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A phenomenon over which we have little control is peripheral vision. It is essential in our daily lives. Without it we would be falling all over the place, bumping into everything and not ducking when an object was on its way to hit us from one side or the other.
This essential sense is also one that haunts us when putting, especially when we know that the putter head should be moving back along the 10 degree (off the vertical) plane and at a pace equivalent to our natural rhythm.
We see the putter head courtesy of our peripheral vision, even though we are not looking at it. We automatically and without control react to the perceived need to correct in milliseconds. This creates the dreaded “back stroke wave” or a jerky forward stroke.
We need to ignore these peripheral vision messages if we can in order to let the body do what it knows how to do. One way to do this is by closing the eyes. While a good practice drill, however, this really is not a good thing to do on the course.
One way to dampen the power of peripheral vision to engage the body’s natural instinct to correct an observed flaw in the swing – only to make it worse – is to focus on a spot at the back of the ball during the swing.
There has been some excellent research conducted by Joan Vickers on eye movements and what has become known as the “Quiet Eye” prior to and during the putting stroke. She has found that good putters keep their gaze very still on a specific location of the ball for 2 to 3 seconds just before and as the stroke is performed. Poor putters on the other hand do not manage to fix their gaze on a specific point on the ball and may track the putter head on the backswing. This dwell time of the “Quiet Eye” has been shown to improve accuracy.
Other interesting findings from Vickers’ extensive research include the fact that a good putter will also pick out a specific target at the hole, ( on short putts in particular) such as a blade of grass and their gaze will tend to be slower and deliberate, whereas a poor putter will not select such a point and rather will let their gaze wander around the hole at a faster pace.
When teaching your student, you need to be aware of these very subtle movements of the eyes and the way in which the head and eyes interact to gather information. Observe the way your student moves his head to look at the line and be in a position to be able to watch his eye movement. Ask him what he is looking at as he goes through his pre-shot routine. All of this will help you determine if your student has a consistent process he follows and what strategies he employs.
Help some of your poor putting students by encouraging them to stabilize their gaze as they are making the putt. A way to do this suggested by Vickers in her book “Perception, Cognition and Decision Training: The Quiet Eye in Action” (2007). Place small discs (you could use small stickers) of different colours under golf balls scattered on the green. Then have your student putt and tell you what colour is hidden under the ball before they look at the hole.
It is important to let your students know what information they should be attending to as they aim the putter head. Encourage them to select a small target and then keep their gaze fixed on a spot at the back of the ball as they make the stroke and through impact. You’ll be amazed how much this alone can help their putting.
