Putting Line

Genuine question here that hopefully someone can answer for me.

Why do people not walk across the line of someone elses putt on the green?

Every inch of the green will have been walked on by previous players, so I cant believe its to do with damaging the surface. So what is it?

Etiquette?
A rule?
Superstition?

I genuinely want to know and also whether anyone else thinks its silly!

Etiquette.
Not silly at all, if there's any damage (spike marks for instance) incurred by previous players, they can repair it after they have finished the hole. If it's your own group you shouldn't do that until you've finished the hole.
Golfers also try to avoid stepping on a partner's through line.

its poor etiquette to do so
wouldn't make much of a difference on a firm links but could have a big effect on a soggy parkland. a few mins before the next group comes thru will give some time for any imprint to at least begin to recover. if tending the flag i always hold it at an angle so as to leave as much un-stomped space around the hole as possible.

Are there sanctions if you do it?

Has anyone heard of players putting off opponents by doing it?

I also think its pretty stupid. I don't really care if someone walks over my line. The greens are hard at my place and you can barely even make a pitchmark. In fact me and my playing partners make a point of walking over the line to prove it does nothing. Even on a soft green I doubt it makes a difference unless you are Shane Lowry, where each footprint would be like a crater.

you have to think there is as much chance of a playing partners spike mark knocking the ball back on line as opposed to of line?

Is that the Vijay Singh defence, Mac?

I think a lot of it is psychological. If you think someone has walked on your line, you have a ready excuse.

Did I see right that Oosty walked across Watson's putting line on the 18th prior to the play off? I think he did it twice. Once when lining up his putt and then when he putted for par.

I suppose it's just manners not to walk in someone's line, wouldnt say it makes much difference to the break of the putt

I dunno. I remember Nicklaus at the 86 Masters saying that on the 12th a spike mark affected the line of his putt as it made the putt break further right than it intended.

Whenever the pros miss a short putt they will 90% of the time be seen tapping down a spike mark, whether there's one there or not

Well I know Nicklaus was very vocal about it and the footage showed he more than tapped the mark after the missed putt.

There was a bit of a spat in the LPGA Tour when Michelle Wie stood on a through line when she was first on the scene and annoying the senior players.

I remember seeing some footage that Dave Pelz did where he was hitting 3 foot putts into the hole then walked around it and the putts missed. I guess that as the ball is going very slowly as it is approaching the hole it doesn't take as much to move the ball from its line and it may be sufficient to be the difference between going in and lipping out.

But as said before, if the course is dry and hard it is unlikely to make a difference with soft spikes.

was VJ involved in something like this before Kwini?

There was also the Kiawah Ryder Cup which Bernard Langer said he could not aim at the centre of the hole because of a spike mark, aimed to sneak it in the edge and lipped out.

How many pros wear softspikes now? When they were following someone up a path at the Masters (can't remember who) there was a real crunching noise as though the pro was wearing metal spikes.

I think that there are a few pros who still wear them - Jimenez is one but I don't think that there are many now. Most modern golf shoes are not great with spikes as there are too few inserts so you get pressure build up rather than when there are more to spread the load.

I think a shoe designed for spikes has 12 per shoes (8 at the front and 4 on the heel) where as most modern shoes have about 6 for soft spikes.

It's just a politeness thing not to walk on somebody's line.

I'm sure it makes no difference at all on firm or hard greens, but it would be distracting to have to putt through a soggy footprint in one of the April monsoon showers we are having now.

If it could be shown that allowing players to walk on the lines of other players improved slow play would people welcome others walking on their line?

golfermartin wrote:When they were following someone up a path at the Masters (can't remember who) there was a real crunching noise as though the pro was wearing metal spikes.

Yes I saw that - it was Bubba, after he had finished the 18th, Sunday, first time around.

No, because if you ask any individual, he (or she) is not the slow player. It's always the guys in the group ahead who are slow, and your partners walking on your line are not going to alter that.

Slow play is like tax avoidance - always done by other people, always outrageous.

Just as a genuine answer to a genuine question, the section on etiquette in the rules of golf states: "On the putting green, players should not stand on another player’s line of putt..." So answer is "etiquette"

Pro players also try to not walk in player's "through line", the 2 -3 ft past the hole on his playing companions putting line.

