The effect of eye dominance on the golf swing?

[jasonp87]

So I am no expert at all in golf. I'm a 13.7hcp ATM but One thing I realized lately is the effect of being a Cross Eye Dominant Golfer has been.

 

I am right handed but left eye dominant. There doesn't seem to be much info on how this effects the golf swing and it made me wonder. i have limited knowledge on how this effects other things like target and combat shooting. However I think many of those principles apply to golf.

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/132361/how-eye-dominance-effects-your-golf-technique/

 

That was a great article to understand it and how it influences a golf swing.

 

But I learned something about my setup really that has a huge effect on impact.

 

Being cross eye dominant if I take my normal setup and look at the ballwith it being forward in my stance (say for a longer iron) the angle makes my right eye catch the ball predominantly and it leads the focus. Even though I am left eye dominant. As I take my BS my right eye begins to lose that focus and it transitions to left eye (easy to figure out if u pause and close an eye) then continue swinging and book crappy contact.

 

One thing I've started doing is presetting my head turned so I adress the ball with my left eye having focus (easy way is I close my right eye when I setup) now if I swig properly my left eye maintains its dominance during the entire swing and contact is much more consistant. As my brain isn't swapping back and forth out of habit which can hugely effect depth perception.

 

Any thoughts or opinions be great to hear. Specially others opinions

[tommykrebs]

IMO you overthink this. Watch how Jack Nicklaus is turning his head to the right before he starts the BS. The reason has nothing to do with an dominant eye but more with a full shoulder turn. If you are not very very flexible the head cannot stay in a perfect position. It has to turn slightly to the right. If I try to keep my head perfectly still, I'm not able to turn my shoulders 90°. So, I do it like Jack, turn the head at address and focus the ball with the left eye.

 

[Hawkeye77]

Look at Nicklaus. He was left eye dominant. That head turn had as much to do with that as other reasons given over the years. Also influenced his putting setup.

 

[jasonp87]

Look at Nicklaus. He was left eye dominant. That head turn had as much to do with that as other reasons given over the years. Also influenced his putting setup.

Yup has a huge influence on getting putts online.

 

As to the first post I'm not saying trying to keep the head still. I'm saying if I don't preset my head slightly canted to get the focus on my left eye one of 2 things happen

 

1) as you said I don't get a full turn

2) I get a full turn which causes the focus to shift from my right eye to left.

 

Presetting the head a bit is to ensure 2) doesn't happen. Which to my understanding is why Nicklaus did it

[Petunia Sprinkle]

I'm left eye dominant, right-handed and I have no idea what you're talking about. As an exercise, I try to do a lot of things left-handed, just for the hell of it. Hitting a golf ball left-handed feels a little goofy, but doable, and I now prefer to bat left-handed. The worst thing, though, is putting. The stroke is fine, but looking at it is a nightmare. I consider being cross dominant probably an advantage for golf.

[RichieHunt]

Eye dominance plays a small role because you have peripheral and fovial vision.

 

If you're cross eye dominant, you may be able to make that super large shoulder turn in the backswing that a non-cross eye dominant player can't make. Somebody like a John Daly or DJ type shoulder turn may be difficult to make if you're not cross eye dominant since it's difficult to see the ball. But it doesn't prevent you from making a good sized shoulder turn. Usually, the issue with shoulder turns is golfers don't know how to rotate their hips and the pelvis. Even flexibility is often overstated (it's still important, but overstated)...the lack of hip and pelvis turn is often due to not understanding the motion.

 

On the downswing, I think you would be hard pressed to see somebody that is cross eye dominant to have the head position at impact that David Duval, Annika Sorenstam and Robert Allenby have. But, it doesn't mean a cross eye dominant player has to hang back with the head either. Again, the peripheral and fovial vision is there to help take care of that.

 

I think eye dominance affects more with putting and aim. However, I believe there are ways to work to figure that out as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[Hot Rod 71]

I am a cross dominate left handed golfer. I find I often line up left of the target line, and lining up straight to the target looks very odd and is difficult - even when putting. I read somewhere (can't remember where) that cross dominant people often have this issue with golf.

[dbleag]

Blind people must suck at golf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(sarcasm)

[Yrrdead]

My biggest issue (RH, LE dom) is alignment. I consistently "feel" that I'm lined up straight and i'm actually aimed right of target , this is throughout the bag. If I'm not very disciplined about an intermediate or secondary target I'm in trouble. I still struggle with it as even when I'm setup to a secondary target it feels like I'm aiming 20yds left of target. On the putting front the struggle is real, though setting the line and hitting it without thinking of the hole or alternatively looking directly at the hole seem to work.

