The Next Generation In Ball Markers

When I was at the PGA Championship, I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the players moved along. Play was relatively quick in the fairways, as players moved swiftly from the tees to their next shot, selected their clubs and hit again as soon as the green ahead was clear. I actually had a hard time keeping up with the Garcia, Kim, Villegas group.

But on the greens, everything slowed to a standstill. If on television you see players standing in the fairway, taking endless practice swings, it’s likely they’re just waiting for a group on the green to finish.

It’s not at all evident on tv. There, you see a player making his putt, not the five minutes of deliberation that precedes it. And while you may see a player taking a pile of practice swings, television doesn’t show you that the reason for the delay is his fear of hitting someone.

I’m not the only one to notice the delay on the greens. Noted putter designer Scotty Cameron also has noted the amount of time wasted by Tour players as they go back and forth between ball and hole to make sure everything is properly aligned.

So Cameron did what inventors do: he came up with a solution.

The Ball Tool is a flat piece of metal with a circular indentation and a series of alignment marks. This lets the player line up the putt even after the ball is marked. When it’s time to replace the ball, you just align the ball’s sidestamp with the proper line.

Cameron hopes to sell a bazillion of these at $44 starting in September.

I’m just hoping he sells gives one to each of the Tour players and it speeds up the action on the green.