Why one alignment line is the mark most golfers start with
One straight line is the simplest thing you can put on a golf ball and the most useful. On the green you set it at the hole, roll the ball along it and get an honest answer on whether the putt started on line. On the tee it does the same for a drive: point it down the fairway and the clubface has something to square up to.
The trouble with drawing it by hand is that no two lines come out the same, and a crooked line is worse than none. The slot in the stencil holds the pen, so every ball in your bag carries the same line in the same place and your eye learns one picture. How to draw a straight line on a golf ball covers where to put it and how long it lasts.
How the single line stencil works
It is a small nylon shell, laser-sintered to fit a regulation 42.67 mm ball, which is every ball sold. Push the ball in, run the pen down the slot, lift it off: about ten seconds a ball, and a dozen done while the kettle boils.
A fine permanent marker in the colour you pick comes with it. The line fades after a few rounds, which is the point: you draw it again, identically, on that ball or the next one. Made to order and dispatched within 3 days, posted with Royal Mail tracking.
If you want more than a line
The Railway adds a line either side to frame the putter, Line and dots adds a mark to spot your ball by, and the Arrow tells you which end is the front. Or put your initials beside the line: design your own golf ball stencil from £12.99, built on this same single line.
Questions about the single line stencil
What is the alignment line on a golf ball for?
The line is an aiming aid. On the green you point it at the hole, or at the spot you want the putt to start on, and the ball tells you whether you rolled it where you meant to. On the tee you set it down the fairway so the clubface has a line to square up to.
How long does a stencil line last on a golf ball?
A line drawn with a fine permanent marker lasts a few rounds on a modern ball cover, fading as the ball scuffs and gets wiped. It takes about ten seconds to redraw with the stencil, and it comes out in exactly the same place every time.
Does an alignment line on a golf ball actually help?
It helps the golfers who aim the line and then trust it, because it takes the guesswork out of where the putter face is pointing at address. Tour players mark lines on their balls for the same reason, and the three-line balls some makers sell exist because the demand is there. If you look at the line and still aim the putter somewhere else, no mark will save the putt.
Will the Single line 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
