If you watch the best play on TV, you’ve probably seen players like Keegan Bradley close one eye when they’re behind the Ball before addressing it. Although this is more common when lining up putts, several Tour pros use this technique for full swings, too.
Tony Finau
Tony Finau closes his left eye while also placing only his right hand on the club before addressing full shots in order to sync up his feel with his Dominant hand and the intended line or target he’s chosen. Tony is using his dominant eye to see the line while also feeling his right-hand grip on the club.
Understanding what your dominant eye is relative to your dominant hand can have an enormous impact on your alignment as well as how you consequently swing the club. With that being said, not all golfers play the game on the same side of the ball as their dominant hand.
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Phil Mickelson
For instance, Phil Mickelson is right-handed but plays lefty. Strangely enough, players who play on the opposite side of the ball relative to their dominant hand and also begin playing at a young age have a distinct advantage when compared to traditional players. Ever wonder how Phil pulls off those high-flop shots, low spinners, and even the backwards shot all relatively easily?
While being extremely talented certainly helps, the fact that his lead hand on the club or his right hand is also his dominant hand makes these shots much simpler. The majority of us play golf, with our trail hand being our dominant hand. In other words, most of us play right-handed while also having a dominant right hand.
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By The Numbers
Various studies claim that approximately 80 percent of the general population is same-eye dominant or right-handed while also being right-eye dominant or left-handed and left-eye dominant. The remaining 20 percent has both cross-eye dominant people (18 percent), and a select few, or 2 percent of the population, has no dominant eye at all.
Amazingly, a recent study performed on PGA Tour golfers concluded that roughly 85 percent of Tour players are cross-eye dominant. During TV coverage of the 2022 US Open, Justin Leonard explained how right-handed golfers who are right-eye dominant are better equipped to align themselves properly when addressing full shots compared to right-handed golfers who are left-eye dominant (cross-eye dominant).
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Similarly, cross-eye-dominant players are inherently better putters than their same-eye-dominant counterparts. Upon further investigation, one can reasonably conclude that Leonard is justified in these assertions when assessing Tony Finau’s and Will Zalatoris’ golf games. Tony and Will are notorious for their stellar ball striking while also being two of the very worst putters on Tour.
The argument can be made that their same-eye dominance plays a large role in the clear disparity present when comparing their long games to their putting or short game. On the contrary, legends such as Tiger, Nicklaus, and Rory are all cross eye dominant and possess incredible skill in all facets of the game.
Why Are Tour Players Mainly Cross-Eye Dominant?
The mere fact that the large majority of Tour players are cross-eye dominant begs the question: why is this the case? Hitting the ball long distances like Tour players do generally requires a big shoulder turn which also tilts players’ heads towards their trail shoulder or away from the target. Because of this ideal head position at the top of the backswing, the lead eye is able to keep the ball in sight, while the trail eye isn’t able to locate the ball with nearly as much ease.
This doesn’t mean same-eye dominant players aren’t able to make a full shoulder turn, but it does mean cross-eye dominant players are better equipped to make a longer, more fluid swing while returning the club to the ball with more consistency. In an era where distance and clubhead speed are both of the utmost importance, it is advantageous to be cross-eye dominant, given the explanation detailed above.
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If you pay close attention to players such as Nicklaus, Spieth, Mickelson, Snead, and others, you’ll notice how they tilt their heads slightly down and away from the target just before they start their golf swing. It serves as a sort of “trigger move” for cross-dominant players while also being a very instinctual, athletic move. Essentially, players who do this are moving their dominant eye in a better position relative to the ball. So why would Justin Leonard assert that being same-eye dominant is advantageous when addressing the ball?
Most golfers like to feel their dominant hand or trail hand working during the swing. Knowing this, we can better “feel” the line when we’re same-eye dominant. Unfortunately, these alignment advantages don’t exactly translate to the same kind of advantages during the natural course of the swing itself.
After making a full shoulder turn, we’ve established that cross-eye dominance is advantageous for golfers possessing this trait because they’re better able to locate the golf ball at the top of their backswing. But, same-eye dominant players such as Jon Rahm and Finau both pack a large punch without much of a turn at all.With that being said, cross-eye dominant people inherently engage their left sides or lead sides more during the physical motion of swinging the club.
