'Play Each Golf Shot, See It, Feel It, Trust It'
Compared to the rest of golf, putting looks easy - no bunkers, no trees etc. But putting is actually not that simple!Because the why then does putting create so much annoyance and frustration to golfers?
Also why then do golfers not practice putting more often?
It comprises up to 50% of their game?
"I shot a wild elephant in Africa 30 yards from me, and it didn't hit the ground until it was right at my feet. I wasn't a bit scared, but a 4ft putt scares me to death" Sam Snead
There are many aspects to vision and different visual skills used in Golf. Some of the important skills in golf and putting include:
- Visual acuity
- Contrast sensitivity
- Central vision
- Visual attention
- Depth perception
- Focus ability
Visual Skills and Golf
A typical session with Dr Calder includes an assessment of the golfer's visual skills and how he/she uses those skills on the course. The next step is altering the golfer's technique to incorporate greater use of the necessary visual skills and finally some work on the putting green and driving range to implement and ingrain the changes.
Dr Calder has compiled a series of training exercises through which visual skills can be strengthened.
While visual skills in golf differ vastly from other sports - mainly because a golf ball remains static until the athlete hits it, compared to a moving ball in, say, tennis or cricket - the underlying principles of how to maximise visual skills are the same.
And if golfers - at all levels in the game - wish to improve, they should not hesitate to look into the possibility of strengthening their visual skills.