Measurements

Eye, head, and putter movements during the golf putting stroke

Fig. 1 Visor with head sensor (attached to beak of visor) and eye sensor (below the visor)

Fig. 2. Subject wearing spectacle lenses and visor with attached head and eye sensors.

Experiments were conducted on 7 novice golfers to determine the effect of three different putting grips: conventional, cross-hand, and one-handed, on variations in eye and head movements during the putting stroke. The results showed that there were smaller variations, both in eye movements during longer putts and head movements during shorter putts, using cross-hand and one-handed grips than the conventional grip. Also, the one-handed grip showed the longest duration. Typical responses using the three different grips are shown in Fig. 1-3.

This may explain why some golfers, based on their playing experience, prefer these over the conventional grip. Also, the longer duration for the one-handed grip, which improves tempo, may explain why some senior players prefer the long-shaft (effectively one-handed grip) putter.

Conventional Grip Response Characteristics

Figure 3A. Time traces of putter, eye, and head movements for a typical 9-ft putt using the conventional grip. The hole location is in the direction of the top of the page. Positive and negative numbers represent movements towards or away from the hole, respectively. For all traces, the position and velocity are designated by solid and dashed lines, respectively. Vertical dashed lines were visually selected to encompass the duration of the putt from the beginning of the backstroke to the point of impact.

Cross-Hand Grip Response Characteristics

Figure 3B. Time traces for a typical 9-ft putt using the cross-hand grip.

One-Handed Grip Response Characteristics

Figure 3C. Time traces for a typical 9-ft putt using the one-handed grip.

This site was last updated 07/17/07