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As a result, these athletes possess an inherent advantage in other sports, too, including tennis. Roger Federer, for instance, is cross-eye dominant which is particularly useful as it relates to his serve.
While I haven’t been able to verify the statement above, let’s consider the inner workings of Roger’s service motion. Unlike us average folk who lack the athleticism that’s required to have our backs facing the opponent’s baseline when our service toss has reached its peak, Roger contorts his body this way in a seemingly effortless fashion. I would contend this is largely thanks to his left-eye dominance coupled with the mere fact that he’s a righty.
Furthermore, it explains his tendency to serve up the middle on the deuce side of the court and out wide on the ad side. The location of these preferred serves is a direct result of tossing the ball more over his head as opposed to out in front of his body. In addition, his toss’s location relative to his line of sight is in better view of his left eye given his left-eye dominance.
Roger’s source of power lies in the tremendous twist and torque created when he tosses the ball. Similar to a tennis serve, the golf swing relies on twist and torque as common sources of power and explosiveness. The twist or torque created in both the golf swing and the tennis serve require a large shoulder turn which we touched on earlier.
John Daly
On the other hand, same-eye-dominant athletes have proven to be more reliable marksmen thanks to their ability to trust their aim and alignment. Backtracking, John Daly is the perfect example of a player who utilizes his cross-eye dominance to his advantage. Although he’s right-handed, Daly plays with a very strong left-hand grip on the club coupled with a weaker right-hand grip. Daly swings the club far past parallel on the way back (I wouldn’t try this at home!) while also using his left eye to locate the ball at the top of his backswing.
Daly is famous for warming up on the range, only hitting shots with his lead hand or left hand on the club. The power and stability present in Daly’s lead arm is in large part thanks to his left eye dominance. John’s impressive ability to engage his left or non-dominant side during the swing enables him to hit the ball as far as he does.
For players with same-eye dominance, studies have shown that merely having this awareness and compensating accordingly can result in massive gains. Do not fret, you’re far from doomed! Same-eye dominant players can benefit immensely from performing the lead arm drill like John Daly.
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Put It To The Test
This drill will assist you in engaging your left side or your lead side, which is also your non-dominant side. If you weren’t aware, our dominant hand is better able to complete tasks requiring fine motor skills, such as putting pen to paper or throwing a ball.
However, our non-dominant hand is naturally more stable than our dominant hand. This is why several golf grips are designed so that firmness is felt in the left hand while a softer feeling is present in the right hand when you place your hands on the club. Firmness in the non-dominant hand coupled with softness in the dominant hand better enables the player to apply equal grip pressure with both hands.
We always want our hands working together and not against one another during the golf swing.
Switch Up Your Grip
If you struggle with finding a comfortable grip while also employing the interlocking grip, try hitting some shots with the overlap grip or a baseball grip. You should feel your hands working together in a manner that doesn’t feel as if your right hand or trail hand is taking over on the downswing.
If you don’t know what your dominant eye is, it’s very simple to learn! Start by forming a circle with either one of your hands by joining the pointer finger and thumb of the hand you’ve chosen. Pick any object in the distance (such as a doorknob on the wall) and put it in between the circle you just created.
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Now, alternate closing your left and right eye. Does the object remain in focus when one eye is closed? Does the object move out of the circle when you close your other eye? The eye that’s able to still see the object inside your circle when your other eye is closed is your dominant eye.
If you’re cross-eye dominant, try putting with your non-dominant eye closed. You’ll find that you are better able to get your dominant eye over the ball at address, and as a result, you’ll roll more putts on your intended line. If you’re same-eye dominant, be mindful of the fact that you tend not to engage your lead or non-dominant side as much as you otherwise should be during the swing.
As it relates to putting, same-eye dominant players have a tendency to take the putter back too far inside while also having a closed stance at address. Make sure you’re aligned properly while also swinging the putter relatively straight back and straight through. You’ve now made the necessary adjustments to effectively compensate for your same-eye dominance!
Implement the above drills into your games/practice routines with respect to your eye-to-hand dominance, and, in time, these changes will become habits, and these habits will most definitely lower your scores!
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