Here’s Why You Need to Get Your Eyes Over Your Putts

If you’re struggling with the flat stick, be sure to check the position of your eyes in relation to the ball (at address).

Often, I’ll see players either standing too far away from the ball or too close to it. In both cases, you’re (severely) limiting your ability to roll putts on your intended line in a consistent manner.

More often than not, the average golfer fails to align himself properly. If you’re trying to hole a putt from fifteen feet away from the cup, rolling your putt online in a consistent fashion requires sound alignment. Lots of times, amateurs take alignment for granted. Players worry about the stroke, the read, and everything but properly aligning themselves. Good putting begins with a solid routine.

Furthermore, good putting is all about having a solid plan. If you find yourself 3-putting more than once per round, there’s a good chance your setup isn’t where it needs to be. More specifically, there’s a good chance your dominant eye isn’t positioned ideally in relation to the ball.

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Go to a practice putting green and drop a ball from your eye and make sure it hits your ball on the ground. If it doesn’t, make note of where the ball lands in relation to your ball. Once you’ve done this a few times, you’ll have a better idea of where your eyes are positioned. If you watch Tiger Woods on the putting green, look where his left (dominant eye) is in relation to the ball.

Over the years, Tiger’s putting setup has undergone some minor tweaks. But, the defining characteristics of his stroke have remained largely unchanged since he first started dominating the men’s amateur/professional circuits. Mainly, Tiger remains incredibly still over the golf ball during the stroke. As he’s over the ball, all that’s moving is his head/eyes as he’s getting ready to begin his stroke by giving the hole/intended line a quick look before he pulls the putter back.

During the stroke, Tiger’s head/eyes remain still the entire time. If his head/eyes move even slightly, there’s a good possibility that he will fail to roll his putt as he intended to at the onset. This doesn’t mean that Tiger isn’t relaxed as he’s standing over his golf ball and during the stroke itself. Notice how his arms and hands are hanging from his shoulders in a relaxed, athletic fashion. He’s standing nice and tall, his knees are slightly bent, and his eyes are directly over the golf ball each and every time.

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While players like Aaron Baddeley and Justin Leonard have (both) been able to putt well in spite of having each’s eyes inside the golf ball, they are certainly in the minority compared to the vast majority of their peers. Back in the day, players like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer putted in a more-crouched position than players do these days. In essence, Jack and Arnie were able to putt in this manner because they had handsy putting strokes.

In those days, greens were much slower and oftentimes demanded a stronger, more powerful hit/stroke in order to get the ball to the hole. As such, they utilized more of a “pop” stroke or a stroke that emphasized more “hit” with the right hand at the moment of impact. Although they both appear to be standing in a far different position than players of the more modern era each do, they all putt with their eyes directly over the golf ball.

While putting is certainly a (uniquely) individual activity, there are certain characteristics of great putters that each play a substantial role in making them who they are on the greens. Unlike the pure athleticism that’s evident on the part of great full swingers, being a great putter doesn’t demand overwhelming athleticism.

Although I know it’s fun to analyze the swings of players like Viktor Hovland or Tony Finau, chances are you’re not going to be able to mimic the fashion in which they swing the golf club. But mimicking how the best players approach the putting stroke is a much more realistic goal. More often than not, there isn’t some huge “secret” that makes them who they are on the greens. Instead, each tour player works extremely hard on their games inside 30 feet from the hole.

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When we’re in that close, and we don’t have to lift the ball into the air, we need to get our eyes over the golf ball. Unlike the existing uniformity in (most) other sports, golf really is two separate games combined into one. One (game) is played in the air, and the other comes by way of the ground. Being a great putter is too often overlooked when amateurs are trying to find the secret sauce to improving their games.

If you average 2 putts per hole on every hole, you may (or may not) be pleased with that number, depending on what kind (level) of player you are. If you’re someone who’s breaking 90 (playing bogey-golf) with 36 putts per round, chances are you need to work on your putting. Obviously, 3-putts kill momentum, and putts inside 10 feet are game-changers with respect to maintaining the rounds momentum. If you’re failing to hit putts on your intended line too often, check where your eyes are.

If they aren’t (directly) on top/an inch or two inside (of) the golf ball, you need to alter your setup accordingly. Getting your eyes over the ball exists as one of the most inescapable/ universally recognized truths in putting. There is no substitute for being positioned properly over the golf ball with respect to our line of sight on the greens. Why? Because the putting stroke doesn’t demand the use of a pivot in order to hit the golf ball (longer distances). In other words, we don’t need to utilize a weight transfer or a hip/shoulder turn on the greens.

All we’re doing is rocking our shoulders back and thru as we keep our eyes/head in a still, relaxed position during the course of the stroke. Inside five-six feet, it’s not uncommon for tour pros to hear the ball drop into the cup. Rather than seeing it go in, they’re staying “down” thru the putt by (slightly) exaggerating the head/eyes-down technique. Get your eyes positioned properly, and you’ll be amazed how much more successful you are on the greens.

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