If you’re like me one of the more interesting places to hang around during one of the big events is the practice greens. There you find all sorts of contraptions used to correct the tempo, focus the putt and control the line into the cup. One of the simplest you’ll find in use is the simple putting string.

Held taut between two stakes, the putting string is a perfect putting training aid and you can use it with almost any length of putt.

The important thing is to have the string high enough above the ball and set over a hole and extended approximately 6 to 8 feet so you can practice length to putt to cup within this measured distance.

To use the guide and with the string set up in front of you, set you eyes square to the line along with your feet and shoulders. With your body addressing the line you can begin to understand what a straight putt looks like using the ball and line as your reference. The more you practice with this action the more you’ll make the hole.

The Golftakeaway putting string has two rectangular flag-like measurement guides so by inserting it into the green it will make sure the depth is set correctly above the ball and reduce parallax error. It has a strong 8 ft (2.44m) blue nylon cord to stand out against the green. It also comes with a handy guide to putting success in percentages for different distances achieved by a Tour Pro and a scratch golfer. Check how well you do!

Paul Nicholls is the lead technologist and designer at Golftakeaway: www.golftakeaway.com

Putting string can be purchased here: