Ball marking liners

[b_kim777]

Whats the deal with those tools that put a line down the equator of your golf ball to help you line up your putts.

Are these things legal or is it strictly for practicing.

I totally thought that they were practice tools, but then I heard that during the PGA Championship that Tiger put a small line on his ball to help him putt.

Thoughts?

Also, if any of you do use this, do you find it helpful?

[Grass Roots Tour]

I used one for a while but found it too time consuming trying to line up the balls' line to my intended putting line. I'd line the ball up and stand back, crouch down checking the line, go back adjust the ball, repeat.

Bailed on the line thing due to too much time required. Obviously I don't have 5 hours to play tournaments as a twosome every week.

[el tigre]

Whats the deal with those tools that put a line down the equator of your golf ball to help you line up your putts.

Are these things legal or is it strictly for practicing.

I totally thought that they were practice tools, but then I heard that during the PGA Championship that Tiger put a small line on his ball to help him putt.

Thoughts?

Also, if any of you do use this, do you find it helpful? Yes, they are legal and they are helpful. Not only is it useful for lining up your putts, but at the same time it is also a good way to put an identifying mark on your ball. When I find a Titleist DT Solo with a black line on it, I'm 99% sure it's mine. Of course, if you play Top Flite XL3000's then a little more marking may be required.:D

There is a little bit of time involved, but unless you go through a lot of balls in a season it shouldn't be too bad. Whenever I open a box, I mark the whole dozen at once and drop them in my bag.

[rockwalls]

its legal yes and one thing more, its supposed to find the center of the ball where it would roll "truer" and not off balanced apart from helping one lining up the ball...i don't use it but i do line up my ball where the label is towards the cup.

[Raptured]

What rockwalls is talking about is something similar to the Check-Go machine. It's like $40 dollars, and actually spins your ball at a very fast rate until it finds the balls centre of gravity, and then allows you to mark your ball at that equator. If you putt using that line, the ball should roll truer. It's said that putting along this line may save you a putt every few rounds, but for me being the weekend golfer, I'm not sure it's worth it.
The 5-10 dollar plastic gizmo's that you just stick on your ball and mark your ball. They don't find the centre of gravity of the ball but just help you line it up. I also find it very time consuming to use it to line up my ball, but found it worth it if I have the time, and yes it's totally legal.

[rockwalls]

dave pelz showed another one of doing this in his book but its the neanderthal way where you'd have to use a jar filled with water and some solution of some sort ...i don't even remember anymore ....anyway, like raptured, i find it a bit time consuming too and i just line it up and putt my intended line. one important bit to remember is to always wipe your ball as clean as possible before putting; even those small specs on the ball can put it off line. that i think is just as important as setting on your intended line..

[Flogger]

I've been marking mine with a sharpie on the equator for the last few weeks and have found it to be very helpful. Not only for putting alignment, but also use it to align off the tee.

[AnnikaFan]

been meaning to buy one of those gadgets..but too lazy....but i have always been using the logo..since its usually around an inch long..so i just use that

[tjhayko]

I use the logo as well. Some of the balls I play (MaxFli Rev Tour, Precept PWRDrive) have logos on them with arrows at either end which make this a bit easier.

Mikemakeitso has one of those battery operated balance gadgets in conjunction with a line marking cup. We tease him about it, but if he thinks it works for him, more power to him.

[Greywolf]

Like the others have said, it is legal. I got one of those Check Go gadgets for Xmas, I use it all the time, I believe it works for me which is all good when it comes to putting. I balance all my golf balls now, if I happen to use one in my bag which is not balanced, I am never sure about its roll.:eek:


dave pelz showed another one of doing this in his book but its the neanderthal way where you'd have to use a jar filled with water and some solution of some sort

rockwalls, it was Epsom salt that Dave Pelz used in that demonstration.

