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A PuttBANDIT survey conducted in the summer of 2023 found that 71% of UK golfers use a line on their golf ball when putting. 82% of of golfers surveyed used the golf ball alignment line to target most of their putts. In 2022 a PuttBANDIT customer survey found that 42% of respondents draw their own line with a stencil, 36% used the ball manufacturer’s brand name or pre-printed line and 22% used balls specifically designed for alignment such as Callaway Triple Track, Srixon Divide, TaylorMade Tour Response Stripe and TP5 Pix. PuttBANDIT Ltd is not affiliated, endorsed by or connected to other brands or websites that we may mention or link to in our communications.

The answer is no. The R&A and USGA rules defines a ball-marker as: “An artificial object when used to mark the spot of your ball to be lifted, such as a tee, a coin, an object made to be a ball-marker or another small piece of equipment. No mention of needing to be a round shape. However, in a recent PuttBANDIT survey of 1,200 UK golfers, we asked what type of ball marker they used to mark their golf ball on the green. At least 69% of the 1,200 responders were using a round marker. What if the object used to mark the ball has a line on it? Equipment rule 6.7 – Definition of Alignment Device and Treatment of Ball-Markers (Rule 4.3) sets maximum size limits and dimensions on golf ball markers and their features (including lines) so they conform to rules and are not considered to be alignment aids. This limits golf ball markers to 2 inches horizontally and 1 inch vertically. The PuttBANDIT golf ball marker has been examined by the R&A and ruled to conform to the rules of golf. PuttBANDIT Ltd is not affiliated, endorsed by or connected to other brands or websites that we may mention or link to in our communications.

In December 2023, PuttBANDIT published the UK Putting Survey, first large scale nationwide survey of the top putting issues of UK Golfers. Over 1,200 golfers took part revealing their most frequently experienced putting problems. The big issues Our respondents told us that ‘Leaving putts short’ is the biggest issue for 71% of UK golfers with ‘3-putting’ ranked second for 44% of the sample and ‘Missing short putts’ an issue for 31%. Single handicappers What about those single handicap golfers? Do they have the same issues?  YES they do, but not quite in the same order. They leave putts short less frequently, have less ‘Missing short putt’ issues and their third most frequent concern is ‘3-putting’. The obvious explanation is that Plus to 9.9 handicap golfers have the skills to get the ball closer to the hole from the par-3 tee, on approach from the fairway, and chipping from just off the green or out of the sand. Shorter first putts increase their make percentages. But getting the ball closer is only one of many ways to reduce putting issues. The survey responses provide us with vital golf data and statistics and key insights into how any golfer can reduce their putting problems. Which methods reduce issues? We analysed the data, to see if certain green reading, speed control and alignment methods reduced the frequency of these top putting issues. The results were revealing, and you can download a copy of the full UK Putting Survey report by clicking the link below. PuttBANDIT Ltd is not affiliated, endorsed by or connected to other brands or websites that we may mention or link to in our communications.

Customer-led innovation In our 2022 customer survey, users of the PuttBANDIT golf ball marker, told us they wanted a smaller, thinner, more robust alignment marker to improve on our PuttBANDIT Classic debut design. The PuttBANDIT LP low profile marker was the result. From user suggestion to new design We fired up our CAD workstation and modified the Classic design, thinning it down to create a lower profile on the green, slimmer than a pound coin. We also shortened the anchor pin that enables rules compliant line adjustment and made the alignment stripes even better with metal outlines and high gloss enamel. A casting of thousands To improve strength and adjustment stability, we manufactured the marker in die cast metal, electro-plating for a polished smooth adjustment glide, and applied oven-baked coloured enamels to improve contrast and visibility from distance. User designed and tested 100 prototypes were produced and sent to our customer test team for their feedback and reviews on the features and benefits of our new design. The PuttBANDIT LP alignment marker is now our best-selling marker since we launched our company in 2021. PuttBANDIT Ltd is not affiliated, endorsed by or connected to other brands or websites that we may mention or link to in our communications.

Follow these basic instructions to use a PuttBANDIT alignment golf ball marker. After a while you will develop your own routine that uses your available time effectively and efficiently for green reading, targeting, aligning and making your putt, conscious of the pace of play. 1. Start reading the green as you approach it from the fairway. Judge the slopes and make your initial putting line assessment. 2. Mark your ball position with the PuttBANDIT marker head behind the ball and the marker pointing to the hole. Push the anchor pin into the turf*. You can now lift and clean your ball. 3. Target the PuttBANDIT’s stripes down your chosen putt start line or to your aim point or spot by rotating your PuttBANDIT around the anchor pin. You can use your fingers or the head of your putter while standing up for a higher perspective. 4. You can check your line by looking towards your aim point or spot from behind the PuttBANDIT or, if you have the time, by looking back to the PuttBANDIT from behind the aim point or hole. You can then make adjustments to your line. 5. Before it's your turn to putt, replace your ball on its spot on a direct line between the marker head and the hole and set the line on your ball parallel to the PuttBANDIT stripes. 6. Carefully remove the PuttBANDIT without touching or moving your ball, align your putter face, trust your chosen line, focus on your speed and then putt down the ball line to your aim point or spot. Always replace your ball before removing the PuttBANDIT and making your stroke. *The PUTTBANDIT ball marker has an anchor pin, like a golf tee peg, that pushes into the turf for stability and to allow the marker to rotate. To avoid potential injury, do not sit on the anchor pin and do not push the pin into the skin, eyes or clothing, or put  inside the mouth, and keep away from young children. PuttBANDIT Ltd is not affiliated, endorsed by or connected to other brands or websites that we may mention or link to in our communications.

