Putting well comes down to two things: line and speed. If you have one without the other, you have another putt upcoming. While speed will be dependent upon where you play and has to be mastered by feel, there’s a better and more scientific way to learn the line of the putt.
Green-reading is most certainly a skill, but there’s no harm in honing that skill by using a training aid. Much like good swing training aids work to ingrain muscle memory to create a repeatable motion when the aid is not in use, LEVELHEAD Ball Markers train your body and mind to see the correct break on the greens by giving you immediate and accurate feedback.
First Impression
The LEVELHEAD Ball Marker comes in packaging that’s slightly bigger than a ring box. Inside, the LEVELHEAD is secured in a pouch that immediately allows you to feel the weight of the product. Very similar in size to a poker chip, the LEVELHEAD won’t do much to differentiate itself from the normal pocketdwellers during a round of golf.
Unlike your poker chip or traditional ball marker, however, the LEVELHEAD’s value is immediately apparent. We’ve all used a level at some point in our life and the brilliance in the simplicity of a ball marker with a level built into is evident from the start.
How It Works
Like a typical level, the LEVELHEAD Ball Marker has a liquid level with a bubble that intuitively shows you the slant in the green. The LEVELHEAD is not tournament legal — virtually no training aid is — so be cognizant of that fact when teeing it up in sanctioned competition.
The use of the LEVELHEAD is simple. If the bubble on the top of the marker moves to the right, you’re facing a right-to-left break in the putt that . If the bubble on top of the marker moves to the left, you’re facing a left-to-right putt. If the bubble moves to the bottom of the marker, you’re facing a downhill putt and vice versa for the bubble moving to the top, resulting in an uphill putt.
Does It Work?
There isn’t a question that the LEVELHEAD works because it is dependent upon the ground and gravity. If the LEVELHEAD doesn’t work, then either it was compromised or the entire world is in big trouble.
Why it works is a much more pertinent question for this review. As we mentioned at the top, green reading is a skill, but it’s a skill that can be learned; it’s not exclusive to those “born” with the ability. You hear all the time — and it rings especially true in golf — that experience is as, if not more, important than skill. LEVELHEAD gives its users that experience.
Confidence is such a pivotal part of putting and knowing which way the ball is going to break gives you the confidence to free up your body and make a good stroke. Using the LEVELHEAD, it’s ideal to read the putt as you normally would and then get confirmation from the marker. There’s no guesswork or uncommitted putts when using this marker.
Final Impression
It’s a widely-held belief that long putts require little skill. You can hand a putter to anyone on the street and they can come relatively close to 10-15 feet from the hole from 40 or 50 feet. It’s 10 feet and in where golfers make their money, literally and figuratively. The LEVELHEAD is perfect for those putts 15 feet and in where there is likely only one break to take into consideration.
Confirming and learning how to see and read break takes care of 50% of the putting equation. LEVELHEAD does exactly what its double entendre name suggests — it tells you the break, which allows you to keep a level head while on the greens.
To learn more about LEVELHEAD Ball Markers, visit their website here.
