If you’ve ever stood around the driving green at a tournament, you’ve likely seen players using a thin string while putting. It is called a initial line string or an extension string, and it’s one of the most effective—yet underrated—training tools to dial into your setup.
Recently, Ian Poulter shared one behind the scenes video explaining how he uses this Tour-trusted training aid to increase his reach on the green—and how you can, too.
“>
How to use an extension string
The string is stretched between the two stakes and runs directly over your target line, giving you a visual guide to connect your eyes and face. To set it up, Poulter says to place one stake behind the tee and the other down behind the hole.
“About where you think the ball is going to go,” he says.
From here, he says to hit a few shots to see if your target launch line you’ve chosen reflects what the ball is actually doing.
“You want to see if your eyes catch how much the ball is going to break,” says Poulter, “That’s a really good test.”
You should be able to tell right away if the row you’ve chosen is correct. If your starting line is off, simply adjust the string by moving the putter past the hole to account for any extra curve on the green that you didn’t see at the start.
Once you’ve locked your goal, you can check your starting line. All you have to do is look at the ball after you hit it. If your ball rolls directly under the string, you have launched it on the right line.
Not only will practicing with this tool improve your alignment, it will even help you become a better green reader. You can also use the extension string to check yours eye position – a crucial aspect of setup – and stroke length.
To control your eye position, Poulter says to place the ball with your putter—with the string above the center line of the golf ball. Grab a second ball and place it directly under your dominant eye. Then jump from this position.
“You want that ball ideally to land directly over the ball that’s down,” he says, “That means your eyeline is directly over the line.”
To check your swing, Poulter says to put two tips down to mark the length of your shot.
“You’d like, in an ideal world, for the backswing to be exactly the same distance as the backswing,” says Poulter, “That helps give you a good backswing, slight acceleration on the actual ball itself. And then as the backswing ends, it ends up the same distance down the fairway as the distance you took it back.”
The extension string may be a simple tool, but as Ian Poulter shows, its impact on setting performance can be huge. Whether you’re working on aim, eye position, or shot consistency, this underrated training aid gives you the quick response you need to shoot like the pros.
