Jump to content
TESTERS WANTED! ×

Line On Your Golf Ball?


joen

Recommended Posts

I like a line on my ball. Vice actually prints a nice line on their balls. I've been using the Pro+ lately and love it

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

Driver: Taylormade M3 440cc 9* 45.25" Diamana D+ 70 x-flex

3w - Taylormade RBZ stage 2 tour 14.5* Fujikura 70 s-flex std length

Hybrid - Mizuno JPX 850 s-flex std length. 

Irons: Nike VR Forged Pro Combo 4-PW. Project X 6.5 flighted shafts ⅜" gapping. 39.25" 5 iron 2* upright

Wedges- Titlist Vokey SM6 51*, 55*, 59* 2* upright

Putter - Machine M10 adjuster, no sight line. 35.5"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
I'm the opposite. I like to see nothing so I turn the ball when putting so it's a clean area I look at. Anything else is just distracting.

I'm with you, last thing I need before a shot or putt is the thought "what if I lined it up wrong." I have a habit of thinking too much before I make a stroke as it is.

Driver: TS2 9.5 stiff
3 Wood: 915 F stiff
3 Hybrid: 915 HD
4-PW: 710 AP2
Wedges: 50, 56, 60 Vokey SM6
Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport M1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Bonks said:


I'm with you, last thing I need before a shot or putt is the thought "what if I lined it up wrong." I have a habit of thinking too much before I make a stroke as it is.

Driver: TS2 9.5 stiff
3 Wood: 915 F stiff
3 Hybrid: 915 HD
4-PW: 710 AP2
Wedges: 50, 56, 60 Vokey SM6
Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport M1
 

I find the line on the ball discussion interesting.  Everyone is different, and you have to go with what's comfortable for you.  I like the line, but my wife doesn't.  I'm a better putter than she is, so obviously I think she should use the line, and that's when the argument starts!!  lol

As I've said previously, I need the line because I am not looking at the ball when I make a stroke.  I line up the ball to my intended line and align my putter to the line on the ball.  At that point I forget about whether or not "I lined it up wrong".  It is what it is.  My focus is purely on the speed of the putt I've chosen for the line I selected.

For those that don't use a line, I have to ask... OK, without a line you are not second guessing your alignment, but how do you know that you have set up square to the ball and strike the ball on a line to the hole that you think you should be using?  How can you be sure that you are doing the same thing for every putt?  I'm curious because my wife quit answering questions about her putting.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

I find the line on the ball discussion interesting.  Everyone is different, and you have to go with what's comfortable for you.  I like the line, but my wife doesn't.  I'm a better putter than she is, so obviously I think she should use the line, and that's when the argument starts!!  lol

As I've said previously, I need the line because I am not looking at the ball when I make a stroke.  I line up the ball to my intended line and align my putter to the line on the ball.  At that point I forget about whether or not "I lined it up wrong".  It is what it is.  My focus is purely on the speed of the putt I've chosen for the line I selected.

For those that don't use a line, I have to ask... OK, without a line you are not second guessing your alignment, but how do you know that you have set up square to the ball and strike the ball on a line to the hole that you think you should be using?  How can you be sure that you are doing the same thing for every putt?  I'm curious because my wife quit answering questions about her putting.

Fair question, and I don't have a great answer.  I guess that through experience and practice I have learned to line myself up with my intended starting line.  I do this much the same way I line myself up on any other shot in golf, I select the line, I set the club down perpendicular to the line, and i move my feet into position.  I don't use an intermediate target either, I just do my best to set my putter perpendicular to the intended start line.  I check it a couple of times with quick looks at a point about hole-high and on that start line (might even call it an aimpoint), to help reinforce the right distance feel, and take my stroke, hopefully back and forward along that same start line (OK, a slight arc, but tangent to the line at impact).  And unlike @Kenny B, I try to keep my focus on the ball as I make the stroke, in order to keep my body still.  I've found that if I follow the putterhead with my eyes, my body will move just a little, and my start line becomes erratic.

