Putting dilemma

Hi guys and gals,
I have been practicing my putting on a piece of putting carpet with a ball returner.The problem I have is that the line I have on the ball, lined up with the machine is giving me poor results when compared with shots by eye and instinct. What is going on? Are all the professionals wrong? Or are there some doing it by instinct or eye?
I have a straight edge drawn down the centre of the carpet and I line the balls up on it.
So I have to be hitting the ball off centre for them to be going astray. So why am I getting better results by eye from anywhere on the carpet?
Results on the course vary as well. One day I win the club comp. the next I can't sink a putt when shooting with the line.
Thanks

Classic Feel-player. Mechanical methods are probably not your style. Until you get details on angles, pictures, video, etc...we can't explain the reasons why, I would start out with the idea that you should trust your eye and feel first and be happy to win that way.

Hi Peter,

Just a thought.

The line on the ball should work if your putting stroke strikes the ball square to the line on the ball, i.e. the face perpendicular and without cutting or pushing (which creates side spin) to the line at the point of impact.

Players can have success with different putting stances and techniques. For instance, some line up left, and make a out to in stroke and cut the ball into the hole. Billy Mayfield did that for years and he was a good putter. He said he did not realize that he did it.

Perhaps your stroke is not giving you square contact. When you putt without the line on the ball, the stroke is going on auto control and like Billy Mayfield you get the ball in the hole. However, when the line is on the ball, and you try to stroke along that line, that does not take into account that the stroke itself is not giving you square contact on that line.

The test of if you are making square contact is, of course, on a straight putt, when you stoke the ball with the line on it, the ball should roll with the line rolling on itself and not wobbling one way or the other.

You can do drills to improve the squareness of contact on the practice green. Stick tees about 2" apart in two rows spaced a bit wider than the blade of the putter. If you are an arc putter, the rows should form an arc. between Make your stroke and try not to hit the tees with the toe and heel of the putter..

Ted

Greg and Ted,
Remember awhile ago I had quite a bit cut of the length of my putter,it ended up about the length of a juniors.From there it hangs nicely in a comfortable stance for me. But i have been thinking it seems to be a little light and this I think is causing some instability in my stroke.I am straight putter definatley not an arc so my thinking is that without the line my brain trys to compensate as the putter comes threw and does a pretty good job of it.I think if I stablize the putter with a little extra weight and use the line I could be a good putter.Small glitch, my putter is not made to add or remove weight.Could lead tape be the answer?Anyway it is all just a theory. What do you think?
Regards Peter

Hi Peter,

Greg and I posted at the same time as you see, and it turns out we gave the same opinion that you are seeing and making the stroke based on your own perception.

On another thread earlier today, I made the comment about the change in the swingweight of the putter, when you cut it down.

If you feel the feel of weight in the head is lacking, lead tape is fine. Build it up a bit at a time, until it feels good. As you are a pendulum putter and if you have a face balanced putter, it might be good to put the weights equally on the toe and heel ends.

Ted

Hi Ted,
Sounds like good advice.It might take me a while to get the tape as our pro shop is useless and it is a 250 km round trip to the nearest golf shop.I will let you know how I go. Thanks for the help guys. Just one thing are there many pros who don't line up.Sounds like a dumb question but I really am inexperienced, don't have cable, so see relatively no golf.
Regards Peter

Hi Peter,

As a pure guess from what I see, the number of pros that use the line on the ball or the lettering on the balls (like "Extreme Distance") may be 30%. Some are pure feel putters and that would be a distraction.

I think they particularly fuss with the lining up on short putts.

I don't use it myself.

Ted

You may want to consider adding weight to the grip end o f the putter. It may be overall weight that you are missing, more than swingweight.

FWIW, I consider myself a "feel" putter, although I was originally instructed many years ago to use the logo as an alignment guide. It never "took". Lately, I’ve been thinking about working some with a line or the logo for short putts. It can certainly help reveal tendencies/faults.

I used to fiddle a lot with my equipment a lot.

I used to take strands of solder wire, twist them into a tapered spiral to match the taper of the shaft and pack them down inside of the shaft, and pour down some epoxy. This created an extremely heavy overall putter, which was weighted from top to bottom. When you think of it, there's The Heavy Putter on the market now, and the Momentus has the same idea.

I must say, that idea was not that good, as there was no release.

Ted

Hi Ted,you are dead right ,I find the line an annoying distraction but was persisting because I thought that was how it was done and sooner or later it will all come together.I now feel a sense of freedom just putting them in without fiddling around to get that last fraction of an inch right.I am fairly sure it needs the extra weight at the bottom so I will start there.I am going work on my wife about going to drumond golf,the sticking point is I have a credit card and I will be like a kid in a toy shop.
My thanks again guys,Peter

Peter,

You can use the line on the ball when on the practice green. It will help you make a stroke which will give you square contact, as you strive to get the ball rolling with the line running end over end.

When you play, if you find the line and the associated fiddling a detraction, ditch the idea.

Ted

My observation of players using the line on the ball is part of target line putting process. As a part of the green reading process they first estimate where the target point is on the target line passing through the hole. They then place the ball so that the ball line is in the direction of this point. Then, when they are ready to align their feet, they can use this ball line as an aid in doing so.

Perhaps this was already discussed above. If so, my apologies. 1When I see what you are describing it is usually when the player, after taking their stance, and setting their putter head behind ball start to have second thoughts. Their club face may look open or closed, and they re-adjust the club face before making their stroke to make it look square to their intended line.

Another issue might be you have the wrong putter for your type of putting stroke. Face balanced putter are supposed to work better for straight back, straight forward stroke. A putter weighted with toe hang is supposed to work better with an arc stroke. Depending on how a golfer mis-matches these scenarios, they can miss straight, level putts left, or right, unless other compensations are made in set up, and alignment.

GJS

I follow a set routine when I putt. I read the break, use the arrow marker line on my Srixon AD333 ball to align with my initial putting direction, I then align my feet with the ball line, take some practice swings while looking at the projected ball path so that I can feel the weight, I ensure my eyes are over the ball then slide my putter head behind the ball so that it is centered and aligned, take a look along the ball to the hole path, make a mental photo of the back of the hole, bring my eyes back along the hole to ball line, fix my focus on the balls arrow marker line then maintaining the long triangle with my arms I take the putter back with a steady tempo and slightly accelerate it back and through, my head remains still until the ball has gone or I hear it drop into the hole.

Sounds a lot but in reality it only takes a short time, it works for me and makes my putting reliable and repeatable, I consider myself a fairly good putter. I find that most low handicap players and professionals have a good putting routiene and most higher handicappers have a poor one.

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Best Regards
Brian

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Funny o'l game!