As pointed out in the article, "Eyes wide shut," many professional golfers incorporate into their practice routine putting with their eyes closed. Some of them even - on rare occasions - close their eyes while putting in tournament play (Suzann Pettersen was doing it over the second half of 2007).
Golf instructor Roger Gunn (golflevels.com) explains that "putting while keeping your eyes closed gives you the feeling you need (in your stroke) ... There is no anticipation of impact and no visual cues from the hole or the ball. It's now pure stroke, which is the goal of professional players."
Gunn adds: "It's when we put the ball and the hole into the mix that everything goes south!"
That's why pros often practice with their eyes closed - to remove the ball and hole from the equation, and focus on feeling the pure stroke. And that's the feeling they want to take to the course come tournament time.
So how can recreational golfers utilize the eyes-closed practice method? We've described one eyes-closed putting drill. Gunn suggests another way to go about it.
Here is Roger's suggestion, a simple approach to incorporate into a practice routine:
Step 1
Hit the practice green, drops some balls, and putt them with your eyes closed. "You want to feel how the stroke just flows back and forth and there's no grabbing the putter around impact," Gunn says.
Step 2
Now putt with your eyes open - but do not putt to a hole or other target. "Just stroke the ball and enjoy the feeling of rolling it across the ground without worrying where it's going," Gunn says.
That's it. Very simple. The key, Gunn says, is that over time your real, competition putting stroke should begin to feel exactly like these "putts to nowhere." If not, Gunn says, "then your mind and focus might not be in the same place."
"With a little work along these lines," Gunn says, "you'll find yourself with a great stroke in no time."
