Does a line on a golf ball help putting?

It can, if your misses come from aim. A line doesn't steer the ball. It gives you a straight edge to point down your start line and square your putter face to, so you know where you're aimed before you putt. If your misses finish long or short, that's speed, and no line fixes speed.

What the line actually does

Over a putt you're judging two things by eye: where the putter face points, and where the ball will start. A line on the ball gives you something straight to check both against. You point the line where you want the ball to start, then set the face square to it.

That's the whole job. The stripe shows your line. It doesn't change ball flight, and it won't read the green for you.

When a line helps, and when it doesn't

• It helps if you set up, look up, and find the face pointed somewhere other than where you meant. The line gives you a quick check before you start the stroke.
• It doesn't help with speed. If your misses finish past the hole or short of it, the line isn't the problem. Why you three-putt (it's not your stroke) is about that.
• It can get in the way if you putt by feel and lining the ball up makes you freeze over it. If you do use one, Do pros use the line on the ball? covers four common ways to set it up.

We haven't run a study on whether a line helps you hole more putts, so we're not going to give you a percentage. Here's how to find out for yourself.

A two-minute test on the practice green

1. Find a straight putt about 6 feet long. Push two tees into the green about 12 inches in front of the ball, just wider than the ball, to make a gate on your start line.
2. Hit five putts with the line turned away from you, so you can't use it. Count how many go through the gate.
3. Hit five more with the line pointed through the gate and your putter face square to it. Count again.

If more go through the gate with the line, it's doing its job for you. If the count is the same, the line isn't changing much for you, and it's optional.

A line you draw, or one that's already there

You can draw your own line with a marker. It's only as long and as straight as your hand makes it, and you draw it again on every new ball. A full-circumference stripe runs all the way around the ball, and there's nothing to draw.

One Moon Shot Pro buyer put it this way: "the thick line definitely gives you a boost of confidence."

Which Thick ball has the stripe?

Both. Every Thick ball has a full alignment stripe built in.

• Moon Shot: the one for most people. Three layers: a rubber core and a resin mantle. Urethane cover.
• Moon Shot Pro: the one that spins. Four-layer construction holds ball speed across swing speeds. Urethane cover.

Not sure which one fits your game? Find Your Ball

Line up your tee shots too: How to aim off the tee without an alignment stick.

By Erin Wiratunga