Can't Keep My Eye on the Ball

[DaveP043]

40 minutes ago, Guest Dave in Vegas said:

Keeping your eye on the ball is the worst advice you can give a golfer. If you keep your eye on the ball, you will swing TO the ball instead of swinging THROUGH the ball. 

I don't know if guests get notified, but I'll respond anyway.  First, this thread is over 10 years old, there's lots more stuff around about this general topic.  But its pretty important to keep your head steady.  Not motionless, not in the grip of a vise, but pretty steady.  Whether this translates to keeping your eye on the ball, that's a different feel for different golfers.  For me, I prefer to keep my attention on the ball as a way to help keep my head steady.

[Vinsk]

43 minutes ago, Guest Dave in Vegas said:

Keeping your eye on the ball is the worst advice you can give a golfer. If you keep your eye on the ball, you will swing TO the ball instead of swinging THROUGH the ball. 

Well hopefully after 11 years he realized that.😁

[dennyjones]

Is this a record for reviving an old thread?

[DaveP043]

I might have set a record for responding to a really old revival.

[dennyjones]

2 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I might have set a record for responding to a really old revival.

@DaveP043, That's why I posted.   I remember you were trying to find a really old thread.

[downbylaw11]

maybe old threads should just get deleted after 'x' amount of time?  seems like everyone gets in a tiffy when someone replies to an old thread, but I'm not sure why.  I've been on many forums where people get pissed if you start a new thread when the same topic already exists in a previous thread.  so what gives?

[billchao]

1 hour ago, downbylaw11 said:

seems like everyone gets in a tiffy when someone replies to an old thread, but I'm not sure why.

I don't think anyone gets upset about replying to an old thread, but often the person necroing is responding to someone who hasn't logged on in years and likely will never see the response. Personally I find it amusing and if done by a regular poster I know well, I won't hesitate to poke fun at them for it.

[iacas]

37 minutes ago, billchao said:

I don't think anyone gets upset about replying to an old thread, but often the person necroing is responding to someone who hasn't logged on in years and likely will never see the response. Personally I find it amusing and if done by a regular poster I know well, I won't hesitate to poke fun at them for it.

This.

[boogielicious]

13 hours ago, downbylaw11 said:

maybe old threads should just get deleted after 'x' amount of time?  seems like everyone gets in a tiffy when someone replies to an old thread, but I'm not sure why.  I've been on many forums where people get pissed if you start a new thread when the same topic already exists in a previous thread.  so what gives?

I would add that sometime new guests have done a Google search and found the thread and did not notice the age. So they respond. The staff is not angry, but as Bill pointed out, we let them know it is an old thread and they may not get a response.

[downbylaw11]

10 hours ago, boogielicious said:

I would add that sometime new guests have done a Google search and found the thread and did not notice the age. So they respond. The staff is not angry, but as Bill pointed out, we let them know it is an old thread and they may not get a response.

pretty sure i joined the forum because of a 10 year old thread i googled lol

also, just wanted to add that keeping your eye on the ball is crucial to consistency imo.  it has a domino effect that can f*** everything up if your not doing it.  if your eyes move, your head moves, if your head moves, your body moves in ways that can drastically ruin your path.  it can be a hard thing to do though, especially through impact when people have a tendency, including myself, to immediately look up to see where the ball went

22 hours ago, billchao said:

I don't think anyone gets upset about replying to an old thread, but often the person necroing is responding to someone who hasn't logged on in years and likely will never see the response. Personally I find it amusing and if done by a regular poster I know well, I won't hesitate to poke fun at them for it.

or...... maybe theyll get a notification in their email, and log on for the first time in years, and then get hooked and become an active member again.  😀

[boogielicious]

12 hours ago, downbylaw11 said:

 

also, just wanted to add that keeping your eye on the ball is crucial to consistency imo.  it has a domino effect that can f*** everything up if your not doing it.  if your eyes move, your head moves, if your head moves, your body moves in ways that can drastically ruin your path.  it can be a hard thing to do though, especially through impact when people have a tendency, including myself, to immediately look up to see where the ball went

 

I agree with this. For me, when I focus on the ball through impact, regardless of club, I make better contact. I developed a bad habit of looking up the last two years and have worked hard this winter on correcting that in addition to my other priority pieces.

