A line that knows which way is forward
An alignment line has two ends, and when you set the ball down in a hurry it is surprisingly easy to aim the wrong one. The arrowhead removes the doubt. Point it at the hole, see the arrow, stroke the putt.
On the tee it reads just as well: aim the arrow down the fairway and square the driver to it. It is the quickest mark to line up, which makes it the one to pick if you want to spend less time over the ball. How tour pros mark their golf balls shows who uses an arrow and why.
How the arrow stencil works
Push the ball into the nylon shell, draw along the slot, lift off: one pass for the line and the head together. A fine permanent marker in the colour you pick comes with it. Made to order and dispatched within 3 days, posted with Royal Mail tracking.
The arrow fades after a few rounds, like any mark drawn in pen, and takes ten seconds to redraw in exactly the same place. The stencil itself outlasts a great many balls.
Make the arrow yours
Add initials behind the arrowhead, or a number: design your own golf ball stencil from £12.99, starting from this arrow.
Questions about the arrow stencil
What is the arrow on a golf ball for?
The arrow is an alignment line with a head on it, so you always know which end faces the hole. You set the ball down with the arrow pointing along your start line and square the putter face to it. It does the same job on the tee, aimed down the fairway.
Does an arrow help with putting alignment?
An arrow gives the eye both a line and a direction, which is one less thing to check over the ball. Golfers who aim carefully and then trust the line start more putts where they meant to, and the arrow makes the trusting part easier. It will not fix a stroke that pushes or pulls, but it takes the aiming out of the list of reasons.
Which pen colour shows best on a white golf ball?
Black shows most clearly on a white ball in every light, and red is the easiest to spot from a distance on grass. Blue and pink read well on the green and make the ball easy to tell from a partner's. Whichever you pick, a fine permanent marker gives the sharpest line.
Will the Arrow stencil fit my golf ball?
It fits every regulation golf ball: the Rules of Golf set the size at no smaller than 42.67 mm and every maker builds to it. Titleist, Srixon, Callaway, TaylorMade, supermarket balls and lake balls all clip in the same way.
Other ready-made designs
