Finding the zero line

[cloran]

I recently watched a bunch of vids Geoff Magnum has for sale through Medicus. One of them was particularly helpful to me. He discusses the zero line and how to use that as a referrence point when putting... it was a great "visual" aid for me this past weekend. I made some great putts and had only 1 three putt on some tricky greens.

However, because this was only the second time I'd played the course I didn't know the greens at all; and a few times I just couldn't be confident in what I saw as the fall line. On one green (without rolling multiple putts) I could make an arguement for several different lines running through the same hole.

I'd think: "OK, if I roll a ball here will it go dead straight?"

That was how I "found" the zero line...

Are there any other ways, tips, ideas as to how I can find the zero line? It is a really great visual key for me and made my "touch" look great... I just thought about hitting to the line, not crossing it.

[iacas]

I recommend taking an AimPoint clinic. Geoff still has people using their eyes for this kind of stuff.

[Richie3Jack]

Obviously, the AimPoint clinic would be extremely helpful and you would see your progress catapult by tenfold.

Here’s a sample map of a planar green at Kapalua.



The line is the zero line.

If you take a look at the zero line, it’s certainly not straight.

What that means is that the zero line does NOT mean that the ball will roll straight.

Read that again, carefully.

Instead, it just means that when you’re on the zero line, you are supposed to aim directly at the cup (hence ‘ZERO line’ name).

So, you aim directly at the cup and the putt may break wayyyy to the right and then come back wayyy to the left into the cup.

When I attended John Graham’s clinic, he showed us a zero line on a putt (it was at low anchor for the Aimpoint knowledgeable) and I’m not kidding when I say that thing probably broke about 3 feet right and then came back 3 feet left at the cup and into hole. But, we were aiming dead at the cup.

With that, the zero line can change on a putt. You may be 25 feet away from a putt and be at ‘1 o’clock’ to the zero line. Then you may move the ball to 10 feet from the cup, but in that same 1 o’clock direction…but instead you may be at more like 3 o’clock.

Very important to understand that the zero line is about the aim….not the roll.





3JACK

[cwdlaw223]

Is Mangum still trying to claim the Aimpoint charts are illegal even though the USGA says otherwise? He was on that kick for awhile.

[Richie3Jack]

He was trying to claim that they *should* be illegal by his interpretation of the USGA rules. Personally, I do think he has a point. Hell, it's illegal to have a compass in tournament play. But, they still allow for yardage books.

Now, that's from a technical/rules perspective. I believe in terms of the spirit of the game, most of that stuff should be legal because the person still has to hit the shot. Furthermore, with AimPoint all it tells the golfer is where to aim *if* they make the right read. The person still has to make the right read. Furthermore, they still have aim the putt correctly. It's fantastic, but it's not Al Czervik's putter.

I also believe it speeds up play, which I'm all for.






3JACK

[cwdlaw223]

Thanks for the clarification. I have no desire to go back to the golfing stone ages by taking away Aimpoint books, yardage books and/or distance measuring devices. Bushnell should pay a lot of money to the PGA to become the "official" distance measuring device and the bullshit stopping such devices would end. Why should I have to pace off and waste time? I still have to hit the shot.

I don't have an issue with preventing slope/wind measuring devices on the course. Huge difference since you cannot obtain such information on your own like you could distance (by wasting time).

[cloran]

I don't see myself being able to attend any of the clinics anytime soon... unfortunately.

I just found the visual cue to be so damn helpful. When there was an obvious zero line to be found it was much easier to stand behind my ball, look at the zero line, and ask myself "where do I need to aim so that the ball will run up to that line and not cross it?" I'm talking about single breaks... maybe 20-footers at most.


This past Sunday there was one green in particular that was a good example: I was about 60' from the hole and I ran my first putt past the hole by 15' (yes, shitty lag putt). However, because the come-back putt only had one break to it (ie, it was on the same planar surface where the hole was cut) I was able to find the zero line and visualize the putt breaking into the cup MUCH easier. I holed out for my par and moved on... that would have been a certain three putt previously.

