Dear sammy,
Unfortunately, your "simple" question requires an explanation of "how eye dominance confuses targeting".
One would think that eye dominance would always HELP targeting, i.e., the accuracy with which the target's real location is apprehended for purposes of physical action to the target. After all, that is WHY there is dominance of one eye over the other -- to eliminate the directional ambiguity between body and target that arises from having two eyes in two different positions in space, by functionally blinding the brain to the signals of one of the two eyes when sighting is engaged. Eye dominance also helps sharpen "hand=eye coordination with reference to moving one hand towards a target. But in fact, in putting, eye dominance causes problems. So, what's up with that?
The basic problem comes from putting sideways. Human physiology is designed for face-forward engagement with the world.
In the most basic sense, a human body is worm-like -- a tube with a head and a tail that moves forward eating its way thru life. (This is the basic form as expressed during embryonic fetal development, as shown in "Carnegie Stages 7 thru 13" of
embryonic development.) The eyes are not unlike car head lamps, shining forward, and "sighting" a direction is like using only one of the two head lamps in the manner of a spotlight. So, a human body is a worm with two head lamps that are used to sight by turning one lamp off and shining a one-eyed spotlight on the target. When the human worm stands up on its tail and "walks", the head os bent forward to face horizontally into the direction of walking, so the head lamps "face" down the highway of forward motion.
Embryonic development of the basic human form -- a wormlike tube with a mouth and an anus, to which are added eyes, two arms, and two legs -- a walking worm.
The human is also a "predator" body. "Predators and prey have differences in their visual fields. Predators have large, forward-facing eyes that allow them to see best in the downward and forward direction. As they are often looking down and forward on their intended prey, this visual field is best suited for their hunting lifestyle. Prey, on the other hand, generally have eyes situated more to the sides and top of the head. This position allows them excellent peripheral and upward vision. Because prey animals are often attacked from above, behind, or the side, it is advantageous for them to have this wide visual field, even if they cannot see well in front of their faces." (
Pet Educatioon, Eye Anatomy and Function.)
To similar effect: "Animals like the wolf and the lion have eyes on the front of their heads; the giraffe and rabbit have eyes on the sides of their heads. Animals who hunt like the lion have both eyes facing forward which gives them the ability to see farther and judge distances more accurately. Animals that are hunted, like the giraffe, have eyes on the sides of their heads so they can see all around them." (
Everything2, Eyes.)
Human as worm:
In gun shooting, eye dominance is a big deal. Here is a good article on eye dominance for bird shooting:
Eye Dominance by Michael Yardley
Eye dominance is a most intriguing phenomenon. Most adult men have one eye that directs the pointing process - finger or gun it makes no difference. When they point at a distant object, they will line up with one eye (usually the right eye if they are right-handed). This dominant eye, the finger tip and the selected object, will be in a straight line.
Having two eyes, however, creates an effect known as binocular disparity. Though one eye usually directs the pointing process, you will also see an blurred extra image of the pointing finger in peripheral vision. This ghost Ð the image of the finger seen by the non -dominant eye - appears a couple of inches to the side of the clear image. Your mind usually blanks it out.
Rather than think about it, try it. Point at something on the wall or horizon. Do you see that extra finger, now? Which image of it is dominant to you, the one on the right or the one on left? Or, do you find the images confusing? We'll return to this in a moment, but we might note that for most people shotgunning is easier, and more effective keeping both eyes open, the judgement of speed and angle is made easier and natural hand to eye co-ordination is facilitated.
However, do not believe those who tell you simplistically that everyone should shoot with two eyes open - it's just not that simple. It all depends on how you saw that finger. About 70% of men have an eye dominance that matches their handedness. BUT, 30% do not. Only the first 70% are well advised to shoot both eyes open.
It is also possible to be 'cross-dominant' (e.g. right handed but left dominant), to have 'central vision' (neither eye dominant - a rare but distinct condition) or to have one eye which is nearly, but not fully, dominant. In these cases keeping an eye open whilst using an unmodified gun may be very poor advice which will result in consistent missing. The gun will not be pointing where the eyes are looking.