In my opinion, I just think its difficult to set a line that's only 1.6 inches long accurately enough.  If you're off by only 1/16" front to back (that's -1/32 at the front, -1/32 at the back), you end up being off by almost 4 inches at 10 feet.  You only have 2 inches each side of center to play with.  Not to mention, you have to have the line directly on top of the ball, and your eyes directly over the ball, or else you're looking at a curve, not a line.  For those who are helped by the line, great.  Its just not my choice.

 

:titleist-small: Irons Titleist T200, AMT Red stiff

:callaway-small:Rogue SubZero, GD YS-Six X

:mizuno-small: T22 54 and 58 wedges

:mizuno-small: 7-wood

:Sub70: 5-wood

 B60 G5i putter

Right handed

Reston, Virginia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

41 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

For those that don't use a line, I have to ask... OK, without a line you are not second guessing your alignment, but how do you know that you have set up square to the ball and strike the ball on a line to the hole that you think you should be using?  How can you be sure that you are doing the same thing for every putt?  I'm curious because my wife quit answering questions about her putting.

I go back and forth whether I'm using the line or not.  I really don't see significant differences in my putting when I do and when I don't.  But, it does make my ball easier to identify in the fairway (or more commonly, the rough).

When not using a line, and even when using the line, I use the aim line and markings on my putter to square the ball to my intended line by picking out a spot directly in front of the ball on my intended line.  I try to pick a very small point a couple of inches in front of the ball then feel as if the putter face passes over that point through impact.

Driver: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max (10.5* set at -1 and neutral) -- Mitsubishi Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Fairway: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 3 wood (16.5*) and Heaven Wood (20*)-- Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Hybrids: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 5H (23*)--Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Irons:  :callaway-small: Apex CF19 6-9, PW, AW -- KBS Tour Graphite  TGI 70 shafts R +1/2 inch 3* upright

Wedges: Edison 53* and  57* KBS PGI 80 Graphite +1/2 inch 2* upright

Putter: L.A.B. DF 2.1 -- BGT Stability shaft

Ball:  Maxfli TourX...Golf Bag: :ping-small: Pioneer...Shoes: :footjoy-small: Hyperflex... Glove: Red Rooster Feather

 

My Photography can be seen at Smugmug

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/6/2019 at 4:30 AM, perseveringgolfer said:

I'm the opposite. I like to see nothing so I turn the ball when putting so it's a clean area I look at. Anything else is just distracting.

Me too I turn the ball, when i look down nothing but white. The line isn't useful, if you don't read the line of the putt correctly. It does cause a lot if fiddling lineing it up to what you precieve. Or not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find the line on the ball discussion interesting.  Everyone is different, and you have to go with what's comfortable for you.  I like the line, but my wife doesn't.  I'm a better putter than she is, so obviously I think she should use the line, and that's when the argument starts!!  lol
As I've said previously, I need the line because I am not looking at the ball when I make a stroke.  I line up the ball to my intended line and align my putter to the line on the ball.  At that point I forget about whether or not "I lined it up wrong".  It is what it is.  My focus is purely on the speed of the putt I've chosen for the line I selected.
For those that don't use a line, I have to ask... OK, without a line you are not second guessing your alignment, but how do you know that you have set up square to the ball and strike the ball on a line to the hole that you think you should be using?  How can you be sure that you are doing the same thing for every putt?  I'm curious because my wife quit answering questions about her putting.
There really isn't a good answer I can give lol. I trust that I've lined it up correctly and make a good stroke. I know for myself, aim isn't as big of a problem as tempo is 95% of the time. I'd also leave the wife's putting alone if I were you lol.

Driver: TS2 9.5 stiff
3 Wood: 915 F stiff
3 Hybrid: 915 HD
4-PW: 710 AP2
Wedges: 50, 56, 60 Vokey SM6
Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport M1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, DaveP043 said:

Fair question, and I don't have a great answer.  I guess that through experience and practice I have learned to line myself up with my intended starting line.  I do this much the same way I line myself up on any other shot in golf, I select the line, I set the club down perpendicular to the line, and i move my feet into position.  I don't use an intermediate target either, I just do my best to set my putter perpendicular to the intended start line.  I check it a couple of times with quick looks at a point about hole-high and on that start line (might even call it an aimpoint), to help reinforce the right distance feel, and take my stroke, hopefully back and forward along that same start line (OK, a slight arc, but tangent to the line at impact).  And unlike @Kenny B, I try to keep my focus on the ball as I make the stroke, in order to keep my body still.  I've found that if I follow the putterhead with my eyes, my body will move just a little, and my start line becomes erratic.

