Equipment

Can 3 lines on a golf ball actually help your score?

Published

4 years ago

Aug 19, 2020

I’m a player who doesn’t take a Sharpie marker to my ball…ever. No lines, no initials, etc. Nothing. I stab it with a pencil a few times and hit it.

20 years ago, I can remember a day when marking your ball with a straight line was a serious thing. Brad Faxon was the first person I saw who did it—he putted the teeth out of it for like 30 years. So there had to be something to it, right? Shortly after, the ball-marking industry blew up—colored Sharpies, perfect line devices, and everything in between was littered down aisles of your local golf store.

To be honest, that stuff never had any value for me. It just added one more variable I had to track, all while having enough trouble just making a putting stroke.

Now, I have always been a streaky putter. I either make everything or never hit the hole. The dispersion is that wild. So for the first time in, well, ever, I decided to see if learning how to actually aim might help. At 43, my instincts aren’t as sharp as I’d like them to be, and I can’t afford to rely on the golf gods touching me on the shoulder once or twice a year.

So, as with anything, I started digging in, wanting to find the simplest place to start. Low and behold, I’m watching golf on TV, and I see Phil Mickelson with three lines (Triple Track) on his Callaway golf ball. As a person who sees Phil as someone who is always looking for the next thing, I started to poke looking into what Callaway was up to.

Officially, this is what the Triple Track Technology I saw on Phil’s ball is

“Triple Track relies on Vernier Hyper Acuity, which aims to improve alignment compared to a regular side stamp alignment aid. It’s a similar technology to that used in landing strips in aircraft carriers, which is dependent on the ability of the brain to process small differences in alignment detected in the eyes. Also used in gun sights, Vernier Hyper Acuity exceeds the limits of the naked eye, with multiple reference points allowing golfers to align their ball more accurately.”

-GolfWRX.com/PGATour.com

I was a huge fan of the 2-Ball putter. For me, it was a mindless way to line up and ultimately put my stroke in a position where I felt “everything happened in front of me.” What that phrase means to me is simply, I can look at the hole, trace a line back to my ball, and fire. I putted well that way for a while.

This video is my finally giving this Triple Track idea a whirl. Callaway got me with the 2-Ball 15-20 years ago, so who’s to say this won’t be any different? Truth is, I have a good putting stroke and sound fundamentals—I just regularly have no idea where the ball is aimed.

Straight putts are where I like to start, and that’s what I did here. The next test will be the golf course, but from the ground level, I was pleasantly surprised at what I discovered.

For those that are curious, this is a Triple Track line test, not a Callaway Chrome Soft test. That’s for another day, but the discovery here symbolizes something other than spin and ball speed. This idea represents something that may actually improve your actual score. Everything we talk about day in and day out could help you score lower, but it’s not as simple and easy to measure as this is. If there is something simple that I can do to make a few more putts across the board, that means more to me then a lot of awesome clubs, shafts, grooves, etc.

That idea gets me in the hole quicker. For me, that’s the point of this whole thing.

This test ends with the ultimate goal…the ball (with the idea attached to it) goes in the hole. Is it a direct effect? A placebo? Who knows? But I do know I keep track of my putting more than anything, and if, after four or five rounds, I find those numbers improving, it’s a hard fact to argue.

Enjoy the video below.

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23 Comments

Jim

Mar 1, 2021 at 10:46 am

Ok, it’s been a little over 6-months. What do your putting results with Triple Track reveal?

Reply Report comment
Realist

Sep 1, 2020 at 9:26 pm

Not a chance…too many long winded answers. Practice might help…my gosh
People expect greatness with a purchase. Learn to golf your ball. I can buy a great pen doesn’t mean I’m gonna be Shakespeare

Reply Report comment
HKO

Aug 25, 2020 at 4:34 pm

if lines or any markings on the ball ever helped the game of golf, w’all would have been playing in PGA.

Reply Report comment
Ray Koobatian

Aug 20, 2020 at 1:24 pm

The three lines remind me of a range ball. One line should be enough. For me the arrows on the Titleist ProV1 and ProV1x are enough.

Reply Report comment
- Paintman
  
  Aug 21, 2020 at 1:15 pm
  
  Good for you !
  I have a distortion of depth perception in my right eye vision. Had to get a waiver for it to join the military.
  This Callaway tech helps a bit.
  Thank You !
  
  Reply Report comment
Randy Braden

Aug 20, 2020 at 12:09 pm

I use triple track technology and think it helps with putting as well as in the tee.

Reply Report comment
Sherm

Aug 20, 2020 at 7:54 am

It’s putting not rocket science(sorry Bryson).If you think it helps it will.If you don’t think it helps it won’t.

Reply Report comment
Leftshot

Aug 20, 2020 at 2:13 am

First of all, your methodology was flawed. You already skewed the results by the order of your progression. With each putt you get feedback and learn. Thus one would expect improvement with the third set versus the first, even if you changed nothing.

Second, five putts per set is too few to be statistically significant.

Third, as others have noted, you did a better job of aligning the ball tracks on the third set versus the second. Since this was done before the triple track putter was behind the ball, this difference in aligning the ball was independent of the putter.

