Why Start Line Matters – And How a Simple Putting Gate Can Transform Your Putting Performance

Why Start Line Matters – And How a Simple Putting Gate Can Transform Your Putting Performance

When golfers think about missed putts, most instantly blame the read or the speed. But there’s another crucial piece of the puzzle that often gets ignored — start line.

Start line is the initial direction the ball begins its journey, and it is controlled almost entirely by the putter face angle at impact. If the face is just slightly open or closed, the ball begins off its intended line long before speed or green reading even matter.

To put this into perspective, we can use a simple training tool: the putting gate.

How Tight Is Your Start Line?

Let’s look at a standard 50 mm gate, which is only slightly wider than a golf ball (42.67 mm). This leaves just 7.33 mm of total clearance, or 3.665 mm on each side of the ball as it passes through.

Many golfers assume the gate simply measures whether you’re “on target.”

In reality, it’s doing something much more important…

It’s measuring your degree of start-line error.

And the numbers might surprise you.

With a 50 mm gate placed 16.5 inches in front of the ball, the allowable start-line error is just:

±0.5°

That’s half a degree.

Barely anything.

Yet half a degree is the difference between a perfect start and a guaranteed miss on shorter putts.

Why ±0.5° Matters for Holing More Putts

Imagine a 6-foot putt.

If your start line is even one degree off, the ball can miss the hole entirely — even on a straight putt.

Small errors early in the ball’s roll multiply quickly:

• A 0.5° face error becomes a noticeable miss by the time the ball reaches the hole

• A 1° error becomes a guaranteed miss on putts outside 5–6 feet

• A 2° error is a full cup offline by 10 feet

This is why elite players obsess over start line. And this is why a narrow gate becomes such a powerful training tool: it instantly exposes face angle inconsistencies.

What Using a Gate Does for Your Stroke

A properly sized gate helps you:

✔️ Improve putter face control

You’ll quickly learn how small the margin for error really is.

✔️ Centre your strike

If you miss the gate, you’ll often find the strike was heel or toe-biased.

✔️ Build a reliable start line pattern

Repetition with a gate trains your brain to deliver the face square more consistently.

✔️ Translate practice directly to the course

Better start line = better pace control + better reads = more holed putts.

What This Means For Your Practice

If you’re using a 50 mm gate, you’re training at a tour-level standard.

A tolerance of only ±0.5° is incredibly demanding — perfect for players who want to develop elite face control and reduce directional error.

For most golfers, I recommend mixing gate widths and distances to build skill:

• 50 mm – elite, ±0.5° at 16.5”

• 55 mm – advanced

• 60 mm – intermediate, great for confidence and rhythm

The key is consistency. Start with a manageable width, then gradually tighten the gate as you improve.

Final Thoughts

Start line isn’t just another putting concept — it is the foundation of everything you do on the greens. If the ball doesn’t begin on the intended line, even the best read and best pace can’t save the putt.

Using a gate is one of the simplest, most effective ways to train this skill.

It gives you instant feedback, measurable improvement, and builds world-class face control that will help you hole more putts — immediately.