[Santiago Golf]

I have no clue what my eye dominance and have never even thought to care

[Forged4ever]

Blind people must suck at golf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(sarcasm)

Tell me about it Bro-

 

I'm left eye dominant-

 

And blind in my left eye....

 

You suck too :)

 

All the Best,

RP

[jasonp87]

My biggest issue (RH, LE dom) is alignment. I consistently "feel" that I'm lined up straight and i'm actually aimed right of target , this is throughout the bag. If I'm not very disciplined about an intermediate or secondary target I'm in trouble. I still struggle with it as even when I'm setup to a secondary target it feels like I'm aiming 20yds left of target. On the putting front the struggle is real, though setting the line and hitting it without thinking of the hole or alternatively looking directly at the hole seem to work.

 

This is very true. Putting I found easy to overcome. I get my line then lineup ball with line (I put a line on my balls) line putter up with ball. It will look like I'm aiming offline to me but I just trust it and it's great.

 

Full swing though I often think I'm lined up straight but really I'm aiming right. When I setup straight I feel I'm aiming 30 yards left and setup open

[Marand]

Blind people must suck at golf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(sarcasm)

 

Half blind people tend to be inconsistent. Like me.

[Doppelganger]

A guy posted a thread a while ago about how staring at the front of the ball instead of the back of the ball helped his ball striking. I don't know if either way really matters but food for thought regardless.

[Petunia Sprinkle]

Eye dominance plays a small role because you have peripheral and fovial vision.

 

If you're cross eye dominant, you may be able to make that super large shoulder turn in the backswing that a non-cross eye dominant player can't make. Somebody like a John Daly or DJ type shoulder turn may be difficult to make if you're not cross eye dominant since it's difficult to see the ball. But it doesn't prevent you from making a good sized shoulder turn. Usually, the issue with shoulder turns is golfers don't know how to rotate their hips and the pelvis. Even flexibility is often overstated (it's still important, but overstated)...the lack of hip and pelvis turn is often due to not understanding the motion.

 

On the downswing, I think you would be hard pressed to see somebody that is cross eye dominant to have the head position at impact that David Duval, Annika Sorenstam and Robert Allenby have. But, it doesn't mean a cross eye dominant player has to hang back with the head either. Again, the peripheral and fovial vision is there to help take care of that.

 

I think eye dominance affects more with putting and aim. However, I believe there are ways to work to figure that out as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

RH

 

Yeah, that's interesting about the shoulder turn. I go nuts with my shoulder turn when I get distance happy/drunk, but losing sight of the ball is a non issue. Never occurred to me anyone would ever have a problem. Hm!

[bdcava]

It's an interesting topic. Not only am I left eye dominant, my right eye was operated on when I was a kid to straighten it out and because I wasn't prescribed any physical therapy I see extremely poorly out of it. (I'm told that if I lost vision in my left eye, the right one would strengthen). I have terrible binocular vision but I always thought it was an advantage in the golf swing becaus I don't have to look over my nose to focus on the ball.

[longballjs]

I am right handed, left eye dominant. Only thing I find is that I prefer left to right putts rather than right to left putts, which most righties prefer. Left eye dominance must have something to do with that.

[dlam]

I am right handed, left eye dominant. Only thing I find is that I prefer left to right putts rather than right to left putts, which most righties prefer. Left eye dominance must have something to do with that.

 

For short putts I like having my eyes feel like they are on "top" of the ball and slightly back of the target line.

For longer ones my eyes naturally just go inside the ball like my swing. Right to left chips feel more like a swing Whereas left to right chips feel more like a putting stroke for me

[jslane57]

I have no clue what my eye dominance and have never even thought to care

As much as you study all aspects of the game, you should look into this. Eye dominance is kind of back seat deal IMO, but you've got to know yourself. How you do your alignment, how far your backswing can go, how hard you have to try to stay down through the ball, and more. Left eye dominance is nice for the right handed golfer, not good for the right handed archer...

 

Look up drills to see which eye your dominant eye is. Then with only the dominate eye open, go through your pre shot routine as well as your full swing. If you loose sight of the ball or target when you don't expect to, change your head positioning so you don't loose sight of those things. It just may help.

