Equipment
Can 3 lines on a golf ball actually help your score?
I’m a player who doesn’t take a Sharpie marker to my ball…ever. No lines, no initials, etc. Nothing. I stab it with a pencil a few times and hit it.
20 years ago, I can remember a day when marking your ball with a straight line was a serious thing. Brad Faxon was the first person I saw who did it—he putted the teeth out of it for like 30 years. So there had to be something to it, right? Shortly after, the ball-marking industry blew up—colored Sharpies, perfect line devices, and everything in between was littered down aisles of your local golf store.
To be honest, that stuff never had any value for me. It just added one more variable I had to track, all while having enough trouble just making a putting stroke.
Now, I have always been a streaky putter. I either make everything or never hit the hole. The dispersion is that wild. So for the first time in, well, ever, I decided to see if learning how to actually aim might help. At 43, my instincts aren’t as sharp as I’d like them to be, and I can’t afford to rely on the golf gods touching me on the shoulder once or twice a year.
So, as with anything, I started digging in, wanting to find the simplest place to start. Low and behold, I’m watching golf on TV, and I see Phil Mickelson with three lines (Triple Track) on his Callaway golf ball. As a person who sees Phil as someone who is always looking for the next thing, I started to poke looking into what Callaway was up to.
Officially, this is what the Triple Track Technology I saw on Phil’s ball is
“Triple Track relies on Vernier Hyper Acuity, which aims to improve alignment compared to a regular side stamp alignment aid. It’s a similar technology to that used in landing strips in aircraft carriers, which is dependent on the ability of the brain to process small differences in alignment detected in the eyes. Also used in gun sights, Vernier Hyper Acuity exceeds the limits of the naked eye, with multiple reference points allowing golfers to align their ball more accurately.”
-GolfWRX.com/PGATour.com
I was a huge fan of the 2-Ball putter. For me, it was a mindless way to line up and ultimately put my stroke in a position where I felt “everything happened in front of me.” What that phrase means to me is simply, I can look at the hole, trace a line back to my ball, and fire. I putted well that way for a while.
This video is my finally giving this Triple Track idea a whirl. Callaway got me with the 2-Ball 15-20 years ago, so who’s to say this won’t be any different? Truth is, I have a good putting stroke and sound fundamentals—I just regularly have no idea where the ball is aimed.
Straight putts are where I like to start, and that’s what I did here. The next test will be the golf course, but from the ground level, I was pleasantly surprised at what I discovered.
For those that are curious, this is a Triple Track line test, not a Callaway Chrome Soft test. That’s for another day, but the discovery here symbolizes something other than spin and ball speed. This idea represents something that may actually improve your actual score. Everything we talk about day in and day out could help you score lower, but it’s not as simple and easy to measure as this is. If there is something simple that I can do to make a few more putts across the board, that means more to me then a lot of awesome clubs, shafts, grooves, etc.
That idea gets me in the hole quicker. For me, that’s the point of this whole thing.
This test ends with the ultimate goal…the ball (with the idea attached to it) goes in the hole. Is it a direct effect? A placebo? Who knows? But I do know I keep track of my putting more than anything, and if, after four or five rounds, I find those numbers improving, it’s a hard fact to argue.
Enjoy the video below.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Jim
Mar 1, 2021 at 10:46 am
Ok, it’s been a little over 6-months. What do your putting results with Triple Track reveal?
Realist
Sep 1, 2020 at 9:26 pm
Not a chance…too many long winded answers. Practice might help…my gosh
People expect greatness with a purchase. Learn to golf your ball. I can buy a great pen doesn’t mean I’m gonna be Shakespeare
HKO
Aug 25, 2020 at 4:34 pm
if lines or any markings on the ball ever helped the game of golf, w’all would have been playing in PGA.
Ray Koobatian
Aug 20, 2020 at 1:24 pm
The three lines remind me of a range ball. One line should be enough. For me the arrows on the Titleist ProV1 and ProV1x are enough.
Paintman
Aug 21, 2020 at 1:15 pm
Good for you !
I have a distortion of depth perception in my right eye vision. Had to get a waiver for it to join the military.
This Callaway tech helps a bit.
Thank You !
Randy Braden
Aug 20, 2020 at 12:09 pm
I use triple track technology and think it helps with putting as well as in the tee.
Sherm
Aug 20, 2020 at 7:54 am
It’s putting not rocket science(sorry Bryson).If you think it helps it will.If you don’t think it helps it won’t.
Leftshot
Aug 20, 2020 at 2:13 am
First of all, your methodology was flawed. You already skewed the results by the order of your progression. With each putt you get feedback and learn. Thus one would expect improvement with the third set versus the first, even if you changed nothing.
Second, five putts per set is too few to be statistically significant.
