How to Perfectly Line Up Your Putt
Every golfer knows the frustration of missing a makeable putt. With only a few feet to cover between your ball and the hole, and not much break to consider, you felt like you could knock it in – until you sent it rolling and watched it slide just past the edge of the cup.
What happened? While there are a few possibilities here, one likely reason for missing such a putt is poor alignment. If you don’t get lined up correctly from the start, it’s going to be difficult to consistently make your putts throughout the day. Let’s dive into some basic putting alignment tips to help you avoid this fate in your next round.
Get Specific
Without a doubt, the biggest mistake golfers make when lining up for a putt is not picking a specific target. No, it’s not good enough to just aim “at the hole” and hope for the best. You want to be as specific as possible for each putt, such as picking out a blade of grass that you want to roll the ball over as it travels toward the cup.
Use the Alignment Guide
When you set your Piper Golf ball down on the green – you are using a Piper ball, right? – align the alignment guide with your selected target to give yourself a visual cue. This is not something you are allowed to do anywhere else on the course, but it’s fair game on the green. Take advantage of the opportunity to help yourself line up as precisely as possible for each putt.
Pick an Intermediate Target
It can be difficult to align yourself properly with the cup when it is quite a distance away. As you read your putts, consider picking out an “intermediate target” that is only a foot or two in front of your ball. Then, change your focus and make that the spot that you are trying to hit. Just get the ball rolling over that spot and watch it track toward the cup from there.
Trust Your Chosen Line
This is a sneaky mistake that is easy to make and can cost you in a big way. Once you stand over your ball, trust the alignment you’ve settled on while reading the putt. In other words, resist the temptation to stand over the ball and tell yourself “actually, it will probably break a little more than I thought”. You have the best view of the putt before you take your stance to make a stroke, so trust that read and commit to it fully.
It's the combination of a good read, proper alignment, and a quality stroke that results in the ball falling to the bottom of the cup. Spend some time working on your alignment during an upcoming practice session to make sure your aim is dialed-in perfectly.
What happened? While there are a few possibilities here, one likely reason for missing such a putt is poor alignment. If you don’t get lined up correctly from the start, it’s going to be difficult to consistently make your putts throughout the day. Let’s dive into some basic putting alignment tips to help you avoid this fate in your next round.
Get Specific
Without a doubt, the biggest mistake golfers make when lining up for a putt is not picking a specific target. No, it’s not good enough to just aim “at the hole” and hope for the best. You want to be as specific as possible for each putt, such as picking out a blade of grass that you want to roll the ball over as it travels toward the cup.
Use the Alignment Guide
When you set your Piper Golf ball down on the green – you are using a Piper ball, right? – align the alignment guide with your selected target to give yourself a visual cue. This is not something you are allowed to do anywhere else on the course, but it’s fair game on the green. Take advantage of the opportunity to help yourself line up as precisely as possible for each putt.
Pick an Intermediate Target
It can be difficult to align yourself properly with the cup when it is quite a distance away. As you read your putts, consider picking out an “intermediate target” that is only a foot or two in front of your ball. Then, change your focus and make that the spot that you are trying to hit. Just get the ball rolling over that spot and watch it track toward the cup from there.
Trust Your Chosen Line
This is a sneaky mistake that is easy to make and can cost you in a big way. Once you stand over your ball, trust the alignment you’ve settled on while reading the putt. In other words, resist the temptation to stand over the ball and tell yourself “actually, it will probably break a little more than I thought”. You have the best view of the putt before you take your stance to make a stroke, so trust that read and commit to it fully.
It's the combination of a good read, proper alignment, and a quality stroke that results in the ball falling to the bottom of the cup. Spend some time working on your alignment during an upcoming practice session to make sure your aim is dialed-in perfectly.
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