Watching all of today’s Tour Players when they compete, you would see several different putters being used and several different techniques in how to hold the putter and then swing it to produce the most accurate putting stroke.
However, one thing that all of today’s best golfers have in common when they putt, is that they position their eyes over the golf ball, or just inside it.
Positioning your eyes in this way allows you to create a pendulum action in your putting stroke and if you position the pendulum top directly above the pendulum bottom, the pendulum will swing in a straight line. The straighter the pendulum swings, the easier it becomes to hit the ball straight along the target line. Positioning your eyes over the golf ball allows you to swing the putter straight back along the target line and then straight through the ball along the target line. If the putter face is aiming along the target line as you do this, then you will hit a straight putt along the target line. If you position your eyes too far over and beyond the golf ball when you putt, then you will tend to swing the putter across the target line rather than along it.
Place an alignment pole, or use the shaft of one of your golf clubs if you do not have an alignment pole, on the floor to represent the target line. If you take up your putting stance and your eyes are on the far side of the alignment pole, you will notice that as you swing your putter, the putter travels to the far side of the alignment pole as you swing back and is then pulled back towards the line as you approach where the ball would be. The putter head then continues on this line and travels across the alignment pole to the inside of it.
If you stand in your putting stance and your eyes are not over the alignment pole, but are positioned inside it, then as you swing the putter, the head will be moved on the inside of the alignment pole as you swing back and then it will swing back towards where the ball would be and continue on that line, across the alignment pole. Both of these actions make it very difficult to strike the ball directly along the target line and what you want to create is a putter swing that moves the putter head directly along the target line, or the alignment pole. With the putter face aiming along the alignment pole, you will now hit the ball along the alignment pole, or target line.
A great drill to work on to check your eye line position is to set up in your putting stance and hold a golf ball between your eyes on the bridge of your nose. Simply allow the ball to drop and this will show you where your eyes are positioned, relative to the golf ball you are setting up to putt. If the ball you drop hits the ball on the floor, then your eyes are positioned directly over the ball. If the ball that you drop lands on the far side of the ball on the floor, or on the inside of it, then adjust the distance that you are away accordingly and try the drill again.
This eye position, directly over the golf ball, will get you swinging the putter on a much straighter line and as a result you will find it easier to swing the putter directly along the target line. With the face aiming along the target line, you will now be hitting your putts much more accurately and you your putting will improve.
