Did Jack and his compatriots of his era drew a line to aid their putting. I think it should be banned so everyone coud speed up play.

Banned to speed up play? If people were getting the ball closer to the hole would that not speed up play?? Maybe I'm not getting what you're trying to say...

Same here. I'm not picking up what your putting down!!!

The line is pointless IMO...and probably does slow play down.

I tried using it a few times and was never able to get the line pointed exactly where I wanted to.

The only thing I can think of, is that he's saying it takes people longer to line up the line on the ball with the cup??? I'd say that's 20th on the reasons for slow play list. Get ready to hit, while your partner is hitting people!

No Line? Faster Play? What? Okay, so it may not work for you, but it works for folks like Tiger, Vijay, Annika, and I don't know, 90% of folks on tour. It also works well for average golfers that know how to use it.

It is your perogative to complain about whatever you wish. Must be nice to have no other worries in life besides lines on golf balls.

I only use the line on the practice green and at home myself, just to check that I am stroking the ball square.
It seems strange that you can mark your ball to aid in aiming but not your glove for proper grip? Meanwhile club grips with markings, for grip alignment from the manufacture are OK? Some of the rules in this game seem a little contradictory to me sometimes...
I would have to guess they allow ball making to speed up putting, but in reality it seems to do the opposite- IMO.

From what I see on TV some of the tour pros could really learn from watching this...
http://www.usga.org/playing/rules/animatio...ue_delay_h.html

It's no wonder the Joe A. Verage golfer takes forever on every shot.

Ummm...my deal is, how can you not use a line??? Set it on your mark after your read, trust it, and let it roll. If your read is right and your pace is good, you're virtually guaranteed to be within tap-in range. That has to speed up play.

Wouldn't it be easier and faster if you just put your ball down and putt away? I've seen so many golfers lining up, get behind ball to check on line-up, readjust , check again and miss the 2 footer and then go through the whole process again.

Before the line fad, players just used the manufacturer's lines of text. I don't really think this is new. The only thing new is the sharpie.

That's true- people used to use the text or logo. But now that there's a line, you have Joe "25-Handicapper" Hacker using the new line to line up 85-foot putts.

I've never seen this.

The line is fine, I use one, I'm a fast player. Only problem is that sometimes people rely on it too much. I played with a kid the other day who would mark his ball, step back and look at his line, walk up to the hole and back, look at his line again, put his ball down and start aligning it, step back and look at the line, then he'd set up over the ball to make sure it was lined up correctly, but it wasn't so he had to go back and look at the line and then re-align his ball, set-up and hit it, perfect line but leaves it 10 feet short... mark ball, step back and look at the line again....

I used to put a line but now I do not have to. Titleist puts it on the Pro V1x I play for me! I use their line now.

Regarding the people that spend forever maknig sure the line is 'perfect' then yes, THOSE people are slowing play, though I suspect there are very few of those types out there. I line it up then when I check it, if it is not 'exact', well I still have a guide that tells me from where to make my minor adjustment (meaning if it is pointed slightly left of where I should be aiming, I just align my putter slightly right of where the line on the ball is pointed) so it still works the way I put it down the first time.

The line on the ball doesn't make you a slow player.

The mass between your ears makes you a slow player.

Yeah, I'm guessing anyone who goes through those contortions to line up an alignment aid on the green has lots of other slow play habits too; plumb-bobbing when they don't know how, twelve practice swings before every shot, leaving their cart or stand bag 40 yards behind them on the fairway, waiting til the group ahead is 350 yards away to tee off, and all that garbage. It's not the line on the ball, it's the way one approaches to the game that makes a slow player.