Golf Essentials Number 1 – Keeping Your Dominant Eye on the Ball
I took a golf lesson the other day with Jane Frost, a great golf instructor, named by Golf Magazine as one of the top 100 Golf Teachers and top 50 in Golf for Women. Before beginning the lesson we talked about my game, how often I played, etc. and then she asked me what turned out to be the most critical question I’ve ever been asked since learning the game: Which of my eyes (right or left) is my dominant eye?
Some years ago I was told to set up my golf swing by focusing my left eye on the back of the golf ball. This caused my head to slightly tilt to the left and shifted my balance just a little to the right. I’ve been following this advice and always found it a little confusing. I just couldn’t focus well. Well, duh!?! No wonder I’ve been having trouble all this time. After a very quick test, we discovered I am right eye dominant! I’ve been working against myself for years! As a “right eye dominant player” I should be focusing on the front of the golf ball with my right eye, not the back of the golf ball with my left eye.
It felt totally awkward at first and I had to keep reminding myself to use my right eye to focus. But after just a few minutes, everything started to just “click!” I was hitting the ball much more solidly and sending it long and straight. That nasty slice I was always battling was gone!
One simple correction and my game has improved!
I asked Jane how it was that so many instructors skip this important issue, or don’t test students for their dominant eye. Her explanation: several years ago Jack Nicolas wrote a book, “Golf, My Way,” in which he explained how he used his left eye to focus on the back of the ball during his set up. He made it very clear that this was his own way of doing things and it was not necessarily good for everyone. But his instructions were taken by many as gospel, and his set up is used by many golfers whether it fits them or not.
My advice to you: discover which of your eyes is dominant. This is an often overlooked but one of the most important discoveries for any person or athlete who is participating in any sport that requires physical movement to propel an object accurately to a target or position on a field. There is a a simple test you can use to determine which of your eyes is dominant. Have a friend stand opposite you. Place your hands at eye level with the two palms facing away, and overlap the thumbs and first fingers of each hand to create a triangle through which you can look. Now look at your friend and have he or she tell you which of your eyes they can see through the triangle formed by your hands. You will have naturally chosen to use your dominant eye in order to see your friend. Once you know which of your eyes is dominant, use that information to your advantage in the game of golf.
May all your drives go straight and true.
