Along with learning about their new setters and researching the ‘Quiet Eye Theory’ that went along with them, I took away a few key things about my set.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Ping is never impressive, and the tools they use and share for golfers are always unlocking new knowledge.
I’m not a very consistent person on the golf course. I wouldn’t say I have any sort of routine, and if I do, it’s certainly not consistent with every shot putt I make, or so I thought.
Tobii’s glasses, however, would disagree.
So did the PLD Putting Lab staff I worked with. Immediately, we noticed a pattern. I check the hole, the putter, the toes and then go back to the ball. I was doing it completely unconsciously. I had absolutely zero idea that I was doing the same thing before every putt, let alone when I’m standing in one position, hitting multiple shots like I’m in a lab. But this insight is exactly why Ping began to look deeper The Quiet Eye Theoryand developed their Q-eye alignment aid.
2.) It’s only 2 seconds
Erik made a very specific point with me during testing that all the research that the Quiet Eye Theory does is based around two seconds before the athlete, in our case, the golfer, begins their task. My job, of course, was to putt the golf ball, so the two seconds we’re focusing on is the two seconds before I start to take the putter off.
It doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but there’s a lot that can happen, and this is where their Eye Q stretch starts to prove its benefits. With both the empty shooter and the full line shooter, my eyes didn’t really adjust until before I returned the polish.
with Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue The start that has the Eye Q extensionmy eyes were actually locked for over that two-second threshold, meaning I was called to my duty. Having this level of focus helps to calm the mind and nervous system. That focus and calmness then allows the athlete to begin their “pure” task without distraction or worry. In fact, it’s quite funny to me, the reason why I’ve preferred the dot sight blade for so long. There is little distraction and the dot helps me focus.
3.) Putting is probably the most mental thing in golf
If I learned nothing during my time in the PLD lab, it’s that there is such a huge upside to deciding that it’s all mental. It’s all based on what your nervous system is doing at any given moment on the greens, hitting the ball and controlling the shot.
The amount of effort that Ping is putting into understanding the mental side of deployment is pretty deep and it’s a lot of fun to get involved in some of the testing and understand how they see things differently. of Tobii eye tracking glasses are really fun to play with, but if you watch the full video, you’ll hear Eric talk about how they implemented the research with players, other findings they discovered, and how they’re going to continue to dive into the mental and personal side of bringing back physical players.
At this point, I’d have to say that the shooter you end up choosing is dictated more by what it does to your state of mind, your focus, and your skill than actual performance. There’s a lot more to digest here, but we’ll keep updating as we learn more.