[Mule56]

Also, if any of you do use this, do you find it helpful?
I bought a Check-Go two years ago and use it on every ball. I use the line to line up my tee shots and putts. I can't remember the last time I had over 30 putts in a round. Last weekend I had a round with 23 putts.
Is it the line that helps? Could be. With the success I have had am I going to change anything? Nope.

[Raptured]

Mule, to putt 23, you must have a good putting stroke too :D

I couldn't 23 putt if all the green were completely flat and I was perfectly aligned on every one of my putts hehehe :)

[mikemakeitso]

I bought a Check-Go two years ago and use it on every ball. I use the line to line up my tee shots and putts. I can't remember the last time I had over 30 putts in a round. Last weekend I had a round with 23 putts.
Is it the line that helps? Could be. With the success I have had am I going to change anything? Nope.
I have one of those gadgets as well, I question how much it's helping though. I think my new putter has made the biggest difference.

[dryl]

are you getting a straight line with that checkgo machine?

i won one in a golf tourney and quickly gave up on it...

i've got about 30 balls with squiggly lines running down the equator but nothing straight...

i went back to the plastic sleeve method...

less visually distracting...

i do find it helps out TONNES as far as lining up putts and feeling confident before you step up to stroke...

[klink1983]

its all in the head, i use the look, read, and putt method myself. sometimes i miss, most of the time i dont. if u become dependant on this thing, and then decide to try without it, your putting will most likely go crappy really fast.


all this line on the ball aligning the chi of your golfball with the universe is just a bunch of crap wanting decent hard working people to buy their stuff. waste of moneys if you ask me.

[jsunsun]

are you getting a straight line with that checkgo machine?

..
i have one, and yes they do get straight lines for. though it is harder for premium balls vs. low end balls. when i spin my prov1s, because they are already very well balanced, its harder for the check-go to pick out the inbalances, thus the straight line does wobble a bit... regardless, it still always pick out the same approx equator. on the other hand, if i spin top flites, because they are low end, and relatively quite inbalanced, check-go consistently picks up the in balance right away, so often get very straight lines. that's my experience.

i do draw lines on my balls at first, but have gotten lazy to do so... though it does help with putts, but do take a lot of time to line up. and when there is a line, and you're too lazy to actually line it up to proper direction for your putts, it's extremely distracting!!!

[Greywolf]

its all in the head, i use the look, read, and putt method myself. sometimes i miss, most of the time i dont. if u become dependant on this thing, and then decide to try without it, your putting will most likely go crappy really fast.


all this line on the ball aligning the chi of your golfball with the universe is just a bunch of crap wanting decent hard working people to buy their stuff. waste of moneys if you ask me.

Most of golf is mental, you have to go with what works for you. :)

[Mule56]

I have one of those gadgets as well, I question how much it's helping though. Mike,
I changed putters, twice, worked all winter (and still am) on my putting stroke, but I still have that line on the ball. Most likely a combination of all three. With the success I've been having, I can't bring myself to stop with the line. While others are putting, I'm stocking my line and soon as I see it, I move into my marker set the ball with the line pointing to my target, go through my routine and let it go.
I think the line lets me focus on speed, as I am now committed to the target. Once less thing to think about. As far as finding the balance point of the ball, well if that's happening too, great.
Mule

[Greywolf]

Mike,
I changed putters, twice, worked all winter (and still am) on my putting stroke, but I still have that line on the ball. Most likely a combination of all three. With the success I've been having, I can't bring myself to stop with the line. While others are putting, I'm stocking my line and soon as I see it, I move into my marker set the ball with the line pointing to my target, go through my routine and let it go.
I think the line lets me focus on speed, as I am now committed to the target. Once less thing to think about. As far as finding the balance point of the ball, well if that's happening too, great.
Mule

I feel exactly the same as you, are we related? :D

[Flogger]

I have one of those gadgets as well, I question how much it's helping though...
I know it helps me make fun of you when you bring that gyro-gadget-salad-spinner thing out on the first tee :rofl: .

