Alignment & Your Dominant Eye
For many years, I enjoyed teaching. The hours of driving range and golf course interactions were always something I took seriously.
In 2011, I applied to the RCGA (Golf Canada) for reinstatement as an amateur golfer. Walking away from the lesson tee was a personal choice, but that didn’t mean that I automatically lost all of the knowledge I had worked diligently to acquire.
One absolute I recall from my teaching days is the fact that if we can eliminate errors in our set up position, we can reduce the need to make compensations during our swing motion.
Whew! There’s a mouthful, eh? And plenty to think about!
So many players are fixated solely on their swing motion and while it’s important, taking care of the fundamentals before setting the golf club in motion is also very important.
Proper alignment is crucial, whether you are taking a rip at driver or trying to roll in a ten-foot putt. But rather than speak in depth about alignment, I want to toss a few thoughts your way to ensure you are using your dominant eye during the target selection and alignment process.
The photo below provides a simple test you can perform to establish which is your dominant eye.
Make a triangle with your hands and then with both eyes open, focus on an object. Close one eye, then the other. Note that with one eye open, the object will stay in the triangle. With the other eye open, the object will disappear. The eye that keeps the object in the triangle is your dominant eye.
Next time you practice on the putting green, let your dominant eye take over. Experiment by reading the line with only your dominant eye. At set up, confirm the line with your dominant eye. This might come easily to you. It might even be a concept you are already well aware of.
At any rate, trusting the information your dominant eye reveals can help you to get your golf ball started on the correct line towards your target.
Fore!
Fore! Glen Erickson, Assistant Golf Shop Manager