In my opinion, I just think its difficult to set a line that's only 1.6 inches long accurately enough.  If you're off by only 1/16" front to back (that's -1/32 at the front, -1/32 at the back), you end up being off by almost 4 inches at 10 feet.  You only have 2 inches each side of center to play with.  Not to mention, you have to have the line directly on top of the ball, and your eyes directly over the ball, or else you're looking at a curve, not a line.  For those who are helped by the line, great.  Its just not my choice.

 

This was the main reason I quit looking at the ball.  I was a terrible putter; anything would probably help!!  I figured out that when I looked at the ball, I could not get a feel for the speed of the putt, but more importantly my head moved because I would look up too quickly to see the result.  Couldn't break that habit.  

As far as the 1.6 inch line, I think I can line it up just as accurately as anyone can line up a putt with no reference whether there is a line on the putter or not.  I also use a reference line to ensure my putter is perpendicular to the line on the ball.

As I was writing this, I was trying to think of any pro that doesn't line up the ball, but maybe I am only focused on those that do.  I will be more cognizant of this in future tournaments.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I'm kind of surprised that nobody has linked this particular study

https://mygolfspy.com/mgs-labs-line-vs-no-line/

 

I made the same comments on the test as I do now.  

To me, I would not be able to draw the same conclusion as MGS did.  The tester information is not provided.  Do all of the testers use a line normally?  Do all of the testers never use a line normally?  Was it 5 vs 5?  Was the Ping Cadence TR Ketch the normal putter for any of them?  Do the testers normally use a mallet putter or face-balanced putter?  Does their normal putter have lines?  Do the results for each distance for each tester correlate with their normal putting performance using their normal putter?  That is, were all testers good putters that can read greens or were some testers green-reading challenged?

I'm not saying that the results are incorrect; I'm saying that I would like more information before making that conclusion.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/5/2019 at 10:05 PM, mackdaddy said:

Having a bad knee has made using a line nearly impossible.  I can't get into a squat and line the line up for the putt.  I did for years.  Now that I have stopped using the line I have changed my putting style.  I read my putts by going to the low point on the line and looking back to find the point on the cup where the ball has to enter.  I look at that spot and gage how high above that line I have to aim for the ball to enter at my spot.  Then I stroke the putt.   I make way more putts now than I did when I putted with a line.

I hope there aren’t any teenagers here, they may not be able to read this.😁

Lefties are always in their Right Mind

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use different tools to get a straight line. Helps with alignment for certain.

Sent using the MyGolfSpy mobile app

Driver:    :ping-small: i20 8.5*, Project X Blue, stiff

Fairway Woods:   :taylormade-small: r9 3W 15*, r9 5W 19* Fujikura Motore 70 stiff

Irons:    :ping-small: i210's 4-UW

Wedges:  :ping-small: Glide 2.0 55* :callaway-small: MD3 Milled S Grind 60* 

Putter:    :ping-small: B60i Isopur

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use three parallel lines (like the new Callaway concept).  One line is a bit difficult for me to line up properly, but the three help me pretty well.

Instagram:  @tony_rosselli_

:SuperSpeed:Training

Pre training max driver speed: 124mph

Current: 130mph

WITB:

Driver: :ping-small:G425 Max, 9*

Woods: :taylormade-small: 2007 Burner TP 3 wood and 5 wood

Irons:  :srixon-small: Z765 4-PW (1 degree flat) with KBS $-130 shafts

Wedges:  :vokey-small: SM7 50/12/F, 54/10/S and 58/12/D

Putter:  L.A.B. Directed Force 2.1

Ball:  :titelist-small: ProV1

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I use a line for putting alignment. With the Taylormade Spider Tour III which has no alignment line on the top of the putter head, it works good for me. Second, for establishing a reference point with the driver (or 3-wood/hybrid/irons) off the tee. It gives my left eye something to focus on for squaring the club face at impact. Works good for me.