[Hot Rod 71]

I am right handed, left eye dominant. Only thing I find is that I prefer left to right putts rather than right to left putts, which most righties prefer. Left eye dominance must have something to do with that.

 

I am left handed and right eye dominate, and prefer right to left putts over left to right (which most lefties prefer).

 

Has to be something to do with cross dominance.

[Petunia Sprinkle]

I prefer uphill right to left putts and downhill left to right ones.

[smellysell]

I too am left eye dominant right handed (for golf at least). Read somewhere that I should use a center shafted putter, but I definitely did not get along with it.

[SadTrombone]

I'm left eye dominant. I do everything right handed except bat (I can switch hit). I actually took a few left handed lessons years ago and I don't have a terrible move. With some work I could probably develop some rhythm and be decent, but I digest...

 

The only issues I have is alignment and putting. I tend to try to "cheat" and watch the putt. So sometimes when I'm putting I'll c0ck my head to the side (Nicklaus) and look at the ball that way where I can only see it with my left eye.

 

I guess I feel like that way if I look up I'll miss or something. I don't know. That's kind of stupid because I'll do putting drills where I don't even watch the ball. But that's all I notice regarding my eyes.

[dbleag]

Blind people must suck at golf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(sarcasm)

 

This also made me wonder.....

 

If blind people can be good putters and Jordan Spieth can make more short putts when looking at the hole, is the "eye-dominance" theory over-rated?

[jslane57]

Blind people must suck at golf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(sarcasm)

 

This also made me wonder.....

 

If blind people can be good putters and Jordan Spieth can make more short putts when looking at the hole, is the "eye-dominance" theory over-rated?

Maybe, but maybe not. It's alignment. Someone aims the blind. Jordan aims better than anyone, then looks away from his stroke. Just for fun, get over a 20 foot putt. Close right eye and look to the hole. Then close left eye and do the same. It takes a ton more head movement to see the hole with left eye closed. If you're left eye dominant, perfect. If right eye dominate, you may be fooling yourself with where the hole is if you stop head movement when your left eye picks up the the hole. It may be a bunch of BS, but it may not be...

[naval2006]

I'm right eye dominant, but I only need it to see the line on the green. I came to realize I don't intentionally "see" the ball when I play save on my chipping. I saw on video that my head keeps down, my eyes on the ball, but I don't visualize the ball during the swing. I'm not sure it's instinctive or what, because I even encourage new players to "see the ball" through the swing. I don't know if I'm being clear. Perhaps somebody can elaborate on this.

[ChrisAU]

Right handed, left eye dominant here as well. I struggle mightily with alignment for full shots, I have to stand behind the ball and pick a target in front of the ball and in my mind I draw a line from that target to the ball and go to my address position based on that line without ever looking up at my target when setting up. Then when I lift my head and look at my actual target it always looks like I'm aiming 20-30 yards left as others have said.

[jasonp87]

Yes conventional putting wisdom is if you're cross eye dominant to use a centre shafted. I hated it. However the less offset the better I find. I went from a full plumbers neck 1 shaft offset to a half shaft offset was a huge diff.

 

Never had a chance to putt with a no offset heel shafted.

 

 

[Forged4ever]

Blind people must suck at golf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(sarcasm)

 

This also made me wonder.....

 

If blind people can be good putters and Jordan Spieth can make more short putts when looking at the hole, is the "eye-dominance" theory over-rated?

This was 5-6 months ago while I passed the time at a Dick's while Maddie did a Kiddie Klinic. This was from 9'10"(don't ask why that and not 10' but Thats what the mark on the floor said and there was 2-3' behind the mark). I picked a Ping Anser style insert blade(I hate insert putters, lol, but it looked nice, HaHa).

 

I'm blind in my left eye, hense the patch and have burning numbness and tingling in my left hand/fingers, as the burning got a bit much and I clench and unclench my hand prior to third putt. I'm basically putting one eyed and one handed, with my left hand just laying there and I have to get the putt off before it starts to spasm, at which time if I haven't begun the stroke, I just step off.

 

As I said, I was left eye dominate but I gotta feeling that that's gonna be changing, lol

 

 

For me, it's grossly overated-

 

It's in my mind, not my eyes

 

My Best,

RP

[Doppelganger]

Blind people must suck at golf. (sarcasm)

 

I heard Ray Charles once challenged Tiger Woods to a game of golf, claiming he could beat him. Tiger said, "Sure, any time."

 

So Ray invited him out the next night to his home course for a midnight tee time.