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Eyes Focused
on the ball.. - (Changed - 23/04/2008)
Most golfers believe that they focus the eyes and maintain this
focus at all times, but I can assure you that although they focus
on the ball during the down swing movement,
most golfers take their eye off the ball a milli-second before the
precise moment the club head makes contact with the golf ball.
What I believe happens is that
a fraction of a milli-second before the club head makes contact
with the ball, the mind anticipates the ball being struck and at
that precise moment the eyes are fooled into tracking the movement
of the golf ball before the ball has been struck, instead of increasing
the focus on the ball as the club head swing into and through the
contact area.
The ability to maintain your
focus on the golf ball as the club head swings into and through
the contact area is a basic principle that you must master if you
wish to play very good golf.
Unfortunately not enough attention is given to this very basic
principle of the golf swing.
I can assure you that there is
a difference in simply looking at the ball, to actually focusing
intensely on the back edge of the golf ball as the club head swings
into the contact area.
The difference in the timing
is only a nanosecond, but by focusing on the back edge of the golf
ball as the club head swings into and through the contact area,
the quality of the striking action is dramatically improved.
Perception of the golf ball.
The way that you view the golf ball can be dramatically improved.
At the address position, most golfers simply stare at the golf
ball, but the image that they see also includes an area of the grass
around the ball -- they do not define the focus of the eyes on the
back edge of the golf ball.
You do not believe me?? -- carry out the following test to see
if you define the focus of your eyes solely on the golf ball.
Take your normal stance and address the ball and absorb what
you see. -- You will notice that as you look at the ball you are
also aware of the grass that the ball is resting on, you are not
focusing on any particular point.
Now pick up the golf ball and hold it so that you can read the
manufacturer`s name and whilst continuing to read the name on the
ball bend over and place it back on the ground/tee peg. -- Then
whilst continuing to read only the manufacturers name on the ball,
gradually raise your body until you are back to the normal address
position.
By concentrating solely on the manufacturers name on the golf
ball, you will notice that you not aware of the grass around the
golf ball and in fact you are actually focusing the eyes exclusively
on the golf ball.
By focusing your eyes on the ball in this way, it clearly demonstrates
how vague your perception of the golf ball may have been before
you carried out this exercise.
As I have stated earlier, to compound things, most golfers take
their eyes off the golf ball a fraction of a second before the precise
moment the club head actually returns to the golf ball and simultaneously
they also allow the head
to move away from the original address position.
So if you wish to improve your golfing skills, you must define
the focus of your eyes on the actual golf ball and maintain this
focus until well after the club head has swung through the contact
area.
Therefore it is importantly you continue to focus on the spot that
the ball was lying until well after the club head has made contact
with the ball and also continue to hold the head slightly behind
the ball with "pin point
accuracy", keeping the head in the Fixed
Frontal condition, and also maintain the upper
body angles until both arms are straight.
At first you will find it very difficult to define
the focus of the eyes fully on the back edge of the golf ball until
the actual precise moment the club head makes contact, but by constantly
reminding yourself of this action and seeing the results of this
action, you will accept the significance of the action and it will
begin to enter the long term memory.
So practice, practice and practice this action and thereafter
you will never forget carry out this basic fundamental principle.
Proof of the Importance of this Basic Principle.
I was recently chatting to a member of my golf club as we played
a round of golf and I mentioned how important it was to actually
focus on the ball as the club head swings into and through the contact
area.
He immediately responded by saying that when he was playing
to a handicap of three this is exactly what he used to do, but he
had completely forgotten about this basic principle.
He simply assumed that as he was getting older, he was simply loosing
the ability to play good golf.
After being reminded of this action he began hitting the ball
long and straight off the tee and the rest of his game also improved
dramatically. He will try not to forget this basic principle again.
So there is actual proof from a previously low handicapped golfer
of the importance of this basic principle.
Top class golfers have a natural ability to focus intensely
on the back edge of the golf ball as they swing the club head into
and through the contact area.
Most mid to high handicapped golfers stare in the general direction
of the golf ball as they perform the golf swing and to compound
the problem, they take their eyes off the ball a milli-second before
the club head touches the golf ball.
**I can assure you that not many amateur golfers maintain the
focus on the ball until the actual precise moment when the club
head actually touches the golf ball, basically because they do not
realise the significance of the action and therefore do not do not
practice the action.
Therefore if you can train yourself to fully focus on
the ball whilst the club head swings to the bottom of the swing
arc, the quality of your golf will improve dramatically.
