How to draw a straight line on a golf ball

Why do golfers draw a line on the ball?

The line does two jobs. On the green, you mark your ball, lift it, and replace it with the line pointing along the start line you have chosen for the putt. Then you set the putter face square to that line instead of to a fuzzy target three metres away. It takes one decision out of the stroke: the aiming is done before you stand over the ball.

On the tee, the same line pointed down the fairway gives you something to set the driver face against. Not everyone likes it there, but plenty do.

Tour players have used drawn lines for years. Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson have used a plastic template to put a straight line on the side of the ball, and Callaway prints its Triple Track lines on balls at the factory. A drawn line does the same job on the ball you already play.

Where should the line go on a golf ball?

Along the equator, the widest circle round the ball, so that at address you see it as one straight stroke rather than a curve. Most golfers run it through or beside the maker's side stamp, because the stamp already sits on the equator and gives you a reference for where to start.

Make it long enough to see from standing height. Around 40 to 60 mm suits most people; a short dash is hard to align to, and a full ring all the way round is a matter of taste and very hard to draw freehand. Keep it fine rather than fat: a thick line hides the edge you are trying to square the putter to.

How to draw a line on a golf ball without a tool

You can do this with nothing but a pen and something to stop the ball rolling. It works, with one honest caveat at the end.

1. Clean and dry the ball. Ink will not take on grass stains or a damp cover, and it smudges if the ball is wet.
2. Stop it rolling. Sit the ball in a bottle cap, an egg cup or a ring of tape. A bottle cap is the classic: the ball sits in it and stays put.
3. Use a fine permanent marker. Fine or ultra-fine tip, not a chisel tip. A ballpoint skips over dimples and a whiteboard pen wipes off in your pocket.
4. Brace both hands. Elbows on the table, pen at about 45 degrees to the surface so the tip glides over the dimples instead of catching in them.
5. One slow pass. Start at one side of the stamp and draw through in a single continuous movement. Going back over it makes the line thicker, not straighter.
6. Let it dry. About 30 seconds before it goes anywhere near your bag or your glove.

How to draw a straight line on a golf ball with a stencil

A golf ball stencil is a shell that clips over the ball with a slot cut where the line goes. The pen goes through the slot and the walls of the slot guide it, so the line comes out straight whether or not your hands are steady.

1. Clip the stencil onto a clean ball. Ball Buddy is shaped to the ball's 42.67 mm diameter, so it seats itself and holds the ball without you gripping both at once. That is the bit cheap kits get wrong: many make you hold the shell and the ball together, and the ball slips.
2. Run the pen once through the slot. Keep the tip against the side wall. The slot is cut 2.4 mm wide for a fine marker nib, with a bevelled lead-in so the pen finds the slot instead of catching on the edge.
3. Lift straight off. Let the ink dry for about 30 seconds.
4. Do the whole sleeve. Same line, same place, ten seconds a ball.

The other thing a stencil gives you is choice. With Ball Buddy the slot is whatever you designed: a single line, three parallel lines, a line with a dot either side, an arrow, or your initials above the line. You can design your own golf ball stencil online and see it on a ball before we make it, or pick one of the ready-made designs.

The half-shell kits on Amazon for £8 to £12 draw their one fixed pattern and nothing else. They are fine if all you want is a line and you do not mind holding everything steady.

Which pen should you use?

A fine permanent marker. The Sharpie Fine is the standard, and the Ultra Fine if you want a thinner line. Avoid chisel tips, ballpoints and anything that is not permanent. Black shows up anywhere; blue, red and green stand out against the black print the manufacturer puts on the ball. We go into it properly in which pen to mark a golf ball with.

How long does the line last?

A round or two of normal play. It fades where the club face strikes it and it takes a beating in wet sand. On a ball you only putt with on the practice green it lasts much longer. Redrawing by hand is a fresh gamble each time; with a stencil it is ten seconds and the same line. Many golfers draw up a fresh sleeve the night before a competition.

Is a line on the ball allowed?

Yes. The Rules of Golf encourage you to put an identifying mark on your ball, and using a drawn line to aim a putt is permitted: replace the ball on its spot and turn it so the line points where you want. The detail, including what is not allowed, is in is it legal to draw a line on your golf ball?

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