Why Small Putting Mistakes Are So Hard to See

With a normal golf ball, you can miss the center of the face slightly and never realize it. One putt catches a little heel and stops six inches short of the same stroke hit from the sweet spot, yet both can still look close enough that nothing feels obviously wrong. The difference shows up in start line and pace, but it’s subtle enough that most golfers can’t diagnose what actually changed.

The same thing happens with deceleration or low and high strikes on the face. A stroke that slows down a touch or makes contact a fraction off center will still send the ball forward. The result looks playable, so the real issue stays hidden. Over time, those small inconsistencies add up and make putting feel unpredictable.

A heavier ball removes that ambiguity. When the ball is significantly heavier, off-center contact and poor tempo become obvious immediately. Strikes off the heel don’t roll the same. Deceleration shows up right away. Instead of guessing what went wrong, the feedback is clear.

What’s interesting is how quickly the stroke adjusts. After a few repetitions, most players naturally find a motion that delivers the putter squarely through the ball. When they switch back to a normal ball, the stroke tends to feel more centered and more stable. The goal isn’t to change mechanics. It’s to make the correct motion the only one that works.