Eye dominance is subject to change too. It can be affected by all sorts of things: stress, ill health or just staring at a computer screen for too long. Allowing the focus back to come back to the muzzles - one of the most common mistakes in shooting - can also bring about mysterious shifts in dominance.
Even those with absolute eye dominance in one eye and perfect natural or corrected vision must concentrate on good focus technique. Vision is an active process in shooting - a skill as much as an ability. We must train ourselves to sustain fine focus on the bird. The bird, the bird and nothing but the bird that must become our mantra.
The natural tendency is for our vision to flick to a moving object momentarily - a primal response to danger - but not to keep the eyes focused at distance for any length of time (not even the 3 seconds or so it typically takes to shoot a bird in good style). Understanding this, is to take on board one of the great secrets of good shooting - sustained visual contact. One must train one's eyes to shoot.
Age
Age is also a significant issue when considering eye dominance. For instance, most pre-pubescent boys do not have clear dominance in one eye, while, somewhere between the ages of 45-60, those men who were clearly dominant in one eye may find the other begins to have a significant pull. Until diagnosed, this can result in inexplicable misses.
There are significant sex differences too. With women, as with boys, absolute eye dominance in either eye is not the norm. And unlike the boys, they do not generally grow out of it.
How do you test for eye dominance? Carefully. I use a number of methods routinely Ð finger pointing and a ring as shown in the pictures, shooting at pattern plates, a laser equipped gun, and shooting at specific targets (such as a straight going away clay). One method of testing may not be enough to spot a subtle problem. Frankly this is something you cannot do on your own; accurate tests usually require a second person to assess how you are actually seeing things. In practice this means a trip to your local shooting school. All BASC shotgun coaches are trained in detecting dominance.
O.K. time for KISS. If someone has a slight eye dominance issue, a little extra cast may offer a simple cure. If the problem is more significant, a practical choice may have to made - a new gun with a bespoke stock, or squinting. If you do choose to squint or wink an eye, use both eyes to pick the bird up, and squint or dim the eye only as the gun comes into the shoulder.
My experience is that short barrelled guns aggravate eye dominance problems, so do low combs. A low stock may cause a shift of eye dominance on all or, more commonly, some targets (those which cause you to press the head into the stock). You may also find that eye dominance shifts are occasionally brought on by certain birds. My bogey is anything slow coming from the right. Driven birds flying to you but slightly right can also cause problems for right handers.
It is likely that most youngsters and most women will not be able to shoot with both eyes open (there are exceptions). Some ladies find it very difficult to wink or squint (they are natural candidates for modified shooting spectacles). Be very careful before deciding (or advising) to shoot off the opposite shoulder. It may be that the person in question is not absolutely dominant in either eye; in that case changing shoulders is a futile exercise. Have fun experimenting, but this is a complex subject and professional guidance can be a real help.
I will conclude by noting that many people do not have the eye dominance that they think. The right diagnosis, however, can transform your shooting.
Testing for eye dominance can be a tricky business, but this simple method will at least alert you to the possibility that you may need to adjust your shooting style.
Start by asking the person under test to stand square and point the index finger of his (or her) non-dominant hand - the one that holds the forend and points the gun - at your eye (indicate which). Make sure the 'client' keeps both eyes open and fully extends his arm when pointing. The distance between you should be no less than 10 feet.
If the pointed finger ends up clearly in line with one or other of the pointer's eyes when you look back at them, it is probable that this is their master. However, if you note that the client is having difficulty 'aiming', if his finger is moving around and not settling, if he tends to squint one or other of his eyes as he tries to line up, it is probable that he is not absolutely dominant in one eye (the person with true central vision, by contrast, will point confidently at you with a finger which appears to be in line with the bridge of his nose).
Right eye dominant
Left eye dominant
No dominance
Your options
Absolute dominance in the eye looking down rib: - keep both eyes open.
Predominant dominance in the eye looking down the rib: - keep both eyes open with appropriate cast, or, squint an eye as the gun comes to the shoulder.
True cross-dominance: - squint/close an eye, block vision to eye (using a 'blinder', patch or modified shooting spectacles), consider a parallel rib (suitable for some forms of clay shooting), use a full cross-over stock, or change shoulders.
