tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7347482.post-1115500762289057582005-06-01T11:04:00.000-07:002007-03-14T18:18:39.249-07:002007-03-14T18:18:39.249-07:00<a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/186/1269/50/Tiger%20Masters%2016th%20Chip%20In03.jpg' rel="nofollow"><img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/186/1269/320/Tiger%20Masters%2016th%20Chip%20In03.jpg' align="left"></a>You may have noticed that some golfers draw a straight line on their golf balls to help them line up the ball to putt. It's even a common practice on the professional golf tours. If you saw Tiger Woods' miraculous chip shot at the 16th hole of the 2005 Masters on TV, you got a good close-up of his lined Nike One Platinum ball as it hung momentarily on the lip of the cup.<br /><br /><a href='https://www.finetunegolf.com/' rel="nofollow"><img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/186/1269/200/LineMUpPen02.jpg' align="right"></a>The most common device to draw such a line on a golf ball is a product called the "<a href="https://www.finetunegolf.com/" rel="nofollow">Line-M-up</a>." It's essentially a piece of plastic that you snap on a golf ball. It has a slot where you can draw a straight line on the golf ball with a permanent marker such as a Sharpie pen.<br /><br />You can buy the Line-M-up at most golf stores. <a href="http://www.golfsmith.com/products/LME99?cseq=~C275933&fcst=GSI_WEB">At Golfsmith, it costs $8.99</a>. Yes, $8.99!<br /><br />While that may not sound like much to some, it's quite a lot for something that looks like it cost about 5 cents to manufacture. Sure, it comes with a Sharpie, but what does that cost, another 20 cents? Assuming a standard 100% retail markup, I estimate that the Line-M-up wholesales for about $4.50. To be generous, I'll assume that the Line-M-up costs a total of $.50 to manufacture and package. That means for each Line-M-up sold, the manufacturer makes $4.00 in profit, or a 800% profit margin!<br /><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/186/1269/50/Gatorade%20Bottle01a.jpg' rel="nofollow"><img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/186/1269/200/Gatorade%20Bottle01a.jpg' align="right"></a>I'm not against anyone making a buck, but to me this is grossly excessive. As a businessperson, <span style="font-weight:bold;">I refuse to buy this thing based on business principle alone</span>. But that doesn't mean I don't draw a line on my ball. For the price of a bottle of Gatorade, I have a ball line-drawing device.<br /><br />When I wrote, "a bottle of Gatorade" I literally meant <span style="font-style:italic;">a bottle of Gatorade</span>. I just use the plastic safety ring that detaches from the cap of a 20 oz. bottle of Gatorade as a straight-edge for golf balls. Amazingly, it fits on a golf ball almost perfectly! Not only do you have something to line your golf balls, but you also have a tasty beverage to wash down that crusty old hot dog that you bought at the turn. To ensure a straight and balanced line, use the <a href="http://grouchygolf.blogspot.com/2006/03/golf-review-technasonic-check-go.html" rel="tag">Technasonic Check-Go</a> to pre-draw the line. Just take a look at these pics to see how easy it is to "Line-M-up" ghetto style:<br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/186/1269/50/IMG_0287.jpg' rel="nofollow"><img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/186/1269/200/IMG_0287.jpg'></a><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/186/1269/50/IMG_0286.jpg' rel="nofollow"><img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/186/1269/200/IMG_0286.jpg'></a><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/186/1269/50/IMG_0281.jpg' rel="nofollow"><img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/186/1269/200/IMG_0281.jpg'></a>Golf Grouchnoreply@blogger.com24