Are you right eye dominant or left eye dominant? This is important to know when you're playing golf, because it could affect your alignment. Most of the world is right eye dominant, but there are some right handed and left handed golfers that are left eye dominant.
One of these individuals is rvannucci. He's a right handed golfer with a dominant left eye. This can actually be an advantage for him, as some of the best players in the game were known to have the same characteristics. The question he had referenced alignment and whether or not I had any advice for someone with the same set of circumstances.
I am a Right handed golfer, BUT LEFT EYE DOMINANT! (My right has had poorer vision for many years). Any advice regarding my unusual dominant eye with regard to alignment???
First you need to know what your dominant eye is. If you watch today's video, I'll provide you with a test so that you can easily determine whether you are right or left eye dominant. Once you've got that figured out, you have to understand the way in which your eyes work when you get aligned.
It's important to pick out a target and line up parallel left (or right) of it. It's perhaps even more essential that you trust your lines, because when you're standing over the ball and look up to your target, an optical illusion can occur with your eyes that could cause you to alter your setup.
Today's video should really help with any confusion you may have on this subject. I explain the type of optical illusion I mentioned in much more detail. In rvannucci's case, he's actually got quite the advantage. He's a right handed golfer who is left eye dominant. There's a couple of guys named Tiger and Jack that had the same "problem."
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
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Comments
Beyond alignment
Great discussion today, Surge. I've always known I'm right-eye dominant, but the most important thing to remember about right eye dominance is where you're looking when you set up to the ball. Your insistence on nose-at-ball is important for people whose back eye (right for right handed players, left for left handed players) and less important for people whose forward eye is dominant. As mentioned before, the real reason Jack Nicklaus cocked his head back in his setup is so he could properly focus on the ball with his dominant eye. For the rest of us, cocking our head back takes the ball OUT of our field of focus and makes it much easier to hit it fat.
For folks reading the blog, if you struggle with fat shots, close your left eye when you set up and focus on the ball only with your right eye at first. Look at the front edge of the ball with your right eye only. See how much better your ball contact is.
Right eye has it
Robert, that is an interesting suggestion and I may give it a go today during my afternoon round. I have never considered my right eye dominance as a possible reason for my mis-strikes (fat or thin). Really got me thinking and you know how dangerous that might be! Thinking that is:)
On another note from Surges in-depth coverage of alignment from the past years I am well aware of the tendency for righties (that are right eye dominant) to aim too far right. My brother joined us for a round of golf on Wednesday and though he has improved his alignment still ends up lined too far right most of the time. On # 7 at muni, you'll remember it is the dogleg left where we try to just cut the corner over the hill and little tree) he was aimed way right. You can visualize the wide open area between #2 and #7? Well he was aimed out there big time. I told him but he stubbornly said he was aimed where he wanted to be. Sure enough he hit it straight as a arrow and long almost reached the second fairway. He always aligns from the side view and not from behind. I am the opposite. I aim from behind and never vary after setting up. Most of the time I never look up again until the ball is on the way.
I will give the left eye closed idea a go and we'll see. Hmmnn... see.
Nope Sorry Robert ; - )
Hi Robert,
At least I got something right ; - ) I am LEFT eye dominant~! Yeeha!
Checked a few methods after viewing today's video. The results were as I already knew, I am left eye dominant. I too aim from behind, choose a spot in front of the ball etc. I use the simple Surge tip to check my alignment once set up: Once in the set up position, raise your lead arm to shoulder height with your forefinger pointing. Then without moving anything else, swivel my head only far enough to see where it is pointing. From the same PPGS set up,make a slow BUS with the rear arm/hand. Then without moving swing the same arm down until it won't go any further forward without moving the lower half of my body. The forefinger on the rear hand will [if done correctly], be pointing at the target. As well as being left eye dominant, my peripheral vision is so, that I can see where my raised lead forefinger is pointing without moving my head. Just moving my eyes forward is enough! Surge's tip has been a good guide for checking being set up correctly. It saved me originally, having to put a clubshaft across my toes, and stepping behind it, etc. Alignment, alignment, alignment. How soon we forget!
The young laddie I gave details regarding the PPGS swing and SwingSurgeon.com the other day, was aimed so far right I couldn't believe it, and he was stunned. A real X factor candidate.
Keep on hitting it straighter, better and more consistently in Vegas.
Off for a quick swing session before the wet stuff re-appears : - )
DH
No fair!
So you're left eye dominant eh? No fair I say! You are in good company with Jack Nicklaus and others. Enjoy your advantages DH:) Mean while Cindy and I got a late afternoon 9 in today after watching the PGA Championship. I was on a 39 watch (he he:) but failed to get up and down from just off the green on #18 settling for a 40. Actually I could go back to the par 5 13th where my birdie putt from 20 feet stopped 1 inch from the cup. All in all striking the ball fairly well. The greens on our near burned out muni here are looking like a mine field. May be forced to spend a bit more and play better conditioned golf courses. Pitiful condition after a long hot summer and thousands of hackers beating them up. Did try Robert F's closed left eye method and hit my pw to the center of the green on the par 3 12th hole, easy par. So I will use that idea in the next round too.
Did enjoy watching Jason Dufner shoot the course record 63. Looks like Tiger and Philip are falling too far behind but there is some great golf being played. should be an interesting finish. with Woods and Phil out of it I will stay with Stenson as the winner come Sunday evening. Steve Striker is my sentimental favorite. Maybe Furyk?
Cheers!
No Fair!
Aw! It's nae fair~! Boohoo : - ( My occular affliction is thankfully permanent. Your problem is with 'scorched earth', poor laddie and lassie. Lovely 9 holes by the sound of it. It will come, no doubt in my mind. One day soon they will all start dropping.
Keep on hitting them more accurately wi' yer left eye closed. If it works use it if not abuse it,ie, bin it. Results are the criteria.
Enjoyed watching the 2nd rd, some good golf indeed. Moving day tomorrow our time will be well worth staying glued to the screen methinks.
May the best man on the day eventually win. DH
Determining alignment with your hand--another way
Using your back hand to find your alignment is a good suggestion--I'll give it a try today. I had figured out something a little similar recently. I take my club in my right hand and aim it down my toe line. I stand a little bit open to make it easier to turn towards the target. I lift the club along the toe line till it's horizontal and take a look. It's amazing how easily you can see that you are off line. Using the club gives a longer line to look down. Some may find this helpful, as I do. I have also used this in putting.--Sue
Well that explains it all
I am naturally right handed but play all stick sports left handed and I am left eye dominant. I am still going to tear up the course at Grey Silo tomorrow.. lmao
Left eye dominant
I'm left eye dominant and play right handed.
I'm not sure if that's an advantage for alignment for me or not because I am not lining up while looking at the target. Only an imaginary line through the ball and through my intermediate spot in front of the ball. No different than lining up square to a wall in front of me. Pretty sure I could align equally square with either eye closed.
That said, I don't have much problem with alignment and putting is much easier for me than anyone else I know, so maybe there's something there.
A more noticeable factor than alignment (being left eye dominant) is the urge to place the ball more forward in the stance than "normal".
It's probably not an accident that I was a dead pull hitter in baseball because I wanted to hit the ball out front before my dominant eye lost track of it.
Seems like Jack played the ball more forward in the stance than many other people. Possibly for the same reason.
Left eye dominant
Steve:
I too am left eye dominant, and I agree, there is a tendency to play the ball too far forward. Maybe it explains my preference to play the ball about 1 ball further forward, club for club, than most instructors recommend.
The main problem I have is a tendency to align slightly left of parallel left. When this is coupled with a tendency for most of my "mis-swings" to be pulls to the left, it can lead to a really bad score on the hole being played .
Keep hitting the STRAIGHT and LONG
Amos
Yep!!!
"The main problem I have is a tendency to align slightly left of parallel left. When this is coupled with a tendency for most of my "mis-swings" to be pulls to the left, it can lead to a really bad score on the hole being played ."
Sounds like something I could have written myself.
BTW. I wasn't hitting the ball as well as I thought I should for a month or two. I thought it was just that I wasn't playing much but figured out a couple of weeks ago that I was letting too much weight get on my toes in the FUS coupled with having my shoulders and hips too square at impact. Since figuring it out I've been hitting the ball very well again.
Still working on getting the shaft lined up with my right forearm consistently but when I get it right I'm really bombing the driver.
Today after a couple of really long ones in a row one of the guys in our group said "You should always play with that Calloway tour ball you are playing with". I just told him "It ain't the ball". LOL
Torture drill
Hi Robert or Steve or one of you "link" wizards: I have done a word search and reviewed several videos and can't find the actual "torture" drill referred to the past few days. Can one of you post that actual link again? thanks so much!
