What it promotes
The swing key promotes intense focus on the ball rather than an unfocused gaze at the ball. In doing so, it helps to clear the mind of any unnecessary distractions and for the golfer to focus on the task at hand.
Why it works
Hitting down on the ball – or trapping the ball – is a key concept of a successful iron or wedge golf shot. By training your eyes forward you are in effect moving your swing arc forward. This results in the bottom of the swing arc occurring past the moment of impact – not before – and in the process a successful trapping of the ball takes place.
What it tries to cure
This swing thought is aimed at those who tend to hit fat shots on a regular basis. On such shots, the club will penetrate the ground before the clubface will strike the ball, resulting in a loss of distance and an overall bad outcome.
When is it most useful?
This swing key can be used for all normal shots requiring an iron or a wedge, except for bunker shot s or other specialty short game shots.
What it promotes
The swing key promotes intense focus on the ball by instructing golfers to not only be looking at the ball in a general sense but to pick a specific part on the ball – in this case the back half.
What it tries to cure
A natural tendency for a golfer is to look up as soon as contact is made with the ball. This tendency leads to golfers standing up at impact, or even worse to do so slightly before impact.
Why it works
In many cases, a golfer will have so many things to think about when performing a golf swing, e.g. correct grip, takeaway, swing path, etc. that he may forget to do something that is fundamental to the correct execution of said swing, and that is to actually look at the ball.
When is it most useful?
Although some golf professionals recommend using this swing key for all sorts of shots, it is best used for drives and for shots made using a fairway wood. Indeed, for those the ball is meant to be positioned forward in your stance – which allows for a peek at the back of the ball.
Sketchy Putts
As we wrote about in a recent article that was based off a 2012 study, low-skilled putters tend to shift their focus around rapidly while they stand over their putts, keying-in on a number of different spots on and around the golf ball.
Fat Shots
As reported in a 2005 issue of GOLF Magazine, sometimes a change in perspective is all it takes to fix a fault…
Slices
Hitting a slice? You’re likely swinging too far out-to-in with an open clubface. To fix it, try swinging more in-to-out by aiming for a spot on the inside the golf ball and hitting that.
Hooks
And finally, the opposite of that is true, too. If you’re swinging too far from in-to-out with a closed clubface, resulting in some nasty hooks, look at a spot on the outside of the golf ball and try hitting that.
What is the eye on the ball?
Eye on the ball, Mind on the Target. The ability to separate what you are looking at from what you are thinking about is an essential skill for playing golf. What to focus on before hitting a golf shot is a huge factor in how well it’s executed. The good news is that your visual and attentional focus are different brain functions.
Who is Colin Cromack?
Colin Cromack. is the creator of Target Oriented Golf, an independently produced applied golf psychology coaching program. He specialises in the brain function of Attentional Focus. This lies at the heart of skills acquisition (how we learn) and psychology (how we perform).
