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Arnold Palmer says there are two systems of putting, which I believe, that every golfer should be aware of. These may be called (1) ball track, and (2) target point putting systems. In his book, Arnold Palmer’s Complete Book of Putting, he illustrates these two (see Attached). The caption reads (p 61):
“This is a dilemma of metaphysics which every golfer must resolve for himself. Do you (1) visualize the curving path of the putt to the hole and strive to direct your ball along that path? Or do you (2) judge how the putt will break and then use that information to site a target point, or phantom hole, so as to give yourself the simpler (?) task of hitting a straight putt? You do not need to be a scientific genius to realize that, regardless of the mental approach, the actual action of putting will be identical in both cases. But it is important to settle on one system or the other, and the practice green is the place to discover whether you function by putting to the real hole or by converting all your data of slope, grain, and wind into a target for a straight putt.”
Furthermore, in the book, he states (p31):
“Are you going to visualize the line to the hole and seek to direct your putt along the track? Or are you going to adhere to the school of thought which holds that all putts are straight and that the best technique is to convert your assessment of the putt into a phantom hole, or target point, and start the ball at that spot? The choice is essentially a matter of temperament and what works best for the individual. As a very broad generalization, (1) stroke putters normally adopt the first method, while (2) rap putters prefer to work out a target point wide of the hole and putt straight at it. Both systems have their pluses and minuses, so it is really a question of how you "see" the putt. It is probably easier to fix the line if you have previously determined that you are going to use it like a cart path and drive your putt along it. The danger with this method is that you may be tempted to try to impart some form of swerve to the putt, by involuntarily adjusting the angle of the putter face.”
“This is a dilemma of metaphysics which every golfer must resolve for himself. Do you (1) visualize the curving path of the putt to the hole and strive to direct your ball along that path? Or do you (2) judge how the putt will break and then use that information to site a target point, or phantom hole, so as to give yourself the simpler (?) task of hitting a straight putt? You do not need to be a scientific genius to realize that, regardless of the mental approach, the actual action of putting will be identical in both cases. But it is important to settle on one system or the other, and the practice green is the place to discover whether you function by putting to the real hole or by converting all your data of slope, grain, and wind into a target for a straight putt.”
Furthermore, in the book, he states (p31):
“Are you going to visualize the line to the hole and seek to direct your putt along the track? Or are you going to adhere to the school of thought which holds that all putts are straight and that the best technique is to convert your assessment of the putt into a phantom hole, or target point, and start the ball at that spot? The choice is essentially a matter of temperament and what works best for the individual. As a very broad generalization, (1) stroke putters normally adopt the first method, while (2) rap putters prefer to work out a target point wide of the hole and putt straight at it. Both systems have their pluses and minuses, so it is really a question of how you "see" the putt. It is probably easier to fix the line if you have previously determined that you are going to use it like a cart path and drive your putt along it. The danger with this method is that you may be tempted to try to impart some form of swerve to the putt, by involuntarily adjusting the angle of the putter face.”