S.Kargoh (Login S.Kargoh) from IP address 205.188.192.29
I see the break, the line I want, and the speed I need.
But, sometimes, I can't tell where the heck I am aiming as I stand over the putter. Some days I can, but mostly I feel lost. I can't tell, till I strike the ball, that I was actually aimed 8 inches right or left of my desired line.
Aiming the face of the putter means sensing when the flat surface of the face is perpendicular to the startline of the putt. So start with the startline.
From behind the ball, sight the line, and then connect it up to the ball this way; 1) see a spot / pick a spot on the line you see from behind the ball that is about 5 inches ahead of the ball; and 2) identify the dimple on the back equator of the ball that is directly above and on the line or in the vertical plane of the putt (there's always only one). This way, when you move to beside the ball, you can reconstruct your aim with the spot and the back dimple.
At address, place your putterhead behind the ball so the sweetspot is directly behind the dimple you identified. Now, you have to "square up" the face to the startline.
To square up the face, pivot the face behind the ball (with the sweetspot not changing location) until you feel the face is pointing to the spot. A line from the spot back to the ball ought to match up to a shorter line in the ball itself from the front to the back dimple. In other words, the line back to the ball from the spot ougt to intersect the ball in one and only one dimple on the front equator, AND this dimple should be directly opposite the back dimple. These two dimples (front and back) make a line thru the ball, and this line has to match the spot-to-ball line.
Your putterface must be sqaure to this common ball and ball-to-spot line. (Think of looking at the top line of the putterface behind the ball and sensing the line back from the spot, thru the front dimple, thru the back dimple, intersecting the putterface so the line and putterface make a perfect 90 degrees, like trying to sense whether a picture hanging on a wall is straight.)
Only after you square up the putterface should you take up your body position at address with your fee, then hang your arms below the shoulder sockets, and then take up your grip however low your hands are hanging. (The ball also needs to be a little forward of the middle / bottom of your stance and stroke arc.)
At this point, you should be aimed square to whatever startline you saw to begin with. If you can make a straight stroke out of this setup, you ought to be in business. Let me know how it's going.
For more info, try reading my tip about Deadeye Putting and about Setting Up to the Ball First. Another tip is called Light up the Face, about sensing where the putterface is aimed farther along the line. A tip I am writing is about relatively straight short putts. For these, remember that your feet are parallel left of the aimline. Imagine setting up as if you were going to putt the hole itself, and then translate your setup stance back to your real position along a parallel set of tracks. This helps you sense that the hole is "out there" away from your feet a certain distance, and this helps your stroke move down the true line at the target.