Avoiding players lines is a big contributing factor to slow play on tour. I think players would finish putting a lot more than they do if they didn't worry about stepping in players lines and through lines.

It is etiquette.

Plus






I don't want a 22 stone lardyarse jumping over my line.

PS

With Blubbas finish should he not be wearing dancing shoes instead of spikes.

Just to clarify, I take it that all these knowledgable contributors are aware that intentionally walking on your putting line is a breach of Rule 16 - see Decisions 16-1a/12 and incurs a 2 stroke penalty or loss of hole.

Doon the Water wrote:It is etiquette.

Plus






I don't want a 22 stone lardyarse jumping over my line.

Eyetoldyouso


Please, and someone correct me if I am wrong, but I imagine you are exactly the type of person who makes a round of golf one of life’s great pleasures?

Eyetoldyouso wrote:Just to clarify, I take it that all these knowledgable contributors are aware that intentionally walking on your putting line is a breach of Rule 16 - see Decisions 16-1a/12 and incurs a 2 stroke penalty or loss of hole.

That is for deliberately walking on your own line. There is no sanction for deliberately walking on someone elses except that it is a breach of etiquette and (to quote from the rules) "If a player consistently disregards these [etiquette] guidelines during a round or over a period of time to the detriment of others, it is recommended that the Committee considers taking appropriate disciplinary action against the offending player. Such action may, for example, include prohibiting play for a limited time on the course or in a certain number of competitions.This is considered to be justifiable in terms of protecting the interests of the majority of golfers who wish to play in accordance with these guidelines.
In the case of a serious breach of etiquette, the Committee may disqualify a player under Rule 33-7."

Adam D wrote:Genuine question here that hopefully someone can answer for me.

Why do people not walk across the line of someone elses putt on the green?

Every inch of the green will have been walked on by previous players, so I cant believe its to do with damaging the surface. So what is it?

Etiquette?
A rule?
Superstition?

I genuinely want to know and also whether anyone else thinks its silly!

Etiquette offcourse- however the inprints made take a few minutes to go back to normal- by the time the next group comes up the inprints would have disapeared

Slightly off the topic but close enough. I have a friend who sometimes when taking a shot from the fairway or tee would drag a line with his foot which would help him to line up his feet. It was where he puts his feet so that he can line up properly but nowhere near the ball.

I think its not right and he didn't know and then asked why I had never mentioned it. There was no issue it was just an observation from me.

He doesn't really damage the grass it is more just changing the direction of it.

I assume the rule is something to do with improving your lie as I have seen players penalised for moving something in front of the ball even though its not really improving their lie at all.

Maclaren

Yes you are very wrong. I never have any issues with any of my fellow players, competitors or such like. Funnily enough, and this is probably a great shock to you, we respect the game too much not to apply the rules & the etiquette of this great game.

You can play under whatever rules you like, but don't call it golf.

I am confused, it seems we agree.

Although I very much doubt that you are playing golf, no one has played such a game for around 70 odd years.

should we be using stell shafts mac

What is a stell shaft?

sorry lol steel!!??

What's wrong with the game as it is today?

What does "lol" mean? I get confused by all this internet lingo, another example of this is IIRC and FWIW. what the hell is that?

Oh come on Mr mac. However i have met people that thinks it means lots of love!

I actually would have guessed lots of love, is this not the case?

laugh out loud!

Mac, don't pretend it isn't in the vernacular of your teenage girlfriend. She probably said it when she saw your little man.

McLaren wrote:What does "lol" mean?

If you ask me it means whoever uses it is a simpleton judging by the fact they are claiming to have "laughed out loud", to themselves, about something which doesn't appear to me to be particularly amusing.

yeah your spot on hibbz.....not

LMFAO

basically its just an emotion- no different from any of the little pacmen dudes!

It adds a dimension to posting

mystiroakey wrote:yeah your spot on hibbz.....not

LMFAO

My spot? Ipso facto.

I my as well be reading this page translated into madarin.


LMFAO!!! that could be anything?

Mac, they are all acronyms from the glossary of Doak's book. I'm amazed you don't understand them.

Is it safe to google LMFAO at work?