Putting eye alignment - all of us are different.

[tahoebum]

Recently I had a putting lesson that corrected my life long mistake of having my eyes in the wrong spot at address. It's different for each of us and I found a video that uses the same simple test that my instructor used to find my correct eye position set up at address. Conventional wisdom is you should set your eyes over the ball but for many of us, that is wrong. My eyes were previously outside the line and needed to be moved about 5 inches so they are now set inside the ball/sweet spot of the putter(now over the heel of the putter) for me to see the line correctly.

Right eye and left eye dominance and other factors such as come into play but this video has a simple test that can determine if you are set up to see your line correctly. I wish someone would have fixed this 40 years ago, lol.

It's a Mike Malaska video and you can skip to about the 6-minute mark if you don't want to watch the entire video.

I'm sharing it in hope that it might be an easy setup change that helps someone else as much as it's helped me. We can all make compensations when we set up with our eyes in the wrong spot but in the 3 rounds since making the change, my misses were closer to the hole on medium and long putts and most of my shorter putts hit center cup, something that has never been common for me.

 

[GoldenBuff]

Interesting. I was putting the other day and two guys behind me said my eyes weren't over the ball. Your eyes are supposed to be over the ball. So I adjusted. This makes more sense. Set my eyes so that I see the correct line while over the ball. I will play with this. Thanks!

BTW, I have come across a couple of Malaska videos recently. He has a nice style to his teaching.

 

[Scorp]

I'd read in golf magazine or something years ago that, if you were to drop a golf ball from right between your eyes to the green, that's where you should putt from... so your eyes are over the ball. That's what I try to do. It works for me. I just can't read break in greens well enough.

 

[scott.french3]

Many people have their eyes inside the line at address because their putter is too long. They have to stand back from the ball to allow room for the putter shaft which puts their eyes inside the line.

 

[tahoebum]

Many people have their eyes inside the line at address because their putter is too long. They have to stand back from the ball to allow room for the putter shaft which puts their eyes inside the line.

I have to have my eyes inside the line to see the line correctly. Most pros also set their eyes inside the line - Sean Foley explains why in this article.

Sean Foley: Set Your Eyes Inside The Ball

What the great putters do: Instead of positioning your eyes directly over the ball, do what most pros do and set them several inches to the inside.

www.golfdigest.com

 

[CBaker]

I noticed recently that I had mine horribly set up for me as well. I always put the ball in the middle of my stance, and the line to me correct at address, but then when I kept the putter still and got behind it, i was not lined up correctly. Turns out the ball needs to be closer to where my 3w would be lined up, basically just behind my front foot and a little in front of or in line with my left eye.

 

[CBaker]

I have to have my eyes inside the line to see the line correctly. Most pros also set their eyes inside the line - Sean Foley explains why in this article.

Sean Foley: Set Your Eyes Inside The Ball

What the great putters do: Instead of positioning your eyes directly over the ball, do what most pros do and set them several inches to the inside.

www.golfdigest.com

Same for me too. If I put my eyes over the ball I can't line it up correctly.

 

[OldandStiff]

It's things like this that make me glad I had a serious head/eye injury and the grandpa I did when I was a kid. He taught me to play and always told me wherever and however makes it looked and felt right to me on setup. I found what worked for my stupid eye playing with him back then and haven't changed since regardless of 'instruction'.

I like that video @tahoebum. Thanks for sharing it. 40 years is forever to do something that isn't right for you.. I expect a couple stroke hdcp improvement in your very near future!

 

[WLG1952]

After reading this thread, I had to grab my putter and see where my eyes are. I honestly didn't know.They are just inside the ball.

I have always heavily relied on an intermediate target on my line to aim my putter face.

 

[scott.french3]

I have to have my eyes inside the line to see the line correctly. Most pros also set their eyes inside the line - Sean Foley explains why in this article.

Sean Foley: Set Your Eyes Inside The Ball

What the great putters do: Instead of positioning your eyes directly over the ball, do what most pros do and set them several inches to the inside.

www.golfdigest.com

Curious as to why most golf instructors don't teach this. In the 2nd picture, the putter is too long as his arms don't naturally hang from his shoulders. The left picture looks more comfortable but the putter looks too long.

 

[TonyB]

Thanks for this Tahoe. I've been a member if Malaska site for a couple years but had not seen this.

 

[CBaker]

Curious as to why most golf instructors don't teach this. In the 2nd picture, the putter is too long as his arms don't naturally hang from his shoulders. The left picture looks more comfortable but the putter looks too long.

Because it's easier to pick a random thought instead of fixing the actual problem for that specific individual. eyes over the ball may work wonders for someone, but it also could ruin putting for another.

