Golf

There is an "I" in Golf

Golf may not be spelled with an "I", but it's played with an eye -- an eye on the ball, an eye on the slope of the green, and eye for the hazards, and eye to gauge the distance to the pin. Golf is a game of skills-mind skills, body skills, and visual skills.

The skills required in golf, as any other sport, can be taught, practiced and honed to perfection. One of the most important aspects of golf is good visual skills. A golfer may have a perfect stance, flawless backswing and uncanny talent for hitting the sweet spot, but what good will it do if one is unable to properly pinpoint the target in the first place?

Golf manuals and trainers teach grip position, club shaft alignment, swing plane and weight distribution. They stress total body fitness and prescribe exercises to strengthen the back, shoulders, rotator cuff, and abdominal muscles. However, they often miss the very important aspect of visual fitness and fail to teach the visual skills necessary to make a player the best he can be.

Sports vision enhancement training is an integral part of a total athletic training program. Surprisingly, the visual dynamics of golf are similar to those of other sports; good visual and ocular motor (eye muscle) skills, along with increased concentration capabilities, can dramatically improve golf performance.

If the visual information is inaccurate, it can throw off the body's timing and cause the performance level to drop. However, visual skills -- like all physical skills -- can be taught, trained, practiced, and perfected.

In the last decade, sports vision researchers have recognized that superior visual skills correlate with superior performance. They have developed tests and training procedures that can be used to evaluate and improve visual skill levels, as needed by an individual athlete in a specific sport. Each sport has different visual skill requirements, however, this article will concentrate on those visual skills that are particularly important in the game of golf.

Each sport has different visual skill demands and requirements. That's where "individualized training" enters the picture. Let's discuss the visual skills that are particularly essential in the sport of golf.

Visual acuity, keenness of vision, is essential to identifying and hitting the target, whether you're aiming 200 yards straight down the fairway or aligning a 5 foot putt on the green. Proper corrective lenses -- glasses or contacts, or refractive surgery may be needed in some cases.

Depth Perception, the ability to judge distances, is crucial in golf. When trained properly, depth perception acts as a valuable aid in estimating yardage, and in selecting the proper club.

Visualization is the process of seeing yourself performing an athletic activity. Goal oriented visual imagery techniques are used to help develop consistency in performance. Simply stated, if you imagine yourself performing a proper swing often enough you will tend to do it that way. Many trainers will have the student practice putting with his eyes closed and visualize the path he wants the ball to take. Visualization is an excellent pre-tournament tool.

Speed of focusing, the shifting of focus from near to far, is especially crucial to putting performance. A player often misses a putt because they do not read the proper break. Optical lenses, electronic devices and print materials can be used to train the player to shift his eyes between various targets quickly and accurately.

It's the seventeenth hole of a pro-am, the third shot of a par four, facing a 21-foot putt on an uphill slope. the glaring sun, 92 degrees in intensity; is causing the player's already fatigued body to burn and sweat profusely. Neck to neck with his opponent, the anxious crowd murmurs annoyingly. Birdie or par? While most golfers aren't likely to encounter this specific situation, all players face extreme mental and physical pressure at some point. this is where visual concentration training pays off.

Visual concentration is the ability to stay focused and maintain peak performance levels during adverse conditions. Strobe lights, auditory signals, and flash bulbs, are used during training exercises to simulate and learn to disregard distractions.

Fixation ability is the skill of fine focusing on a target, quickly and accurately using a series of eye movements. The ability to properly focus on the ball and the target, whether three feet or 300 yards away, is essential in making good contact between the club head and the ball. Fine focusing techniques can help both in hitting the sweet spot and stroking a smoother putt.

Visual memory refers to recalling past experiences. The ability to put that information to use during a round of golf is the goal of visual memory training. This skill also helps build consistency. If a player can remember what he did the last time he played particularly well on a specific course or in a similar situation, he may be able to repeat the performance.

Peripheral vision refers to the outermost boundary of your range of vision. Central/peripheral awareness is being aware of the primary target (the ball) while at the same time knowing where you want to hit the ball. Obviously, this is a crucial skill to master. Computer aided and light sensitive electronic instrumentation are used to train central peripheral awareness.

Glare Disability can be a major problem on the golf course. Bright sunlight takes its toll on both the mental and physical aspects of performance and makes reading the green difficult. Exposure to ultraviolet rays causes an increase in cataract formation. This fact, along with the obvious eye discomfort caused by bright sunlight makes it essential to protect ones eyes. Fortunately, a variety of products are available to the golfer, including distortion free sunglasses or photochromic corrective eyeglasses. Ultraviolet coatings can also be incorporated into lenses to provide maximum sun protection. It's important here, to stress the importance of consulting an eye-care professional. An improper pair of lenses can distort or impair vision.

Just as biomechanics has gained recognition and respect in the world of golf, visual skills enhancement training is coming of age. Whether you're a pro, amateur, or simply one of the millions of men and women in love with the game of golf, improved visual skills can make your next trip to the golf course a more rewarding and pleasant experience.

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