All of you golfers know that succeeding on the links requires an exceptionally high level of concentration and precision. And of course, you need many vision skills to succeed while you play, whether you’re eyeing that 170 yard approach shot or lining up a ten-foot birdie putt. Regardless of your skill level, sports vision therapy can significantly improve your golf performance.
So, what vision skills are the most important for golfers?
A combination of several visual skills is required to succeed at golf.
- Eye focusing: For putting, improved eye focusing allows for more rapid switching between ear and distant objects.
- Eye teaming: This is the ability to converge and diverge the eyes accurately and efficiently. Mastering this skill makes estimating the hazards and opportunities ahead and reading the greens easier.
- Depth perception: A golfer must be able to accurately judge the distance between the ball and the target and the conditions of the green in order to decide which club to use and hit the ball perfectly. Depth perception is your awareness of where you are in space in relation to other things.
- Visualization: One thing you hear often from the pros on tour is how they visualize the next shot. They see exactly how will play out before lining up. In a sport that requires such concentration, visualization is very important.
- Hand-eye coordination: Developing good hand-eye coordination can make the difference between a good swing and a great one. Combining the force of the swing with the control to put it on line one we all want to master.
- Contrast sensitivity: Have you ever noticed how, when you approach a green you see variations in color that could indicate the slope of the green or the direction of the grain? Contrast sensitivity allows you to identify subtle differences in color that others may not notice.
Dr. Barr at Island Eye Care can help take your skills to the next level with sports vision training. At Island Eye Care, Dr. Barr and his team have extensive experience in functional vision training and optimizing vision for performance. Schedule your appointment today and discover the how sports vision training can improve your scores and maybe Dr. Barr can even offer up a tip or to for your next match!