Putting - ball focus?

[dominicscaife]

I was just reading about Odyssey's new putters - DART

Odyssey Golf | DART The Minds Eye

Interesting concept but got me thinking, when I am focusing on a must make put I don't focus on the middle of the ball. I focus on the back centre of the ball

Where on the ball do you focus your eyes when putting?

Is this DART idea pure "BALONEY"?

Still... quite cool how they have a printable alignment guide so you can stick it on top of your mallet putter to try it... tempting.

 

[softconsult]

It is not necessarily true that you need to focus on the ball. Focusing a few inches in front of the ball is also a useful technique. I think many of us have observed a playing partner standing over a putt for what seems like minutes, apparently focusing intently, only
to hit a terrible putt.

 

[dominicscaife]

Not much response. Let me phrase that differently:

Where do you look when your putting?

 

[Richie3Jack]

Check out the Edel stuff. It does matter where your eyes focus. I'm right handed, but left eye dominant. So my eyes tend to focus up towards the front of the blade. This causes me to aim to the right of the target. Most right handed golfers aim left of the target (55%). IMO, that's because most right handed golfers are right eye dominant and thus focus their eyes more towards the back of the putter head and that causes more of a left aim bias.

However, I don't like the DART I think the the shapes and lines confuse the brain too much.






3JACK

 

[Damon Lucas]

Focus should NOT be visual when executing the stroke, IMO.

Vision's role is finished before pulling the trigger, so....your eyes could feasibly be anywhere during the stroke itsself.

I would recommend a 'soft' focus near the back of the ball(Soft focus would be when your eyes are 'on the way' to being glazed over!)

 

[wulsy]

I agree. Where your eye focus is irrelevant. Its just one of those BS clichees that you hear from half-backed golf instuctors. Just my opinion. I try to see the ball in peripheral vision, ie without a specific focus point.

 

[ffejeff224]

It is not necessarily true that you need to focus on the ball. Focusing a few inches in front of the ball is also a useful technique. I think many of us have observed a playing partner standing over a putt for what seems like minutes, apparently focusing intently, only
to hit a terrible putt.

I think things like this is more a result of a poor routine or just a terrible psychological misstep. When I step over a putt the only thing I am thinking about is my routine and making a smooth stoke. I know that I don't focus on any specific part of the ball, but just have it in my line of sight.

 

[Damon Lucas]

To clarify, during the aiming part of the routine, one could be distracted, or have a tendency, that could be counteracted by whiz bang, state of the art, solution to end all solutions, like the one above, or one could organize the geometry of their head and body such that they are better able to aim correctly.

David Edel's putter fitting technologies are of the highest quality. Even he, though, would say it is supplementary to a good physical routine.

 

[proguy747]

Geoff Mangum... Putting God...

 

[watson08]

You look at the ball?

I pick out a single blade of grass 8-10" in front of the ball and on the intended line and don't take my eyes off it until the ball has rolled over it.

 

[Richie3Jack]

I pick out a single blade of grass 8-10" in front of the ball and on the intended line and don't take my eyes off it until the ball has rolled over it.

There's lots of golfers who do that. Some people can use that and aim well. Some can use that and still aim poorly.







3JACK