Are eyes over the ball REALLY that important in putting?

[hiroshiro]

Good point

I'm assuming the line on the ball you are talking about is around the cicumference running from 3-o-clock to 9-o-clock...

If that is what you mean, how do you set your putter up correctly to that line when you address the ball, because if you view that line from anywhere other than directly above it will appear bent as it goes over the top of the ball, rather than a staright line as when viewed from directly above?..
So how do you address your club correctly to a bent line?...

You bring up a good point, and yes, the 3 to 9 o'clock line is what I was referring to.

I suppose one could set the putterhead behind the ball while the eyes directly overhead and then let the head move where it wants to. Or one could learn to align the clubhead with the curved line. The quality of contact can be judged by watching the line on the ball as the ball rolls.

In my case there is a line on the flange of the putter that I line up with the line on the ball. My eyes ARE directly over the ball when I set the putter head down. I assume they stay there.

 

[hiroshiro]

Not me

Eyes over the ball for aiming?

Who is aiming DURRING the stroke?

Don't know. Not me.

The title of your first post was "Are eyes over the ball REALLY that important in putting?" If your definition of putting is limited only to the actual stroke, then eyes over the ball is irrelevant. If "putting" includes the act of aligning the putterhead, then aim is indeed relevant and is equally important as the stroke itself.

 

[Ringer]

Don't know. Not me.

The title of your first post was "Are eyes over the ball REALLY that important in putting?" If your definition of putting is limited only to the actual stroke, then eyes over the ball is irrelevant. If "putting" includes the act of aligning the putterhead, then aim is indeed relevant and is equally important as the stroke itself.

That's my opinion as well. During the alignment phase, yes eyes over the ball. During the stroke, it's actually better for them to be inside of the ball. That ensures an arc stroke and less chance of the putter cutting accross the ball.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

I think there is just way too much involved in this whole post. I need to do a video for everyone on this if i can find my plane laser.

 

[Fingersen]

Yes a video involving your views on stance, grip, plane etc would be good.

 

[Damon Lucas]

Interesting last few posts!!

I guess simpler must be better,
I guess aim is independent of stroking the ball,
I guess eyes inside promote an arc in one's stroke...how much? why?
I guess tracing with a plane laser will give you an ideal stroke ...why?

Tooooo much guessing for me ....

 

[puttmad]

Interesting last few posts!!

I guess simpler must be better,
I guess aim is independent of stroking the ball,
I guess eyes inside promote an arc in one's stroke...how much? why?
I guess tracing with a plane laser will give you an ideal stroke ...why?

Tooooo much guessing for me ....

I agree with you Damon...
Too much complexity...
Only two things are needed to set the ball of in the right direction, correctness of aim and correctness at impact...
How you get there doesn't really matter...
I have found the easiest way to get correct aim is to pick a point about one foot in front of the ball and align my club to that..
No need to have your eyes right above the ball, most people can align their putter by using the marks on it and aim precisely at a spot one foot in front of the ball..

On the stroke all that is neccessary is to return the blade back to where it was at address...Nothing complicated, this is not rocket science...but I have found this easier to do by conciously thinking it during the stroke...
Backswing path is not a major issue, I was recently told by the Puttlab people that more top pros than you woiuld think actually have an out-to-in path on their stroke...go figure......besides which it is really difficult to impart so much sidespin to the ball that it has any effect on line...
Note the bold word above...you cannot leave the squaring of the blade up to the "automation" of your putting action, whether it be "Straight-back, straight-through" or "inside-square-inside" or whatever....it is not reliable enough to work in a totally automated fashion.
How do I know this.. just watch the guys on TV who spend far more time "perfecting" thier putting actions than we do...
Do they still push and pull their putts....damn right they do...

So what chance for us mere mortals who can't dedicate the same amount of time to "perfect" a putting stroke, which still contains inherent flaws, no matter how long you try to perfect it?...
Conclusion,
Aim correctly
Focus on returning the blade back to whee it was at address conciously. don't make the mistake of relying on your shoulder/tilt/rock action to do this for you..

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

I agree with you Damon...
Too much complexity...
Only two things are needed to set the ball of in the right direction, correctness of aim and correctness at impact...
How you get there doesn't really matter...
I have found the easiest way to get correct aim is to pick a point about one foot in front of the ball and align my club to that..
No need to have your eyes right above the ball, most people can align their putter by using the marks on it and aim precisely at a spot one foot in front of the ball..

On the stroke all that is neccessary is to return the blade back to where it was at address...Nothing complicated, this is not rocket science...but I have found this easier to do by conciously thinking it during the stroke...
Backswing path is not a major issue, I was recently told by the Puttlab people that more top pros than you woiuld think actually have an out-to-in path on their stroke...go figure......besides which it is really difficult to impart so much sidespin to the ball that it has any effect on line...
Note the bold word above...you cannot leave the squaring of the blade up to the "automation" of your putting action, whether it be "Straight-back, straight-through" or "inside-square-inside" or whatever....it is not reliable enough to work in a totally automated fashion.
How do I know this.. just watch the guys on TV who spend far more time "perfecting" thier putting actions than we do...
Do they still push and pull their putts....damn right they do...

So what chance for us mere mortals who can't dedicate the same amount of time to "perfect" a putting stroke, which still contains inherent flaws, no matter how long you try to perfect it?...
Conclusion,
Aim correctly
Focus on returning the blade back to whee it was at address conciously. don't make the mistake of relying on your shoulder/tilt/rock action to do this for you..

Now that's a productice post.

 

[exgolfpro66]

Many good putters feel the eyes should be just inside of the ball. Scotty Cameron (I think) said the eyeBROWS are over the ball, not the eyes.

 

[psteiner]

Impact Bag

Focus on returning the blade back to where it was at address conciously

I couldn't figure out how to do this until I threw an empty DVD case onto the carpet and putted. If the DVD case spins, the blade of the putter wasn't square at impact. Seems that a DVD case is light enough to "pop" off the putter and show how good your impact path is.

--Peter

 

[puttmad]

...

I couldn't figure out how to do this until I threw an empty DVD case onto the carpet and putted. If the DVD case spins, the blade of the putter wasn't square at impact. Seems that a DVD case is light enough to "pop" off the putter and show how good your impact path is.

--Peter

Peter...

In M/s Word, draw two lines on a piece of paper, one horizontal line and one line that crosses it at 90*(use "Landscape" setting on page layout).

Print it out and put the sheet of paper on the floor.
Use the long horizontal as your target line and the verticle line as your blade address line and simply match your blade to the verticle line on the forward stroke.
Then with a ball, just visualise the verticle line at the back of the ball and match it on the through stroke as if you were using the practice sheet..