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Seeing Accurate Lines on the Putting Green

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Have you ever read a putt from both sides of the hole and gotten 2 different reads. Let's look at why this happens. In the research section, you read that a golfer's accurate perception of lines is related to balance. When your hips and shoulders are parallel to each other, you are in balance. Our research shows that when your hips and shoulders are both square to "a line," you will see that line accurately. When your hips and or shoulders are not square to a line, your perception of that line moves right or left.
On the putting green, it is imperative that you first get square to the line on which you want your ball to roll, not square to a line from your ball to the hole. For example, in this illustration (Image 1), Erik has set up to a right to left putt in a straight line to the hole. This is not correct. This is what not to do.

In the following illustrations (Image 2), Erik is showing you what to do. Move to a point where you can square your hips and shoulders to the line on which you want your ball to roll.

As you move to your line, either cup your eyes or extend the putter in front of you with both hands as Erik is doing in this illustration below (Image 3).

When you set up square to your line, see the line on which you want your ball to roll as in the following illustration (Image 4). The straight ball line is from your ball to the hole. The curved ball line is an example of the line you want to practice drawing to the hole. Remember, everybody will see a different line depending on their speed preference. The more aggressive putter will see less break than a player who likes to "die" the ball into the hole.

Notice in the following illustration (Image 5) that Erik has set up with his shoulders rotated right of the target line. If you are right eye dominant and you rotate your shoulders right, as many golfers do, as you squat down to look at a right to left putt, you will see more break than is true of your "accurate" line. (If you are left eye dominant, you will perceive less break.)

The next illustration (Image 6) is an example of what you might see if you are right eye dominant and you

tend to rotate your shoulders right of your intended roll line on a right to left breaking putt. The inside curved line (left) is your "accurate" perception and the outside line (right) is an example of the increased break you would see with right shoulder rotation.

Now, using that same putt try rotating your shoulders left as Erik has in the following illustration (Image 7). If you are right eye dominant, you will see less break on a right to left breaking putt in this position behind the ball.

In the following illustration (Image 8), the line on the right is an example of a perceived line for a right to left break if you are right eye dominant with your shoulders rotated to the left (open.) The line on the left in this illustration is the "true"

or "accurate" line a golfer would see if his hips and shoulders were square to the line on which he wants to start his ball rolling.

If you are right eye dominant and you were to read a right to left putt from both sides of the hole with your shoulders rotated right, from behind the ball you would see increased break and from behind the hole you would see that same putt flatten out and, in some cases, move left to right. If you are left eye dominant, you would perceive just the opposite lines.

Try this at your home course on a practice green. You will be surprised how much change you will see with subtle changes in your shoulder lines behind the ball. Once you see it on the putting green, you can imagine how it influences your perception of lines as you stand behind the ball in the full swing, chips, pitches and bunker shots. In our golf schools we teach our students how to understand their personal body lines and how to stand behind the ball to see "accurate" lines. All of this relates to correct alignment at the ball. Your golf swing and putting stroke start behind the ball with your perception of lines to a target.

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