Occasional cross-dominance: - may be caused by stress/tiredness or a low stock. It could also be due to a bogey target (for which the prescription is to squint and/or use a pull-away or swing through technique rather than maintained lead). Also consider whether the problem is aggravated by poor visual discipline or inability to focus at distance.
Central vision (neither eye dominant): - close an eye, use a 'blinder', eye patch or modified shooting spectacles. A semi cross-over stock may also be considered.
Indeterminate dominance Ð both eyes fighting for control: - close an eye, wear an eye-patch, modified shooting spectacles, or use a 'blinder'. CHANGING SHOULDERS IS FUTILE.
(
Michael Yardley, Eye Dominance.)
BESIDE THE BALL AND SIDEWAYS TARGETING
Once the predator walking worm (golfer) stands beside the ball and faces down at the ball, and THEN turns the face targetward, eye dominance causes confusion in the sense of target location. Why?
If you have a dominant eye and use it when facing the target, what does it matter that you are standing beside a ball when you face the target and sight it with your dominant eye? The answer is: NOTHING, visually. It doesn't matter, so far as vision itself is concerned. But, contrary to the thinking of all the optometrists on earth, vision itself is not the problem. The brain's sense of target location does not start and stop simply with vision. Targeting is MORE THAN VISION and includes the body's physical relationship to the target, especially in terms of the impending ACTION of the body with respect to the target. This is where "beside the ball" and "putting sideways" combine with eye dominance to result in a difficulty "knowing where the target is".
How's that? Eye dominance CAN cause the "facing" movement in moving the face from aiming down at the ball to aiming at the target off to the side to create a CONFLICT between the eyes' perception of the target location and the body's sense / perception of where the action needs to go at the target.
The CONFLICT consists in the dominate eye telling the body that the body is aimed straight at the target when the body for purposes of action in putting sideways is aimed where the shoulder alignment is aiming, which may be either left or right of the target. Golfers whose bodies mis-orient the shoulders to the target when "looking" from ball to target beside the ball learn to compensate non-consciously by re-directing their strokes either more inside or outside as the case may be. The putter face may not aim at the target but the forthcoming stroke action does.
A left-eye dominant person (putting right-handed) will tend to swing the head and face leftward towards the left shoulder when looking sideways at the target and the eyeball will swing left in the head also, reducing the extent the face needs to turn. The final posture "facing the target" has the left eye aimed straight at the target out of the left side of the socket but the shoulder alignment is to the inside / left as a result of the chin-towards-left-shoulder sort of "looking motion" and the face itself aims to the outside of the target (since the eyeball aims left out of the socket).
In contrast, a right-eye dominant golfer putting right-handed will tend to make a "looking movement" that ends up turning the face MORE towards the inside, orienting the shoulder alignment to the inside or left of the target, and the right eye ends up looking left out of the socket close to the nose, reducing the extent of the face turn to the target, and leaving the face itself aiming right of the target.
A different problem altogether is golfers orienting the gaze beside the ball as if peering down the cheek thru the bottom half of bifocals to see the ball at their feet. This eye gaze / head angle causes huge problems when the face is turned targetward. The geometry directs the line of sight in a conical sweeping curve to the inside as the face turns towards the target, misdirecting vision far to the inside. The golfer unmindfully redirects the vision by cocking the head back to the right to "pull the eyes back out to where the hole is waiting to be looked at." End result: shoulders aligned to the outside so body thinks target is to the right of its real location.
These two influences -- dominant eye sighting and gaze down the cheeks at address -- aim the face and the shoulders to the outside of the target's actual location. The usual net result of these patterns is for left-eye dominant golfers to sense the target more to the inside / left of where it really is and the right-eye dominant golfer to sense it more to the outside / right of where it really is, although it varies depending on the exact combination of gaze down the cheeks and eyeball motion and neck motion during the looking movement.
Some golfers learn a trick to tame eye dominance out of the targeting. The Jack Nicklaus trick (left-eye dominant putting right-handed) is to move the head and face when "looking" so that the eyeball does not shift direction in the eye socket and the plane of vision swept out by the line of sight as the "look motion" progresses is oriented in a vertical plane consistent with a vertical plane arising out of the line on the ground from ball to target. The sense of the eye action is that the eye stays aimed straight out of the face and the eyeball is rolled vertically by the head motion like a gondola on a Ferris Wheel. The ending position of the eyeball in space is vertically above the starting position. Nicklaus also positions the head and left eye rearward of the ball, so he can look straight out of the face and see (usually) both he ball and the target in one broad field of view, and this shortens the movement required to look straight at the ball and swing the line of sight in a vertical plane to look straight at the target.