I don't think I just got lucky because there was still visualization involved and the ball rolled as I wanted it to. It wasn't so obvious to find the line on other greens though, and I ended up missing the putts with lip-outs or by just scaring the hole.

Either way, I putted much better than I had expected given my relative inexperience on those greens.

[Richie3Jack]

The problem with using your eyes is that they fool you. Moe Norman was pretty smart when he said that you really didn't need to look at putts and instead you could feel with your feet as to where they are going to break.

I find quite often that the cutting of the cup can really fool your eyes. Or you get one of those deals where there's a hill sloping to the right nearby the cup and your eyes tell you 'it's breaking right', but hill sloping is actually too far away from your line of the putt and the putt will actually break left because the shape of the green in the area that you are putting is actually sloping that way.

Without giving too much away, I would work on using your feet and finding straight uphill. Put your feel fairly close together and try to feel what is straight uphill. You should feel like the balls of your feet are level with *each other*. That will be straight. The obviously the balls of the feet will be higher than your heels and that is 'straight uphill.'

Finding the fall line is great on planar slope putts. The problem occurs in that so many putts are double breakers of some sort. And that really can negate using the old fall line method. But the neat thing is that you are now more apt to have putts where the read is to aim directly at the hole.






3JACK

[jeffy]

I got this app for my iPhone and iPad to use on the practice putting green to learn how to read slopes. It measures both the x-axis (horizontal) and y-axis (vertical), so the line that gives you zero slope on the x-axis when the y-axis is pointed at the hole is straight up the slope (obviously, this works only on slopes with a single break). I then circle the hole with balls, then walk off the green to see what it looks like as I "approach" the green. I also measure the slope at various spots along a varying slope, then walk along it and try to relate the change in slope to the feel in my feet: 3 degrees is a pretty good slope!




The app is free right now, but shows ads, but the ads go away if you download the developer's free "flashlight" app, which is kind of handy.


Jeff

[cwdlaw223]

I love Apple, but the Breakmaster is much easier to find a zero line. You need to convert from degrees to percentage.

www.breakmaster.com/

[Richie3Jack]

Get a Husky digital bubble level. It has the % of slope and works like a charm.





3JACK

[cwdlaw223]

That as well. I find the Breakmaster easier for breaks within a couple feet around the hole. Husky for everything else. The Breakmaster shows those very subtle breaks much better IMO and good visual on the direction with the Breakmaster. I use both.

Home Depot has the Husky!

[jeffy]

Jun 13, 2012 14:15:11 GMT -5 cwdlaw223 said:

I love Apple, but the Breakmaster is much easier to find a zero line. You need to convert from degrees to percentage.

www.breakmaster.com/

I had a Breakmaster but couldn't find it when I went looking for it the other day. That's when I downloaded the iPhone app. Next time I'm going to bring out the iPad as well.

Also, the iPhone app is free, the Breakmaster is $120!

[Richie3Jack]

Breakmaster is more like $50 these days. Still, free is better





3JACK

[iacas]

Jun 13, 2012 14:58:59 GMT -5 Richie3Jack said:

Breakmaster is more like $50 these days. Still, free is better

I don't know where you've seen it for $50!

I just took pictures and we just took shipment of 40 AimPoint bubbles. They're just a bubble level but in an attractive, small package, and they show you not only straight but have arcs to show you 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%. They sell for $40 and are more convenient than the Husky.

I think sometimes people get too bound up in trying to find exact numbers. My reads are often like "little more than 15 feet, bit less than 3%, kinda near 30°, chart says 17 inches, I'll play 15 because I think that's better."

But I've always read greens well, so I use AimPoint more as a confirmation, and the technique works well on greens you don't know (by technique I mean "not using your eyes").