Golf, the distinction between a good round and a great one, is as simple as putting. Two-putting every hole will cut your scores pretty significantly and have you set on the greens. Repetition and skill are crucial, but what you're dealing with—most significantly, the putting golf ball that you use to put—is what could be the difference that will get you to being a better golfer. This article explains the distinction between standard and flat putting golf balls and how each will affect your alignment and play on the putting green.
Understanding Putting Golf Balls
When practicing putting, the choice of ball can influence the quality of your practice sessions. Standard golf balls are designed for overall play, providing the feel and roll you’d experience during a round. In contrast, flat golf balls are specialized training aids designed to enhance specific aspects of your putting stroke.
What Is a Flat Golf Ball?
A flat golf ball is an instructional device meant to offer instant feedback about your putting stroke. Contrary to a conventional round ball, a flat golf ball features a strange shape that makes any alignment error or bad hit obvious. This simplifies detecting and rectifying faults in your stroke. Since a flat ball would roll nicely upon impact, but any inaccuracy in your stroke would cause the ball to wobble or deflect away.
Advantages of Using Flat Golf Balls to Practice
1. Immediate Correction: Flat golf balls expose flaws in your stroke, thus correction is immediate.
2. Improved Alignment When Putting: Practice using flat balls involves proper alignment as misalignment is immediately exposed.
3. Enhanced Muscle Memory: Regular practice with flat balls reinforces good stroke habits that translate into better playing.
4. Focused Practice Session: The high difficulty level of flat balls necessitates focus when practicing, resulting in effectiveness during practice sessions.
Benefits of Regulation Golf Balls
1. True Feel: Regulation balls are similar to the roll and feel of playing on the actual course, making it convenient to transition from practice to play.
2. Control of Distance: With practice using regulation balls, one can control the level of power needed for various lengths of putts.
3. Versatility: All aspects of the game can be practiced using regulation balls, and not just putting.
Utilizing Both Together to the Maximum
While flat balls are ideal for practicing your stroke technique and alignment, regular balls are required to practice building up your distance control and dealing with real game situations. Practicing with both to focus on in your practice drill can be an entire method to improving your putting.
Drills to Improve Your Putting
1. Straight Roll Drill
• Purpose: Assist to build a straight and true stroke.
• Technique: Set a flat golf ball on an even line and try to roll it without any wobble. Wobble suggests lack of evenness in your stroke.
2. Gate Drill
• Objective: Enhance stroke path and alignment.
• Technique: Set two tees of equal width to your putter head. Position a flat ball between the tees and make practice putts without touching the tees.
3. Distance Control Drill
• Objective: Enhance feel and control for different distances.
• Technique: Practice putting with targets of differing distance on flat golf balls, with a focus on speed and accuracy.
Progressing to On-Course Play
After practicing your stroke using flat golf balls, practice with practice balls in order to acclimatize yourself to the feel and roll of on-course play. This is in order to appreciate that the improvement made in practice is transferred with ease to the course.
Last Things
Alignment and putting practice with both flat and regular putting balls have a place in the practice session of any golfer. Flat balls are priceless for aligning and adjusting stroke mechanics, but competition requires regular balls to work on distance control and playing off conditions. Carrying both in your practice will enable you to develop a more consistent and effective putting routine that will yield more two-putted greens and fewer scoring opportunities.
Want to elevate your putting? Check out our TPP Putting Alignment Set, which includes flat golf balls and an 8-week comprehensive training system that will show you how to stroke and two-putt again and again.