[Mule56]

I feel exactly the same as you, are we related? :DBrothers from different mothers? Two golfs nuts swiming in a fish bowl?
Mule

[Boagz]

there was a show on the golf channel a while back showing how to mark a line on the balance point of the ball and all it takes is a quick look to see the seperation of the balls halves. A golf ball has only one line on the entire ball that goes straight around the ball and this is the line that u should mark your line on...take a look sometime and u will see just this.....i found it helped me alot and saved me the time and money in going to purchase one of those gadgets!

but who knows this could also be a gimic , but i do believe it has helped out my putting alot.

boagz

[tjhayko]

I know it helps me make fun of you when you bring that gyro-gadget-salad-spinner thing out on the first tee :rofl: .

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I love the salad spinner reference. I never thought of that one. You've got share those...

[Grass Roots Tour]

Brothers from different mothers? Two golfs nuts swiming in a fish bowl?
Mule

Sniffin each others a**'s? :eek: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Greywolf]

there was a show on the golf channel a while back showing how to mark a line on the balance point of the ball and all it takes is a quick look to see the seperation of the balls halves. A golf ball has only one line on the entire ball that goes straight around the ball and this is the line that u should mark your line on...take a look sometime and u will see just this.....i found it helped me alot and saved me the time and money in going to purchase one of those gadgets!

but who knows this could also be a gimic , but i do believe it has helped out my putting alot.

boagz

What about seamless golf balls like the Precept U-Tri Tour?

[Greywolf]

Sniffin each others a**'s? :eek: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:hush:

[el tigre]

there was a show on the golf channel a while back showing how to mark a line on the balance point of the ball and all it takes is a quick look to see the seperation of the balls halves. A golf ball has only one line on the entire ball that goes straight around the ball and this is the line that u should mark your line on...take a look sometime and u will see just this.....i found it helped me alot and saved me the time and money in going to purchase one of those gadgets!

but who knows this could also be a gimic , but i do believe it has helped out my putting alot.

boagz The ball's balance line has nothing to do with the seam of the golf ball.

Using the balance line for putting has been done for many, many years and it is not a gimmick. The Wilson "True" golf ball commercials from a few years ago merely reminded everyone about it. The "gadget" merely makes it much easier to find the balance line than the old method involving water and epsom salt (it is described in Pelz's Putting Bible, if you really want to save a few bucks).

It does not make a bad putter into a good putter. It just elimates one more variable in missed putts. It is more useful if your putts tend to "die at the hole" and less useful if you prefer to putt through the break. But if you're not good at reading greens and/or you don't putt on the line you're aiming for, it is not going to help you very much...

...except for providing a reference point on the ball to line up to. Everyone can benefit from lining up their putts, whether you draw a line on the ball, line up with the logo or whatever. If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it everytime!

[Focker Singh]

I just started using the $9 ball liner thingy this year since I've always been lining up the label and I figured the line is much easier to see. I find it very helpful but I'm not sure if its saved me strokes or not. A lot has to do with the actual putting stroke. I have been missed so many putts because of improper speed more than being off line.

[TeetoGrnr]

started using the logo or words on the ball to line up putts very recently and found it made a huge difference on those somewhat shorter putts because I can really focus in on speed only and felt more confident that the putter was lined up properly. The putting stroke ended up much smoother somehow. Those who don't believe it should try it on straight 6 footers. Line it up, focus on speed and stroke it. Smoooooth.

I was surfing on the net and got to Pelz's website and found these O-BALLS. Wacky lines all over it.
http://www.pelzgolf.com/ProShop/OBall/Default.aspx?s=3&p=1
He says they're legal and that they can help you hone your putting stroke to be true (no spin). Anyone interested in buying a dozen ($50 USD) and sell off in 3's for us to practice at home with. Pretty hard for someone to draw those lines themselves! Check it out.