Geoff...

In reply to a forum message to Stan Bichel in early August, you state that if he is a left-hander playing right handed and being left-eye dominant "that's a different kettle of fish". I'm a different kettle of fish, i.e. lefthanded, play right handed, and left-eye dominant. The biggest problem that I have is in my putting stroke on the three footers. I seem to be able to line up the putt o.k. ...as I am addressing the ball I seem to be seeing the line and squareness o.k. ...but when I am in the middle of my stroke the face of the putter appears closed. Should I be putting with one eye (kind of difficult)?

Dear Paul,

Once the putter face is aimed, you should not concern yourself with where the target is -- it better be right where you aimed the putter face. So just forget the target, including whether the face looks square or not, and just putt straight. Vision does not help much in making the stroke, and on balance, vision probably hurts more than it helps when it comes to pulling the trigger and putting accurately straight away. After the face is aimed at the target, vision really only injects irrelevant information and gives wing to second guesses and doubts and mid-stroke changes -- all useless and hurtful.

To get a good handle on this, set up at a 5-10 foot straight putt, aim the face, and then close your eyes, relate to the putter solely thru your hands, and make a straight stroke. Just feel the action of your body in the stroke.

Then, when you keep your eyes open when playing, 'fix" your vision in the address setup right before pulling the trigger. That is, pick out a specific blade of grass between the putter face and ball, look only at that spot, and keep the line of sight directed only at that spot during the stroke and until the stroke is completed. The putter face will go back away from this spot, then putter face will then fall back to this spot, you will transition into the thru-stroke right when the putter face crosses the spot, and you will still be looking at the spot after the stroke is finished. Doing this will "kill" your vision in favor of letting you pay attention to the feeling of the stroke, and will als seve to keep the head and pivot stable in space, aiding the accuracy and straightness of the stroke and impact.

After a while, you will get in tune with gravity and the timing of the putter face crossing this blade of grass right at the bottom of the stroke, and so will be able to make shockingly straight and accurate putts while staring straight ahead and not looking down at the ball at all.

So, forget the eyes and how the putter face looks once it is aimed.

Cheers!

Geoff Mangum
Putting Theorist and Instructor
Geoff Mangum's PuttingZone
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