As simple and obvious thing as it is to do, I still see most average players fail to line up their ball. I don't care if you you use the brandname or make a line on it, if you don't have your ball lined up you are putting blind.
I, for the life of me can't figure out why it took the world so long to learn this little trick. I mean really, why use an imaginary line that you can't see when they make Sharpies.
But I didn't have the sense to do it until I saw somebody else doing it on TV. Innovation takes a while to catch on.
You benefit several ways by lining up your golf ball.
1) You create a visual image of the otherwise imaginary line
2) It makes lining up the putter simple. Not only making it square, but also making sure the putter face is in the same relation to the ball on every stroke.
3) You have a visual reference for lining up your body and feet.
4) You have a real line of reference for your eye alignment
5) It takes the guesswork out of picking your starting line once you get over the ball.
Just one word of caution. You must be totally committed to the alignment of the ball and the shot. If you don't feel right about the line, take a page from Jim Furyk and step back behind it again. Adjust if necessary.
Being confident in what you are doing is half the battle. If there is doubt, your odds of success have decreased substantially.
