Pro-Align Putting System trains you to start the ball on line

When putting, most golfers tend to focus an awful lot on the hole. But accomplished putters tell you that if you start the ball out on the proper line, the hole will simply get in the way, and you’ll make more putts.

That’s the logic behind a new putting aid called Pro-Align Putting System (http://www.innovativegolfproducts.com/). The system consists of two different steps with the same goal: start the ball off on the right line, and it’ll go in.

Step 1 is “Hit it straight.” This part consists of a snap-together plastic chute with adjustable gates at the end. You orient the chute towards the hole, and set the gates from “Beginner” (widest opening) to “Pro” (narrowest opening). If your ball is coming off your putter face straight, it’ll go through the gates and roll straight into the hole.

Or at least it will if the gates are set to any level other than “Pro.” At this setting, the gates are actually not wide enough for the ball to fit through without hitting them. This was frustrating until I figured out why all my putts were hitting the gates. But at the other settings, I hit around 20 5-footers in a row, which certainly helped shake off the rust from a long non-golfing winter.

Step 2 is “Let it Break.” This part consists of a right-angle piece that rotates on a peg above your ball. You set the rotating arm along the aim line, start your ball off on that line, and watch it break into the hole. Well, that is assuming you’ve read the break right to begin with. Struggling putters will likely find this aspect of the Pro-Align system, as putting the ball on the right line is only half the battle on breaking putts. You need to read the green right first.

All things considered, though, the Pro-Align isn’t a bad system for golfers who like to tinker around with practice aids. At $20, it’s not outrageously expensive, but it does cost more than a handful of tees, from which one could construct a few lines that would provide an equivalently clear visual putting aid.