curious, why aren’t you a fan and how you measure a players success with it. Just interested in your perspective. Adam Scott has more issues associated with his putting than picking the line.

It's not that Aimpoint isn't mathematically sound; it probably is.  I believe that it depends on a person's ability to see/feel the slope and translate that into the proper line.  Personally, I don't feel the slope with my feet in a way that I can do that.  Maybe if I spent the time and money on a class, but typically I don't have a problem matching up the line with the speed of a putt.  It is a more of a problem on courses I haven't played, but there is more in play to read a green on an unfamiliar course than just the break you see... Indio effect in Palm Springs for example.

I agree that Adam Scott has more issues, but every time I see him use Aimpoint and then his resulting putt, I think "What's the point? Try anything else!"  But that's just me.  If something isn't working, why keep doing it?

[PMookie]

It's not that Aimpoint isn't mathematically sound; it probably is.  I believe that it depends on a person's ability to see/feel the slope and translate that into the proper line.  Personally, I don't feel the slope with my feet in a way that I can do that.  Maybe if I spent the time and money on a class, but typically I don't have a problem matching up the line with the speed of a putt.  It is a more of a problem on courses I haven't played, but there is more in play to read a green on an unfamiliar course than just the break you see... Indio effect in Palm Springs for example.
I agree that Adam Scott has more issues, but every time I see him use Aimpoint and then his resulting putt, I think "What's the point? Try anything else!"  But that's just me.  If something isn't working, why keep doing it?

Yeah, you would have to go through the class and actually go through getting the sense for a 1/2/3/4/5. It’s not just feeling it, as one’s knee bends, and when one looks down the bent knee, they can correlate that bend to a spot on their shoe, which is then interpreted as the 1-5. It’s not a guess. It’s stand, relax, look down, get your number. But, one can’t know that unless they go through the class. I’ve never been more accurate than after learning Aimpoint. I even have a digital level I take to the green at our range to make sure I’m reading the 1-5 correctly.


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[EthanSterlingPrice]

I have or had I should say... a Scotty Cameron "ball tool." Not sure where I got it or where it went. I looked. Anyway... I recall using it maybe once? The web page where I found the photo says it's $44!! I hope I didn't buy it. LOL
Cnosil, my bet is you'll give it a try a few times and then return to your normal routine. With your 7 hcp you're already a decent putter without this aid.
Here is the Cameron design...
 
 

Did you have that when we played? That’d explain all the putts you snuck in . Kinda thinking about making one of these in our workshop...



In the bag
Driver: Callaway Rogue Subzero 9.5 Stiff flex
3 wood: Callaway Rogue Subzero 15 degree
Hybrids: 17 degree titleist 816 h2
Irons: Ben Hogan Ptx 22-46 degree (4-pw)stiff flex standard lie
Wedges: Callaway Mac Daddy 4 50,54,58 degrees
Putter: Odyssey EXO seven

Gig’em Aggies!