Edited by ward

~ ward ~

Driver: Callaway B21 9.5 Degrees. Graphite Design XC6 S Flex 43.5" Length. Golf Pride CP2 MidSize Wrap / 3-Wood: Cobra F7 @ 16 Degrees / Aldila MSI 95 70g 3.3 Stiff. Golf Pride CP2 MidSize Wrap / Hybrid: Callway BB Alpha 815 @ 20 Degrees / Speeder 865 Shaft / Irons: Srixon z785. Modus NS Pro 120 (Stiff). Golf Pride CP2 MidSize Wrap / Wedges: Titleist Vokey - SM5 F Grind 50 degree (-1 degree) 08 Degrees of Bounce (-1 degree), SM5 S Grind 54 degree (-1 degree) 10 Degrees of Bounce, SM5 M Grind 58 degree 08 Degrees of Bounce. Golf Pride CP2 MidSize Wrap.

Putter: Odyssey.

Golf Ball: Srixon Z Star.

Cart Bag: Sun Mountain C130.
Carry Bag: Big Max.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to do this often but recently stopped and just place the ball writing down. Previously I would line the ball of and then once I stood up it looked like it was going 2 cups to the side of the hole on a straight putt so it kind of messed with me a bit

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/8/2019 at 12:56 PM, Tomkgolf said:

I used to do this often but recently stopped and just place the ball writing down. Previously I would line the ball of and then once I stood up it looked like it was going 2 cups to the side of the hole on a straight putt so it kind of messed with me a bit

I agree. I tried a few rounds using the line on the ball and my putts per round went up, not good. After lining the ball up (if I could get it lined up without the ball rolling over or shifting and moving the line), it always looked off after I stood over it. I was finding it hard to commit to the line and when I did, it definitely didn't help. I have much less putts per round when I don't use the line and when I do it just slows down my round and negatively affects my game. That's just me though. I feel like a lot of my green-reading comes from reading the green at a distance behind the ball and then confirmed once I set up to the ball and can feel the slope with my feet. Sometimes what I lined up with the line would disagree with what I was feeling/seeing once I was over the ball.

In the Bag:

Driver: :callaway-small: Callaway Rogue 9° (Project X Hazardous Yellow 76g 6.0 Stiff Flex)

3 Wood: :callaway-small: Callaway Diablo Edge Tour 15° (Stiff Flex)

Hybrid: :titelist-small: Titleist 816 H2 19° (Fujikura Motore Tour Spec Stiff Flex)

Irons: :ping-small: Ping i E1 4i-UW (Ping CFS Stiff Flex)

Wedges: :mizuno-small: Mizuno T7 54°/9°; :cleveland-small: Cleveland RTX 3 58°/8°

Putter: :odyssey-small: Odyssey O-Works Versa #7 (33", Super Stroke Pistol GT)

Ball: :srixon-small: Srixon Z-Star

Other: image.png.1a836b4c89a21e13ee937550f4016dae.png Shot Scope V2 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don’t use a line. I don’t even look at the ball.. I focus on the putter face and the speed. The ball is just in the way.


Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

:ping-small:G430LST 10.5° on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Driver 

:ping-small:G430MAX 3w  on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Fairway 

:ping-small:G425 3H on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Hybrid 

:taylormade-small:P790 Black 4-A 
on :kbs: TGI 80S
 

:mizuno-small: ES21 54-8° & 58-12° on :kbs: Hi Rev

:L.A.B.:DF2.1 on :accra: White

:titelist-small: ProV1  

:918457628_PrecisionPro: Precision Pro  NX7 Pro

All Iron grips are BestGrips Micro-Perforated Mid

Driver, 3w, 3H are JumboMax JMX UltraLite XS 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...