PRACTICING WITH THE PRO-ALIGN
Warming Up: The Pro-Align should be used before every round you play. Simply insert
the Pro-Align into the putting green square up your putter face and focus on the
orange spot while you hit some three foot putts. Keep doing this until you consistently
see the ball rolling under the orange spot. This will help you “find” your putting
stroke.
Straight Putts: After warm up, begin with a 5 foot straight putt. Insert the Pro-Align
into the putting green and aim it straight into the cup. Set the ball down and square
the putter face up. The key at this point is to start focusing on the alignment.
Before each putt, follow the Alignment Bar down your aim line all the way to the
hole and back. Visualize a line on the green while you do this. This is going to
help you learn what a straight putt should look and feel like. If you have trouble
making these putts, go back to focusing on the orange spot instead of the ball. Get
the putter going square through impact and out past the orange spot.
Breaking Putts: When it comes to breaking putts, most of us don’t play enough break.
Use the Pro-Align to help you understand where you should be aiming. Learn how much
break you should be playing by trying this on the putting green.
Choose a putt that breaks. Read the break for that putt. Now set the Pro-Align up
so it’s pointing directly down your intended aim line. Hit some putts by focusing
on the orange spot. You’ll see whether you pushed, pulled or started the ball on
line. If you pushed or pulled, keep putting until you are rolling it directly under
the orange spot with good speed. If you do this and miss the putt, you misread the
break. Keep rotating the Pro-Align and repeat the putts until you find the proper
line for that putt. Now look at the difference between your original read and the
correct read!
The photo to the right shows a 8 foot downhill putt that broke around 20 inches right
to left. The yellow line indicates the proper aim line. The black line shows the
ball path. Originally, we thought the putt was only going to break around 6 inches
right to left. By the time we were done, it was 20 inches with proper speed. This
told us the greens were breaking a lot more than we thought and got us ready for
the round.
Speed Control: Set the Pro-Align up, it doesn’t have to be lined up for a putt. We
are not trying to make a putt on this drill. Once you have the Pro-Align set up,
make a stroke for a 10 foot putt (make sure the ball rolls under the spot). Now hit
another ball, but this time, try to hit it 9 feet. Then another at 8, 7 etc...The
balls should all line up whether your on a slope or straight. If you hit one off
line, start over. If you bump the ball in front of you, start over. If you leave
it shorter than a foot, start over. Once you mastered this drill, try leaving them
6 inches apart. You should get to the point where you can just bump the previous
ball without knocking it off line.
Spot Putting: Besides providing immediate feedback on pushed or pulled putts, the
orange spot can train you to spot putt. Many of the tour pros use spot putting. That
is, instead of watching the ball when you putt, look at a spot somewhere in front
of your ball and roll the ball over that spot.
When a bowler bowls, he looks at a spot on the lane, not the ball in his hand. When
a quarterback passes the ball, he looks down field, not at the ball in his hand.
Give it a shot.
Try this out on the practice green before taking it to the course. After warming
up with the Pro-Align, select a putt on the green. Pick out your aim line. From the
end of the line, visualize a straight line on the green running all the way back
to your ball. Now somewhere around 6 inches in front of you, pick out a spot on that
line in front of your ball. That spot could be a blade of grass, a discoloration,
whatever it is.
Once you have that spot, focus on it while you address the ball (so you don’t lose
it). Set the putter down and square the putter face up with that spot. Continue to
watch the spot when you make your stroke. Squaring
the putter face and watching the spot should be easy now because this is what the
Pro-Align has been training you to do.
Not everyone will spot putt. Give it a shot and see if it’s for you. Even if you
don’t like it, the Pro-Align will still help you with your alignment, squaring the
putter face, reading the greens, and developing that smooth, repeatable putting stroke
we are all searching for.
Please go to the Contact Us page and email us with any questions about using the
Pro-Align Putting Aid.
