Most golfers obsess over their putting stroke while ignoring the two setup elements that determine whether that stroke has any chance of working. You can have perfect tempo, a square face at impact, and ideal distance control, but if your ball position or eye alignment is off, you're fighting physics.
Ball position and eye alignment don't get much attention because they're not exciting. Nobody posts videos of their eye position over the ball. Instructors would rather teach you a new grip or show you a fancy drill. But after nearly three decades of watching golfers struggle on greens, I can tell you that most putting problems trace back to where the ball is relative to your stance and where your eyes are relative to the target line.
Get these two fundamentals right, and suddenly your stroke feels easier. Your distance control improves. You start your putts on line more consistently. Not because you changed your stroke, but because you stopped sabotaging it before you even moved the putter.
Ball Position: The Launch Pad Nobody Checks
Where you position the ball in your stance dictates the angle your putter contacts it. Too far back, and you're hitting down on the ball, creating hop and inconsistent roll. Too far forward, and you catch it on the upswing, launching it with overspin that makes distance control nearly impossible.
The ideal contact point is at the bottom of your putting arc or just slightly on the upswing. For most golfers, this means positioning the ball somewhere between the logo on your shirt and your lead eye. That's a fairly wide range because body types and stroke styles vary.
Professional golfers tend to position the ball forward in their stance, typically off their front foot or lead eye. This promotes a slight upward strike that gets the ball rolling smoothly without initial skid. Watch slow-motion footage of tour players putting, and you'll see the ball immediately starts its true roll rather than hopping or skidding.
But tour players also practice daily and have grooved consistent bottom points in their stroke. For amateur golfers who practice less frequently, a position closer to center might produce more consistent results. The key is finding your natural bottom point and then matching ball position to it.
Test this on the practice green. Put tees in the ground at different positions in your stance and hit putts from each spot. Pay attention to how the ball comes off the face. You're looking for immediate forward roll without bounce. When you find that position, mark it mentally and replicate it every time.
Eye Alignment: Your Built-In Targeting System
Your eyes are your primary targeting mechanism. Where they position over the ball at address influences your perception of the target line, which influences your stroke path, which determines whether putts start on line.
The standard advice is to position your eyes directly over the ball or just inside the target line. This gives you an accurate down-the-line view, similar to looking through a scope. Your perception of the line matches reality.
Position your eyes too far inside the line, and you're looking at the target from an angle. Your brain compensates by pulling putts or swinging the putter outside the intended path. Position your eyes beyond the ball, and you tend to push putts or swing too inside.
Testing your eye position takes about 30 seconds. Set up to a putt, then hold a ball at the bridge of your nose and drop it. Where it lands relative to the ball on the ground shows your eye position. If it lands on the ball or just inside it toward your feet, you're in good shape. If it lands well inside or outside, you need to adjust your posture.
Most eye alignment problems stem from posture, not intent. Golfers who stand too upright tend to position their eyes inside the line. Those who crouch too low often get their eyes outside. The fix isn't complicated. Adjust your spine angle and distance from the ball until the drop test shows proper positioning.
Making These Fundamentals Automatic
Ball position and eye alignment need to become unconscious parts of your routine. You shouldn't be checking them while you're standing over an important putt. That's too late and creates paralysis.
Build them into your pre-putt setup. Same distance from the ball every time. Same spine angle. Same ball position relative to your stance. The repetition turns these fundamentals into muscle memory so you can focus on reading the green and making a confident stroke.
Most golfers practice their stroke while ignoring their setup. That's backwards. Your setup determines whether your stroke can function properly. Perfect mechanics built on a flawed foundation still produce inconsistent results.
Spend one practice session dialing in your ball position and eye alignment. Use the tests I mentioned. Find your optimal positions. Then build a routine that replicates them. That single session will likely improve your putting more than a month of stroke work.
The best part about fundamentals is they don't require talent or athleticism. They just require attention and repetition. You can fix these today if you choose to.