Third, as others have noted, you did a better job of aligning the ball tracks on the third set versus the second. Since this was done before the triple track putter was behind the ball, this difference in aligning the ball was independent of the putter.
Because of these methodology problems, no valid conclusions can be made.
Leftshot
Aug 20, 2020 at 2:30 am
One additional point.
You are putting from an indentation on the putting surface (a small hole that cradles the ball). This makes it easier to align the tracks than under game conditions. This is significant. In real life conditions, it is sometimes impossible to precisely align the tracks as you would like without moving the ball to a slightly different location or pressing the ball into the green. Either is not allowed by the Rules of Golf.
William P Krohn
Aug 19, 2020 at 11:15 pm
Here’s an article with testing from Club Champion.
https://clubchampiongolf.com/newsletters/will-lines-on-your-golf-ball-improve-your-putting?utm_source=article&utm_medium=cc-july-nl-emails&utm_campaign=cc-newsletter2020
Jon D
Aug 19, 2020 at 9:54 pm
Agree with previous comments that it looks like the natural alignment with the first two putters is closed a bit. The putts made have a path that seems to be open a bit…putter is aimed left, but path to the right causes the ball to go straight. The less square for putter and path at impact, the harder it is to get the timing right…which may be why the player says that they are “streaky”.
Last putter made it seem the putter and path were more square to the target. Whether that is small sample size or real would require more digging. There is something to markings impacting alignment (along with putter shape, hosel, etc) because it provides different visuals. Perhaps this is happening in the third set.
Would be curious to see what the numbers are from a SAM PuttLab with 7 balls in each set.
Mark
Aug 19, 2020 at 6:25 pm
I thought you lined up the ball more consistently at the target with the 2ball putter than you did with the other putter where it was aligned to the left a bit.
chip75
Aug 19, 2020 at 5:08 pm
Providing you can set the ball correctly the only thing Triple Track does is show if you’re aligning the putter and the ball on the same line. We know generally most golfers can’t read putts, most under-read them and pull or push the ball on line subconsciously, so this might help give feedback in that regard (and help those who misread putts and go with their misreads), but not much beyond that unless you’re really working on improving your putting.
Personally, I like the blank side of the ball, I liked trying to use lines, but getting the ball to settle became a pain (and you can’t “help” the ball to sit right) and if you’re eyes aren’t in the right place it can look weird once you address the ball and you think you need to start the process over again. The blank ball can alleviate that.
CactusGolf
Aug 19, 2020 at 3:03 pm
Will it help your score? Maybe. Will it slow up play? Absolutely.
Kourtney Knowles
Aug 20, 2020 at 1:57 pm
Not if you make the putt the first try haha.
talljohn777
Aug 19, 2020 at 2:55 pm
Every putt is straight. If you do not start the ball on the intended line it will not go in the hole. Therefore, these alinemate aids on both the ball and the putter should absolutely improve your ability to start the ball on your intended line.
Mel
Aug 19, 2020 at 1:12 pm
Great experiment. Have used a line on the ball for a while. Your experiment proved that the line on the ball isn’t going to help unless its actually lined up at the hole. Great articles, great job and I look forward to hearing how the triple track ball works for you.
Dave Hall
Aug 19, 2020 at 1:10 pm
Useful video test. Reasonable, informal protocol. Leads me to wonder if I can, as a caddie, legally line up a putt for my player by positioning the line on his or her ball with the direction I want them to send it. (Need to check my detailed version of 2019’s Rules of Golf.)
Robert Coppersmith
Aug 19, 2020 at 1:01 pm
Good video. Now look at it again yourself. Maybe its the camera angle, but you seem to have a tendency to line the ball up slightly left. Your putter is straight. What does that say about your alignment in general? Maybe a professional putter coach could give you an answer.
Play well.
Richard
Aug 19, 2020 at 1:09 pm
This is why drawing lines on your golf ball should be illegal, and also, it slows play down tremendously. Your caddie is used to help you find the break. And finally, slope books should be illegal, another area that slows golf to a crawl!
St1800
Aug 20, 2020 at 12:24 am
Ditto, As Jack said, part of the challenge is “figuring it out”. Lines on the ball, green reading charts, and putters up the forearm are not “in the spirit of the game”.
Too many out there spending an inordinate amount of time employing these crutches. Does a quartrerback have a chart in the game to figure out the trajectory he should throw the ball on? A pitcher?
All these aids should be banned.
See it, feel it, hit it.
James
Aug 19, 2020 at 12:57 pm
Would like to see results with Triple Track putter and a non triple track back. Nice experiment, thanks.
Paulo
Aug 19, 2020 at 12:26 pm
Any compensation you have grained into your stroke should actually cause more misses when the face is perfectly square at address . Not to say the tech doesn’t work though