There are some that draw a line on their ball as a putting aid – when you lift your ball off a green,it is necessary to mark it with your ball marker.

Is it necessary to mark your ball if you are not lifting it but just turning it to line up the intended putting path with the line on the ball?

I always mark mine and lift it, pretend to dust it a bit, then replace it and line it up just to solve any issues.

I would think turning a ball on the spot still constitutes moving the ball so you must follow the procedures for marking and lifting. You would not be entitled to align the ball off the green unless there was some other entitlement to lift and place.

I always mark mine and lift it, pretend to dust it a bit, then replace it and line it up just to solve any issues.

yes, me too – I notice that some playing pros leave their marker on the green with the ball in place as they check and re-check line alignment – thus my question…

I would think turning a ball on the spot still constitutes moving the ball so you must follow the procedures for marking and lifting. You would not be entitled to align the ball off the green unless there was some other entitlement to lift and place.

Reverse every natural instinct you have and do just the opposite of what you are inclined to do and you will probably come very close to having a perfect golf swing. – BEN HOGAN, POWER GOLF

so in agreeing with you as I do – the rule would probably come under ball moving rather than ball lifting!

This is covered by Decision 18-2a/33.

DEC has about the only knowledgeable comment on this…before you ever/ever/ever/ever touch your golf ball you much mark it – doesn’t matter where it is or what you are going to do with it.
Unplayable
by request of another player
lift/clean/place rules
on the green
anywhere, anytime – you mark then you touch.
seem pedantic or tedious? perhaps, but the one time you play with a rules-nazi in disguise it will save a major argument.
cheers

DEC has about the only knowledgeable comment on this…before you ever/ever/ever/ever touch your golf ball you much mark it – doesn’t matter where it is or what you are going to do with it.
Unplayable
by request of another player
lift/clean/place rules
on the green
anywhere, anytime – you mark then you touch.
seem pedantic or tedious? perhaps, but the one time you play with a rules-nazi in disguise it will save a major argument.
cheers

In free or penalty relief situations its good practice but not mandatory to mark your ball.

The same applies when taking preferred lies unless the relevant local rule mandates marking.

This is covered by Decision 18-2a/33.

Tks Dec

Q. A player rotates his ball on the putting green to line up the trademark with the hole. He did not lift the ball, mark its position or change its position. Is there a penalty?

A. Yes, one stroke for touching the ball

The same applies when taking preferred lies unless the relevant local rule mandates marking.

The specimen (ie recommended) LR requires the ball to be marked.

The same applies when taking preferred lies unless the relevant local rule mandates marking.

The specimen (ie recommended) LR requires the ball to be marked.

But lets face it most clubs don’t use the specimen rules.

At many clubs the local rule might not say anymore than “preferred lies apply” (whatever that means).

I always mark mine and lift it, pretend to dust it a bit, then replace it and line it up just to solve any issues.

yes, me too – I notice that some playing pros leave their marker on the green with the ball in place as they check and re-check line alignment – thus my question…

Political Correctness is doctrine fostered by a delusional minority and by the media, which holds forth the proposition it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

You will see a lot of pro balls these days with the black texta line for putting. And many do leave them marked while they stalk the putt so they can make adjustments to the line up of the ball without penalty. I too do this and this has improved my putting. Strangely, not many other hackers use this method for aligning putts.

Try aligning a 3cm line towards a target 3m away. Then get a precision instrument (laser) to check it. You will be surprised just how far you are off target.

The sharpie line on your ball is over 1mm wide and visible for about 3cm. Make an error of 0.1mm in your alignment and calculate how far the line is as it passes the hole.

Been a while since I’ve done this sort of thing, but here goes …

A 0.1mm error on a 3cm line, extrapolates to a 10mm error on a 3m line. In other words, out by 1 cm. Hmm, maybe not much.

But a (mere) 1mm error, extrapoles to a 10cm error – you misaligned by 4 inches!

Cheers, Peter.

Try aligning a 3cm line towards a target 3m away. Then get a precision instrument (laser) to check it. You will be surprised just how far you are off target.

The sharpie line on your ball is over 1mm wide and visible for about 3cm. Make an error of 0.1mm in your alignment and calculate how far the line is as it passes the hole.

What does it matter? It’s between the ears!

If you believe it looks straight and you know/think it’s aiming to the putting line you want, your brain will do the rest..the line is irrelevant apart from telling the brain what you want!

Ditty makes a note to throw the laser into his golf bag!

Personally, I don’t like the practice of lining up putts using a line on the ball. Professional tournaments aside, I generally find people who use this method take considerably longer to putt, as a result of taking so much time over the alignment of the ball.

I’ve seen high handicappers line up the ball, step back, re-align fractionally, step back, re-align fractionally again.

It seems to me that almost all players who use this method will insist they take no longer to putt than those who don’t. Interesting.

Cheers, Peter.

It takes less time to properly line up one putt than 2-3 poorly thought out efforts. You have to learn to respect the time each of us takes over any shot, so long as we don’t delay between shots.

I don’t see anything wrong with people lining up a putt and taking their time about it – In my time playing golf I have never seen a high handicapper take any longer than a low handicapper lining up a putt.

If I am playing with a high handicapper or a new player – I explain to them that when approaching the green is the time to start checking out the lay of the turf and think about the line you are going to take – then if you can stand behind your mark without interferring with another player’s putt, do so and mark out your line in your mind until it’s your turn.. they learn to save time but in saying that they are still entitled to try for birdie – aren’t they?(!)

We have all been high handicappers at one time and improvement came from practicing and emmulating others to a degree – nothing wrong with it – it’s the game!!

Personal experience.
I worked with the line on the ball line-up for putts for quite some time. I felt it was more useful on long putts. However I have now abandoned this technique.
I felt it was getting too technical and distracting me from letting my instincts work.
I now try to get a plain section of the ball on top of the ball when I replace the ball. (no distractions from markings). I then focus on the spot on the edge of the hole that I want the ball to roll over on its way to the bottom of the hole and especially on longer putts an intermediate spot a about 30 to 40 cms in front of the ball.
I am putting better and taking less time.
I think putting at a very small target at the hole circumference is good value. There are many books on putting. I think this is a consistent recommendation in these books.

Good call Languid – edzachary what I do too – I found I was putting on the practice green very well without lining up etc – went out on the playing stage and got too techno with lines and stuff… pick the line see it drop tand then putt…