 

[DataDude]

Recently I had a putting lesson that corrected my life long mistake of having my eyes in the wrong spot at address. It's different for each of us and I found a video that uses the same simple test that my instructor used to find my correct eye position set up at address. Conventional wisdom is you should set your eyes over the ball but for many of us, that is wrong. My eyes were previously outside the line and needed to be moved about 5 inches so they are now set inside the ball/sweet spot of the putter(now over the heel of the putter) for me to see the line correctly.

Right eye and left eye dominance and other factors such as come into play but this video has a simple test that can determine if you are set up to see your line correctly. I wish someone would have fixed this 40 years ago, lol.

It's a Mike Malaska video and you can skip to about the 6-minute mark if you don't want to watch the entire video.

I'm sharing it in hope that it might be an easy setup change that helps someone else as much as it's helped me. We can all make compensations when we set up with our eyes in the wrong spot but in the 3 rounds since making the change, my misses were closer to the hole on medium and long putts and most of my shorter putts hit center cup, something that has never been common for me.

Thank you for sharing, this is awesome. I can get hot putting and also miss a lot of short ones and I have always thought something is amiss on where my eyes are from day to day.

 

[redneckwop]

Hmmmm. This is something I'm going to have look into & test out.

 

[Snickerdog]

Need to watch this tonight when I get home.

 

[Pgetzen]

I think that is a problem I have had as well, so I just make sure the line on my ball is where I want it to go, and line up my sight line on the putter to that line, then putt.

 

[tahoebum]

Curious as to why most golf instructors don't teach this. In the 2nd picture, the putter is too long as his arms don't naturally hang from his shoulders. The left picture looks more comfortable but the putter looks too long.

If you think the putter for Sean is too long in the above left picture you really won't like Rickie Fowler's set up and putter length(35" and he is only 5'9"). His arms are way more bent than Sean Foleys in that picture. Look at how far Rickie's eyes are inside the line which is about where I'm set up now. His eyes are not only inside the line but inside the heel of the putter. I wish I would have figured this out back in the 1980's as I could have saved myself a lot of aggravation.

 

[scott.french3]

If you think the putter for Sean is too long in the left picture you really won't like Rickie Fowler's set up and putter length. His arms are way more bent than Sean Foleys in that picture. Look at how far Rickie's eyes are inside the line which is about where I'm set up now. I wish I would have figured this out back in the 1980's as I could have saved myself a lot of aggravation.

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Of course, most of us remember Jack Nicklaus hunched over with elbows out and eye over the ball.

 

[CBaker]

Of course, most of us remember Jack Nicklaus hunched over with elbows out and eye over the ball.

Yep, just reinforces the idea that everyone is different and cookie cutter golf fixes don't work for all.

 

[tahoebum]

Of course, most of us remember Jack Nicklaus hunched over with elbows out and eye over the ball.

Yep, he was obviously one of the best putters ever and super hunched over. It's interesting to me that a majority of pros set up with their eyes inside the line when conventional teaching often tells us to place our eyes over the ball. I'm guessing a lot of golfers have made the same mistake as me and never tested their eye alignment and have been putting with a set up that doesn't suit them.

 

[scott.french3]

Yep, he was obviously one of the best putters ever and super hunched over. It's interesting to me that a majority of pros set up with their eyes inside the line when conventional teaching often tells us to place our eyes over the ball. I'm guessing a lot of golfers have made the same mistake as me and never tested their eye alignment and have been putting with a set up that doesn't suit them.

I wonder if my left eye dominance playing right handed makes having the eye over the ball come naturally. Something to ask my golf pro.

 

[tahoebum]

I wonder if my left eye dominance playing right handed makes having the eye over the ball come naturally. Something to ask my golf pro.

I have read that it's easier for right-handed golfers to set up if they are left eye dominant but I've never looked into it to see if there has been a study or any proof of that.

 

[golfinnut]

I have seen this video before. I'm with you @tahoebum I wish I would have known this back in the 80's as well. I keep my eyes inside the line now

 

[DG_1234]

If you think the putter for Sean is too long in the left picture you really won't like Rickie Fowler's set up and putter length(35" and he is only 5'9"). His arms are way more bent than Sean Foleys in that picture. Look at how far Rickie's eyes are inside the line which is about where I'm set up now. His eyes are not only inside the line but inside the heel of the putter. I wish I would have figured this out back in the 1980's as I could have saved myself a lot of aggravation.

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View attachment 8927618

When your eyes were outside the line was your putter face aimed left or right of the hole/target line ?

 

[jvbart]

Man one more thing I wish I didn't have to worry about.