( When a top golfer says that he is striking the ball well,
it means that they are fully focused on the ball whilst the club
head swings through the contact area.)
Therefore when you have your next practice session, experiment
as follows:-
Make a black mark on the golf ball and place the ball on the
tee so that the black mark is just visible as you address the ball.
-- Fix your eyes on this black mark and keep your eyes firmly fixed
on this mark as you make a back swing, and then as you perform the
down swing movement keep the eyes fixed on this black mark as the
club head swings through the contact area.
You can compare the use of the club head to strike a golf ball
with the action of trying to drive a nail into a piece of wood -
unless you watch the head of the nail until the precise moment
the hammer head strikes the nail, you would probably miss-hit the
nail with every strike of the hammer.
Self Teaching Method.
You can begin to teach yourself to literally watch the clubhead
strike the ball on the practice putting green.
On the putting green, focus your eyes on the back of the ball
and as you return the putter face to the ball, concentrate on literally
seeing the precise moment when the putter touches the ball -- This
is an action that is easily said than done simply because your mind
rushes ahead of the movement and the eyes begin to track the line
of the ball, even before it has been touched, however with concentration
it can be done.
Expand this method to the chipping area and again force yourself
to watch the ball throughout the chipping action and you will notice
how crisply you strike the ball, but even more importantly, how
accurately you strike the ball.
Always begin your practice sessions on the putting green with
this "watch the club head touch the ball" practice routine
- this will encourage this action to enter your long term memory.
I can guarantee that if you can train yourself to focus on the
golf ball as suggested, the quality of your golf shots will improve
dramatically, but you must
focus on the ball with such intensity so that the only image that
you see as you perform the down swing, is the black mark on the
back of the golf ball.
But importantly, although you must
watch the ball as the club head swings into the contact area, more
important, you must continue to the look at the spot that where
the ball was lying as the club head swings to the bottom of the
swing arc, so that the head remains in the Fixed
Frontal position until both arms are straight.
However as well as focusing on the ball it is also
absolutely vital to keep the head
firmly positioned slightly behind the ball and also maintain the
upper body angle until both arms
are straight.
This principle also applies to the pitching, chipping and the
putting stroke.
Therefore in order to dramatically increase your golfing skills
it is absolutely vital that you learn to watch the ball until the
club head makes contact with the ball but concentrate on swinging
the club head to the bottom of the swing arc -- Total concentration
on this task is essential if you wish to play better golf.
Many golfers are able to hit the ball off the tee with no particular
problem. However when it comes to the second or third shot to the
green, they often miss-hit the shot.
The reason for this is that their concentration is at its highest
level on the tee and therefore the golfer is totally focused on
the ball, but when it comes to playing the ball off the fairway
the golfer does not take enough care to fully focus on the ball
as the club head swings into and through the golf ball, but also
the golfer allows the head
to move away from the original address position..
So if you experience this problem, tighten up your concentration
when playing of the fairway.
If you carry out a golf swing whilst focusing on a black mark
on the back of the ball or the dimples of the golf ball, you will
immediately notice a dramatic improvement in the strike of the golf
ball.
At first you will find it very difficult to maintain the focus
on the back of the ball until the both arms are straight, but persevere
and you will eventually reap the benefit of your efforts.
Do not simply take my word that this basic principle
will dramatically improve the quality of your striking action -
try it for yourself.
Putting
The same applies when you are putting --- After you have lifted
the ball in order to clean it, replace the ball so that the manufacturer`s
name is on the surface facing towards you and fully focus your eyes
on the words on the golf ball -- but importantly you must focus
your eyes on the ball and maintain this focus as you perform the
putting stroke.-
Importantly, as the putter makes contact with the ball, do not
allow the eyes to follow the movement of the ball, you must continue
to focus on the spot that the ball was standing and keep your head
in the original address position with a "pin
point accuracy" and swing the putter into the follow through
movement.
If you can maintain the focus on the ball whilst performing
the mechanical actions of the putting stroke, you will begin to
notice that the ball rolls on the exact line that you intend, but
beware, you must not allow the eyes to follow the ball and also
do not allow the head to move with a lateral motion.
Clearly defining the focusing of the eyes on a particular spot
on the back of the golf ball and maintaining this focus as the club
head swings into and through the contact area is one of the major
keys to playing very good golf, so make this aspect of the golf
swing a priority.
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Please Note.
If you have any comments relating to this website, or if you
want anything clarified about the golf swing as described, please
contact me:- Here
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