The same "elimination of conflict" can be achieved simply by looking straight out of the face in the same direction the face aims and squaring up the neck and skull to the aim of the putter face and the target line to begin with. Then pivoting or swiveling the head with fixed gaze will direct the line of sight in a straight line without altering the throat / neck orientation or the shoulder alignment. This eliminates the conflict between eyes and body.
But your exact question assumes the golfer is not trained about eye dominance, and so acts in ignorance of its influence. He also is ignorant of the gaze-angle problem as well. For this golfer, "Is eye dominance more or less significant over shorter or longer distances?" Yes. The farther off to the side the target, the greater the disparity at the end of the looking movement between eyes and body. And this is further complicated when the target is close enough to the ball so that facing the ball allows vision of the target simultaneously in the periphery. This peripheral sense of the target guides the looking motion and tends to lessen the conflict.
The best solution is to train the geometry of setup, gaze and head turn to eliminate the bad effects, and not to alter ball position, setup and stroke on the idea that eye dominance is a fixed and stable issue. Eye dominance fluctuates and so does the gaze-down-the-cheeks problem.
You can also simultaneously work on "putting straight squarely out of the setup no matter what the eyes and body think about target location and whether you are setup and aimed at the target". If you can ALWAYS putt straight WHEREVER the putter face is aimed and also setup SQUARELY to the aimed putter face, then EVERY PUTT FOR STROKE DYNAMICS IS ALWAYS THE SAME STROKE VISUALLY AND PHYSICALLY EXCEPT SOME STROKES HAVE LARGER SIZE THAN OTHERS. Talk about consistency and developing an accurate stroke motion!!!
Psychologically, golfers don't like this because it means living with your aiming and reading mistakes / errors. If the read or aim is off, golfers want somehow to fix the problem with the stroke. That's a form of "crack cocaine" in putting -- the golfer never fixes aiming, read or stroke, loses his job and house and family, moves under a bridge, gets in a knife fight over a cardboard box and perishes as just another inner-city crime statistic under the wheels of street life.
The golfer MUST live with his mistakes / errors in reading and aiming, and does so by always PUTTING WHERE AIMED EVEN IF SURE IT WILL MISS DUE TO IMPERFECT / UNFINISHED READING OR AIMING. And this is the ONLY way the golfer will ever get the reading and aiming skill sorted out. If the putt misses, KNOW that the stroke was nonetheless straight where aimed, so the fault must lie in the aim or the read. Fix one thing and leave it fixed in order to advance to fixing the other aspects. Putting straight where aimed is a necessary first step in a twelve-step Narcotics Anonymous program to wean the golfer off the "crack" putting and place him back on the road to a normal life on the greens.
One way to think about this is to relate the shoulder alignment to the aim of the putter right before pulling the trigger and committing to keeping the shoulder alignment parallel to the target line during the forward stroke thru impact.
Once the golfer gets onto this approach, the sense of where the target is located IN TERMS OF BODY ACTION becomes clearer and the eye dominance influence recedes in its effect to confuse matters. Ultimately, the golfer "becomes" the aim and the target in every cell of his body as expressed by the setup that is aimed with the putter face (which is accurately aimed), and in the forthcoming stroke action that will roll the ball exactly where the putter face aims. Want to KNOW where the target is located? The golfer now IS the target, and the "usual" putt is all that is left to roll the ball accurately the right distance and line.
Cheers!
Geoff Mangum
Putting Coach and Theorist
Geoff Mangum's
PuttingZone
PuttingZone Clinics
Flatstick Forum
PuttingZone Channel on YouTube
PuttingZone Picasweb Image Gallery
Golf's most advanced and comprehensive putting instruction -- you're either in the PuttingZone, or not.
Over 2.5 million visits -- 200,000 monthly from 50+ countries -- and growing strong.