Playing your best golf isn’t about using the most of your talent. It’s about practising smarter
Every player has muscles in each eye that can be trained and improved. The process skills can also be improved, and response skills of eye-hand coordination can be enhanced. The more a golfer sees, the more they can assess the situation on the course better and ultimately make better decisions. It must be noted that 80-90% of decisions made in sport are based on visual information.
Developing these skills enhances your ability to interpret and understand the potential visual information available to you. Once you see it correctly you can then process that information and send it to the hands. Players with fit vision, ie, the ability to identify, interpret and understand, can maintain effective decisions throughout a round. Training in the EyeGym and getting these specific golf-vision skills fit is essential.
Every player has a unique set of skills and this is important to remember. In the work I have done with different golfers each player is different. For example, the training I did with Ernie [Els] was very different to what I am doing with Branden [Grace]. Also, how I train with Charl [Schwartzel] is different to Ernie and Branden. I tailor drills specific to the needs of the players. So it’s important that you do not lend your ears and eyes to each and every bit of information. Your eyes are important for sending signals to your brain that tell your hands how long or short a stroke to make for a given distance.
Top tip
Find time to regularly do 10-50 putts from two feet away. This is important because these are putts you won’t miss and you will see the ball repeatedly going in the hole. Pay special attention to seeing the ball going in – you can even focus on the sound of it going in.
Twitter: @sheryllecalder
The Calder CV
Dr Sherylle Calder has worked with English Premier League teams, international hockey teams, tennis Grand Slam winners, Olympic teams, international and domestic rugby and cricket sides, volleyball, water polo, netball, surfing, canoeing, umpires and referees.
Each piece of advice will be more effective in combination with a dedication to regular EyeGym training. EyeGym has significant benefits including: better concentration, quicker response, better timing, improved decision-making, improved co-ordination, improved overall academic results, improved comprehension skills and more.
