Properly aligning putts is a fundamental skill all golfers try to accomplish. There are many different reasons or influences that can make this skill challenging. Whether the ball is in the proper position, how we square the putter face to the aim line, or if our stroke is conducive to a straight putt, aligning a putt is very important to lower golf scores. Is there a simple way to improve our putting alignment or are we cursed for ever to play the hope game on the greens.

One of the many ways to set up a putt is to draw lines on our ball as a guide. We set these lines parallel to our aim point and set up our putter to hit to that spot. Just about all golfers I know use this method of alignment. The challenge with this process is that it only works if your putter head is square to your target line. Seems like a simple thing, but I am not always sure it is when I stand over the ball. (as shown in the image) Ensuring our putter face is perpendicular to the aim line is something all golfers try to ensure when using this method of putting.

What would you say if I told you that we might be 90° out of alignment? Michael Breed has another suggestion. One that will help with our setup and putter face position. He offers the premise that changing the way we set the ball on the ground using the line we drew and the alignment line on the ball will improve our putting.

I have to say that I like where he is going with this idea. Using our drawn line differently makes complete sense to me. Of course I will have to try this in my basement later today, but this simple change in line position offers the potential for a tremendous amount of feedback while practicing. It might even offer a solution to putting woes when on the green. I will let you know how things work out.

Putting alignment is critical to successful putting. I realize that this statement is a ‘no brainer’ however, it is often overlooked when practicing. We drop a pile of balls on the putting area and hit away without focusing on if we are setup or aligned properly. We will hit a ball and adjust our aim point instead of ensuring we are developing a consistent, repeatable, and sustainable putting stroke. Using a line on our golf ball will help establish if our putter face is square or not. And this is critical to lowering our golf scores.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!