It's not often golf brands reveal the results of their golf equipment reviews and customer surveys. For the past three years, we have done just that. Our annual customer survey has asked PuttBANDIT golf ball marker customers to tell us what they think, how their PuttBANDIT marker is impacting their putting performance, and how they would improve our designs. These user insights inspire our product innovation and help us design and build new and improved alignment marker models including our latest PuttBANDIT LP all-metal marker. These are the results of our 2023 survey. Scoring 67% of survey respondents reported taking less putts per round, up from 63% in 2022. PuttBANDIT users reduced their putts per round by an average of 3.8 putts. WHS handicaps 77% of responders reported lowering handicaps by an average of 15% during their first year of PuttBANDIT marker use. Before using a PuttBANDIT the average handicap of responders was 18.4 which dropped to 15.7 by the date of the survey in October 2023. Overall performance Customer scoring feedback shows improvement on 2022, particularly on putts that contribute to 3-putt avoidance. The high confidence and consistency scores indicate a positive contribution to maintaining increased putting performance. Speed control The top putting issue from our recent UK Putting Survey was ‘Leaving putts short’ with 71% of golfers citing speed/distance control issues. We believe that confidence and trust in your chosen putt line helps clear the mind to focus on speed control. 55% of customers agreed. They reported that using a PuttBANDIT marker helped improve their focus on speed/distance control. 5-star ratings We ask users to rate their PuttBANDIT marker on a range of product attributes on a 5-star scale. This helps us validate the customer-led design improvements that we’ve delivered based on prior customer feedback. Customer-led innovation In our 2022 survey, customers told us they wanted a smaller, thinner, more robust marker. We responded by releasing our PuttBANDIT LP marker in March 2023, an all-metal, low-profile design, thinner than a pound coin. It’s now our best-selling alignment marker. Our thanks and appreciation go to all our customers for their survey feedback and the design suggestions that enable us to help improve customer putting performance. PuttBANDIT Ltd is not affiliated, endorsed by or connected to other brands or websites that we may mention or link to in our communications.

Once upon a time in 2019, two brothers, Neil and Paul Hart, both had a dreadful day on the links. The reason for our terrible performance was obvious - too many missed putts and 3-putts. Golfing ambitions Our prime golfing years were behind us. Sinking the putt on the 18th green to win The Open or Ryder Cup had become an extremely remote possibility. But we we’re still ambitious and keen to improve and get our 18 handicaps down to single figures. Sadly, we were never going to drive it 340 yards like Rory McIlroy or hit greens in regulation like Scottie Scheffler. But we could get better by improving our putting. So we analysed why our putts were missing and how we could reduce putts per round. Read, speed and line Our most frustrating misses happened when we got the ball past the hole a foot or so. We were offline. Either our read was wrong or we were hitting the ball down the wrong start line for the speed. Was it poor targeting, stroke path, face angle or any combination of the above? Each variable had to be eliminated to find the reason for our misses. The light bulb goes on We then had an ah-ha moment. We checked where we were aiming our putts and compared that spot to where the ball line was actually pointing by using a laser. We were way off target, and it got worse with distance. It’s just too hard to point a short thin line at a distant target while crouching over it and looking down. We had to improve our ball alignment accuracy. But how? We couldn’t use a laser on the course. That’s cheating. But what if a ball marker could enable more accurate targeting? Target the marker, stand back to check and match the ball line to that accurate target line. Great putters need a garage Karsten Solheim made his first Anser putter in a garage, so we needed one too, or at least a shed to start the first chapter of the PuttBANDIT Story. Out of a garage workshop and off a kitchen table came the first prototype PuttBANDIT ball markers with parallel lines that could be adjusted, and all enabled by an anchor pin to keep the marked ball position. It had to be quick and easy to use and fully compliant with R&A equipment rules. It works! The first prototypes rapidly improved our putting. We sank more putts, reduced putts per round and avoided 3-putting. Our handicaps dropped from 18 to 13 and 11. But was the PuttBANDIT ball marker legal for competition play? We sent our first prototype to the R&A in St. Andrews for examination and waited for the news. Fail fast, learn and pass Our first prototype failed. It was a wee bit longer than the 2 inches permitted. The next prototype was smaller and a clever combination of a ball marker and pitch mark repair tool. Or so we thought. It failed too, thanks to the cunning ingenuity of the R&A inspectors who found the potential for misuse by jamming the two parts together and increasing the length. We were too honest to think of that. But we went back to CAD and 3D printed the next design candidate and this time we passed the R&A tests. The PuttBANDIT ball marker had been examined (three times) and ruled to conform to the rules of golf. All we had to do was make a few thousand and sell them. From garage to web shop To share the PuttBANDIT with other golfers, we had to learn about CAD, injection moulding, materials science, 3D printing, CNC laser cutting, precision part printing, industrial adhesives, packaging design and everything about ecommerce. We were in a COVID lockdown, so we did. We sourced manufacturing in the UK and the first PuttBANDIT Classic ball markers went on sale in March 2021. The customer feedback was amazing, and PuttBANDIT alignment ball markers are now helping to improve the putting performance of UK golfers from Shetland to Cornwall. Customer-led innovation Since our first product launch we now ask our customers to test and review prototypes and we run annual customer surveys. This helps us validate our designs, get performance data, and generates enhancement requests for future design improvements. This data-led ethos has now expanded to our market research programme with the UK Putting Survey, the first large-scale research into the putting issues of UK golfers. The USA is next. These insights will drive our future designs, and new product innovations that help golfers of all abilities improve their putting skills. Putt well. PuttBANDIT Ltd is not affiliated, endorsed by or connected to other brands or websites that we may mention or link to in our communications.