Putting Line
The putting line is the imaginary path along which your ball should roll across the green into the hole.
The putting line is the result of your reading of the green. It is rarely straight, because almost every green has slopes that pull the ball sideways — the so-called break. Finer influences come on top, such as the direction of grass growth and small undulations in the surface. Your putting line starts at the ball, runs through a starting point you aim at and then bends with the slope towards the hole. Crucially: the line depends on the pace. A fast putt takes less break, a slow one that "dies" at the hole considerably more. Line and speed are therefore two sides of the same decision.
An example from a round: a four-metre putt, the green slopes from left to right and runs slightly downhill towards the hole. You walk behind the ball, then behind the hole, and read the slope from both perspectives. Instead of aiming directly at the flag, you choose as your intermediate target a point thirty centimetres left of the hole and putt deliberately only "hole high". The ball starts on this line, takes the break and drops in from the high side. Exactly this systematic approach is what makes good green reading.
There are plenty of typical mistakes. Many read the line only from behind the ball and overlook what happens right around the hole — that is where the break is strongest, because the ball loses pace. Others stare at the flag instead of their intermediate target and therefore never start the putt on the line they read. It is also relevant under the rules: you must not touch your putting line to test or improve it; only repairing pitch marks and old hole plugs is allowed. You may remove loose leaves or sand, but without pressing or sweeping the line.
FAQ
How do I find my putting line on an uneven green?
Walk behind the ball and behind the hole and read the slope from both directions, because the break is strongest at the hole. Then choose an intermediate target just in front of the ball on the line you read instead of staring straight at the flag. Remember: slow putts take more break than fast ones.
May I touch or clean my putting line on the green?
No, you must not touch the line to test or improve it. Only repairing pitch marks and old hole plugs is allowed, as is removing loose leaves or sand — without pressing or sweeping. Anyone who works on the line takes a penalty stroke.
Why does my putt often miss even though I read the line correctly?
Usually the ball does not start on the line you read at all, because you look at the flag instead of your intermediate target while hitting. Pace also decides: a putt that is too fast does not take the break, one that is too slow dies too early. Line and speed always belong together.