BTW, I am a righty but LEFT eye dominant :)
Torture drill
Here is a link to that drill.
http://www.golfchannel.com/media/swingfix-justin-bruton-driver-weight-shift-torture-drill-021313/
Not a good drill for me personally but I could see where it would be for people that aren't getting their weight transferred. I already do what that drill promotes to excess.
"Torture Drill "
Excellent drill:THE outcome Will be even Better If you touch Your lead leg with your backleg in THE follow through .
Left eye
I'm another left eye dominant right hander, & Surge talks like golf should be easier for us abnormal folk. I know it has always been a curse for me when trap shooting as a right hander, but have never been keen enough to warrant the cost of a fitted shot gun. Just like golf, it's a fun day out. I might try a slight cocking of the head, Jack Nicklaus style, and see what happens.
left eye
Hi Rusty,
Funny I am a left eye dominant right hander, and had several marksmanship badges as a cadet, long before I joined the army. In Libya years ago I used to be an archer with an American friend of mine. With a rifle, pistol, bow, etc, never had a problem with aim or accuracy. Akward beggar eh? hahaha. Hope the leg is coming along in leaps and bound [no pun intended; - ]
Hope that your weather is better than down at this end? I used to cock the head during my rotational phase Nicklaus style, and still occasionally use a version of his opposed bent elbows putting method.
Stay well and get back on that pin as soon as you can. DH
Marksmanship
Hi DH
I have never had a problem with rifle shooting, with sights or a scope, but moving targets with a shot gun is a different game altogether for me. At my little country golf club every thing is run by volunteers, so everyone has some job to do . My job is pest control, so when the green keeper says we have a rabbit problem, it's my job to fix it. My best day was back in the summer when I was playing well . I shot a 3 over par 38, for 9 holes in the morning & went back in the evening & shot a 3 over par 9 rabbits for 12 shots, & one of those was a mercy shot.
I am playing a bit of golf now & leaving the moon boot at home, so the leg is coming right. Back to work on the 20th, so I hope the weather holds off. Apart from June, it's been the warmest, driest winter I can remember ,so far. Looks like you might get a round in later in the week. Cheers Russty
Marksmanship
Hi Russty,
Great to hear that you are back on the hallowed turf again. Never tried trap shooting, maybe that would be something I might not be good at. Leading the target is the secret I believe?
Good scores on your 9hole outings, well done mate.
Do you have a lucky rabbit's foot? ; - ) heh heh heh! Haven't had rabbit since a kid.That was during the austere rationing post WW2. At our course the pests are mainly Pukeko [and we used to call seagulls sh*t*hawks] and ducks! They constantly mess on the greens on some holes. Last time out I spent 10 minutes one hand backswinging the mess off the green using the back of my putter to do so! The ducks are easy to scare off, I just say: "Beijing Kao Ya!" which means, Peking Roast Duck ; - )
You are quite right, the end of the week looks promising for a hit down here. Wet at the moment.
3rd Rd of the PGA Championships just finished. Jim Furyk in the lead and Mickelson 2nd name from the bottom on + 10 over par!!! Woods Tied 48th at +4. We will be glued to the screen early tomorrow morning again. Cheers and take care of that leg and enjoy your warmest and driest Winter in the "Winterless North". DH from the Wet and Windy South ; - )
PGA Championship
Furyk,Duff and Stenson.
Stenson was my early pick aside from Woods or Phil. Staying with Stenson on Sunday. He's playing with fellow Swed Blix. Should be a comfortable pairing and Stenson has been trending toward a win for several months. Should be an interesting day with Furyk trying to secure a spot in the hall of fame and Dufner looking like just maybe ......
Eye dominance and straight aiming .
What a fuss about eye dominance!If you start thinking too much ,you'll never be excellent or merely good at any sport!Of course I know what my dominant eye is ( Right eye )but it never bothered me to play top tennis ,or be a sharp shooter ,nor play scratch Golf.Just align yourself to the target ,as you have been taught ( THE NICKLAUS TRICK )and let it go without thinking to anything !In 99 % of cases your shot Will be fine.
I now know why it's called the Torture drill
Couldn't figure this out at first, but then I finally got the hang of it and "ouch!" About the 10th or 15th swing that the followthrough nailed me in the back, I figured it out :)
I agree: about 12:00 (seen face on and vertical) seems to give me LOTS of zip. If it weren't still 94 degrees at 7pm, I'd go to the driving range to give it a further test!