[saevel25]

15 hours ago, downbylaw11 said:

if your eyes move, your head moves, if your head moves, your body moves in ways that can drastically ruin your path. 

Also, head movement is not terrible. Excessive head movement is. That is why one of the keys to the golf swing is a steady head, not a still head.

15 hours ago, downbylaw11 said:

especially through impact when people have a tendency, including myself, to immediately look up to see where the ball went

I believe most people do not actually see impact. If you consider two of the better ball strikers of their time, David Duval and Annika Sorenstam started to look up before impact, I don't think this is something serious. The contact issues may be from something else.

 

[billchao]

9 hours ago, saevel25 said:

I believe most people do not actually see impact.

Do you mean like actually see the clubhead hit the ball? Is that even possible. I know I can't.

9 hours ago, saevel25 said:

If you consider two of the better ball strikers of their time, David Duval and Annika Sorenstam started to look up before impact, I don't think this is something serious.

There was a Sports Science episode with Jason Day on it swinging blindfolded. The pros don't even need to be able to see 😉

 

[chspeed]

52 minutes ago, billchao said:

Do you mean like actually see the clubhead hit the ball? Is that even possible. I know I can't.

I was curious so did a bit of research. Newest studies show that the human eye can see an image in as little as 13 milliseconds. (source below)

Since impact is generally considered to be about 0.5 milliseconds, doesn't seem possible to see impact. It's possible that the brain might play tricks on you, filling in missing frames so that you think you saw it, but no way you can actually see it.

In the blink of an eye | MIT News

---

MIT neuroscientists find the brain can identify images seen for as little as 13 milliseconds.

 

[boogielicious]

1 hour ago, billchao said:

Do you mean like actually see the clubhead hit the ball? Is that even possible. I know I can't.

There was a Sports Science episode with Jason Day on it swinging blindfolded. The pros don't even need to be able to see 😉

 

It didn’t work out too well for Danny Noonan though.😜

[Vinsk]

13 hours ago, saevel25 said:

David Duval and Annika Sorenstam started to look up before impact,

Inbee Park...the extreme.

 

[downbylaw11]

3 hours ago, billchao said:

Do you mean like actually see the clubhead hit the ball? Is that even possible. I know I can't.

There was a Sports Science episode with Jason Day on it swinging blindfolded. The pros don't even need to be able to see 😉

 

cool video, but as I'm sure you've noticed, while he may not be able to see the ball, his head is still down and he's staying in his posture.  I certainly don't think keeping your eye on the ball means watching it through impact.  I mean, youre swinging so fast, to think that having your eye focused on the ball is really gonna do much as far as contact, but rather the fact that if you suddenly looked up at the sky while swinging, your entire body would pitch upwards as well as a bunch of other issues. 

 

I was going to bring up the sorenstam thing.  Didn't know about duval, but obviously if something like that is 'part of your swing', you can get away with it, especially when youre the best female golfer of all time, and a multiple time pga tour winner and major champion.  Golf fundamentals exist because they are a good base that you can build a quality swing from and probably have a much higher chance of creating a quality golf shot than say....... trying to swing like moe norman simply because he's regarded as the best ball striker ever. 

11 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

Inbee Park...the extreme.

 

 

 

i dont even think thats too bad as far as head movement.  what she looks like she does is look a few inches in front of the ball at impact, which is probably good for creating an optimal divot. 

ive seen videos of annika where her head is practically already looking at the pin at impact.  

 

However, movements like this could also be part of a physical limitations.  I know the rotary swing guy chuck quinton had neck fusion and his neck actually turns with his swing, so at the top of the backswing he's no longer looking at the ball.  He filmed a video wearing a go pro on his head during a round and you could see his head going back and forth during the swing.  interesting stuff. 

[saevel25]

7 minutes ago, downbylaw11 said:

Golf fundamentals exist because they are a good base that you can build a quality swing from and probably have a much higher chance of creating a quality golf shot than say....... trying to swing like moe norman simply because he's regarded as the best ball striker ever. 

There are 5 things all great golfers do well, 

As long as they are maintaining a steady head, keeping your head down isn't a necessary swing thought.