Because of these methodology problems, no valid conclusions can be made.

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- Leftshot
  
  Aug 20, 2020 at 2:30 am
  
  One additional point.
  
  You are putting from an indentation on the putting surface (a small hole that cradles the ball). This makes it easier to align the tracks than under game conditions. This is significant. In real life conditions, it is sometimes impossible to precisely align the tracks as you would like without moving the ball to a slightly different location or pressing the ball into the green. Either is not allowed by the Rules of Golf.
  
  Reply Report comment
William P Krohn

Aug 19, 2020 at 11:15 pm

Here’s an article with testing from Club Champion.
https://clubchampiongolf.com/newsletters/will-lines-on-your-golf-ball-improve-your-putting?utm_source=article&utm_medium=cc-july-nl-emails&utm_campaign=cc-newsletter2020

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Jon D

Aug 19, 2020 at 9:54 pm

Agree with previous comments that it looks like the natural alignment with the first two putters is closed a bit. The putts made have a path that seems to be open a bit…putter is aimed left, but path to the right causes the ball to go straight. The less square for putter and path at impact, the harder it is to get the timing right…which may be why the player says that they are “streaky”.

Last putter made it seem the putter and path were more square to the target. Whether that is small sample size or real would require more digging. There is something to markings impacting alignment (along with putter shape, hosel, etc) because it provides different visuals. Perhaps this is happening in the third set.

Would be curious to see what the numbers are from a SAM PuttLab with 7 balls in each set.

Reply Report comment
Mark

Aug 19, 2020 at 6:25 pm

I thought you lined up the ball more consistently at the target with the 2ball putter than you did with the other putter where it was aligned to the left a bit.

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chip75

Aug 19, 2020 at 5:08 pm

Providing you can set the ball correctly the only thing Triple Track does is show if you’re aligning the putter and the ball on the same line. We know generally most golfers can’t read putts, most under-read them and pull or push the ball on line subconsciously, so this might help give feedback in that regard (and help those who misread putts and go with their misreads), but not much beyond that unless you’re really working on improving your putting.

Personally, I like the blank side of the ball, I liked trying to use lines, but getting the ball to settle became a pain (and you can’t “help” the ball to sit right) and if you’re eyes aren’t in the right place it can look weird once you address the ball and you think you need to start the process over again. The blank ball can alleviate that.

Reply Report comment
CactusGolf

Aug 19, 2020 at 3:03 pm

Will it help your score? Maybe. Will it slow up play? Absolutely.

Reply Report comment
- Kourtney Knowles
  
  Aug 20, 2020 at 1:57 pm
  
  Not if you make the putt the first try haha.
  
  Reply Report comment
talljohn777

Aug 19, 2020 at 2:55 pm

Every putt is straight. If you do not start the ball on the intended line it will not go in the hole. Therefore, these alinemate aids on both the ball and the putter should absolutely improve your ability to start the ball on your intended line.

Reply Report comment
Mel

Aug 19, 2020 at 1:12 pm

Great experiment. Have used a line on the ball for a while. Your experiment proved that the line on the ball isn’t going to help unless its actually lined up at the hole. Great articles, great job and I look forward to hearing how the triple track ball works for you.

Reply Report comment
Dave Hall

Aug 19, 2020 at 1:10 pm

Useful video test. Reasonable, informal protocol. Leads me to wonder if I can, as a caddie, legally line up a putt for my player by positioning the line on his or her ball with the direction I want them to send it. (Need to check my detailed version of 2019’s Rules of Golf.)

Reply Report comment
Robert Coppersmith

Aug 19, 2020 at 1:01 pm

Good video. Now look at it again yourself. Maybe its the camera angle, but you seem to have a tendency to line the ball up slightly left. Your putter is straight. What does that say about your alignment in general? Maybe a professional putter coach could give you an answer.
Play well.

Reply Report comment
- Richard
  
  Aug 19, 2020 at 1:09 pm
  
  This is why drawing lines on your golf ball should be illegal, and also, it slows play down tremendously. Your caddie is used to help you find the break. And finally, slope books should be illegal, another area that slows golf to a crawl!
  
  Reply Report comment
  - St1800
    
    Aug 20, 2020 at 12:24 am
    
    Ditto, As Jack said, part of the challenge is “figuring it out”. Lines on the ball, green reading charts, and putters up the forearm are not “in the spirit of the game”.
    
    Too many out there spending an inordinate amount of time employing these crutches. Does a quartrerback have a chart in the game to figure out the trajectory he should throw the ball on? A pitcher?
    
    All these aids should be banned.
    
    See it, feel it, hit it.
    
    Reply Report comment
James

Aug 19, 2020 at 12:57 pm

Would like to see results with Triple Track putter and a non triple track back. Nice experiment, thanks.

Reply Report comment
Paulo

Aug 19, 2020 at 12:26 pm

Any compensation you have grained into your stroke should actually cause more misses when the face is perfectly square at address . Not to say the tech doesn’t work though

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

3 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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