Ava Romero
Golfers are often told to keep your eye on the ball, but this is not always the best advice. While it is important to focus on the ball, keeping your head down for too long can restrict your pivot and cause you to lose power. Instead, you should keep your eyes on the back inside quarter of the ball and follow it with your eyes after impact. This will give you better control and distance. To break the habit of peeking, you can try a drill where you practice hitting tees with your eyes closed.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Head movement | Keep your head still during your swing. |
| Eye focus | Focus on the back inside quarter of the ball. |
| Drills | Practice hitting tees with your eyes closed. |
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What You'll Learn
Keep your eyes on the ball
Keeping your eyes on the ball is a common piece of advice in sports, including golf. It is often referred to as a "saying" or "age-old advice".
In golf, it is particularly important to keep your eyes on the ball because, unlike in most other ball sports, the ball is stationary. This means that you have plenty of time to focus on the ball before you hit it.
However, some people disagree with this advice. They argue that the ball is only a target and that you should focus on the point where you want the ball to go, rather than the ball itself. This is because, when you hit the ball, you want to follow through, and if you keep your eyes on the ball, you will not be able to see where it goes after you have hit it.
Therefore, while it is important to focus on the ball before you hit it, it is also important to remember to follow through with your eyes after impact.
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Focus on the back inside quarter of the ball
Focusing on the back inside quarter of the ball is a great way to improve your golf game. This technique is supported by the fact that, in any ball and stick sport, the goal is to strike the inside back quarter of the ball for ultimate power and control. When you strike the outside of the ball, your arms disconnect from your body, and your arms and wrists release early. This causes the clubhead to pass your hands, and you lose control of the clubface.
When you focus on the back inside quarter of the ball, you ensure that your clubhead is trailing your hands, which gives you more control. This technique also helps you build power as the acceleration and power build when the inside of your body (your core) leads the swing, and your arms and hands follow.
While it is important to focus on the back inside quarter of the ball, it is also crucial to remember that golf is a target-based sport. Therefore, while you should focus on the ball, you should also be thinking about the target, your golf swing, and your confidence in your ability.
To help you focus on the back inside quarter of the ball, you can try the following drill: place a tee in the ground, making sure the top of the tee is the same height as the middle of a golf ball. Then, make a golf swing, trying to clip the tee out of the ground. Continue this drill with multiple tees, making sure to keep the motion going back and forth without stopping between swings. This drill will help you focus on the movements of your swing rather than fixating on the ball.
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Avoid restricting your head movement
While it is important to keep your head still during a golf swing, it is also important to avoid restricting your head movement. This is because, by trying to keep your head and neck rock-still, you develop the "turkey peeking over a log" syndrome. At the top of your swing, your head is off-centre, causing you to peek over your front shoulder to see the ball. This causes balance and vision problems.
To avoid this, it is important to understand that keeping your head still is about keeping your head "in the circle". This means that your head should remain centred between your shoulders. To do this, rotate your neck away from the target along with your shoulders, and then back toward the ball during the downswing.
Another way to avoid restricting your head movement is to focus on your takeaway. If you drag the club too far inside on the backswing, it can cause your head to dip. Focusing on a more neutral takeaway can reduce head movement.
Additionally, a little head shift towards your backside is okay and even encouraged for a full shoulder rotation. However, if your head moves more than an inch, it will likely cause inconsistent strikes.
Finally, it is important to note that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to head movement in a golf swing. While some golfers prefer to keep their head relatively still, like Tiger Woods, others, like Lee Westwood, make a significant move. The key is to find what works best for your game and to focus on keeping your head centred and avoiding excessive lateral movement.
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Practice hitting tees with your eyes closed
Golfers are often taught to keep their eye on the ball, but this can lead to an excessive focus on the ball and not enough focus on the target. One way to counter this is to practice hitting tees with your eyes closed. This is a drill recommended by Marc Solomon, a golf instructor.
Here's how to do it: Start by sticking a tee into the ground, pushing it in enough so that the top is the same height as the middle of a golf ball. Repeat this with 4 more tees, placing them about 6 inches apart. Now, start at the first tee and make a golf swing, trying to clip the tee out of the ground. Without stopping, take a step forward and try to clip out the next tee. Continue this until all the tees are out of the ground. The key to this drill is to not stop between swings, but to keep the motion going back and forth. By continuing the motion, you are taking your mind off the tees and focusing on the movements of the swing.
This drill teaches you that you don't need to keep your eyes fixated on the tee or the ball. By reducing your reliance on vision, you can develop a better sense of where your body is during the golf swing, which is called proprioception. Better golfers have better proprioception or "feel", not more information. By practicing without vision (vision occlusion), you can develop a better sense of feel.
You can also try a variation of this drill by placing a broken tee about 3-4 inches in front of the ball and trying to hit that. This will help you develop a swing that works for you.
Some golfers even practice hitting golf balls with their eyes closed to try and ingrain the motion. This can help you focus on executing the motion and not worry about the situation.
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Focus on the target, not the ball
While the common advice is to "keep your eye on the ball", this is not always the best strategy. In fact, focusing too much on the ball can cause tension and restrict your pivot, resulting in a loss of power and an early release of the club, which can lead to a sprayed shot.
Instead, you should focus on the target, just as you would in any other ball and stick sport. In baseball and tennis, for example, the goal is to strike the inside back quarter of the ball, which gives you ultimate power and control. This is because when you focus on the inside of the ball, your arms and hands will follow as acceleration and power build, and you will remain in control of the clubface.
In golf, you should therefore be looking at the target, not the ball, to achieve the same effect. This will also help you to stop thinking too much and give you the headspace to focus on where you want the ball to go.
To help you do this, try the following drill: place a tee in the ground and practice making a golf swing to try and clip the tee out of the ground. Repeat this with multiple tees, keeping the motion going back and forth without stopping between swings. This will help you to focus on the movements of your swing, rather than the ball.
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Frequently asked questions
Focus on the ball, but don't forget to follow it with your eyes and your pivot after impact.
Restricting your head movement for too long restricts your pivot from coming through the ball, which can cause an early release and a sprayed shot.
Stare at the back inside quarter of the ball for better control and distance.
Practice hitting tees with your eyes closed.
