The influence your eyes and vision have on your golf game is obvious. They control depth perception, reading break on a green, planning your attack on a hole, avoiding trouble and many other tasks and obstacles.

I also believe there is a less obvious visual reaction, which takes place during the act of striking the golf ball and can have a huge effect on your body’s ability to turn. To correctly understand how your eyes effect the execution of your golf shot, you need to identify which eye is your dominant eye. Although most of us are fortunate enough to have two eyes, one eye is responsible for taking the reigns, or leading the second eye, in what you see.

I’ll take you through a quick test to help you acquire that information, and then share some thoughts about how eye dominance effects the golf swing.

A simple way to identify your dominant eye is to get ready to strike a golf ball. Then, close one eye at a time. If the golf ball noticeably moves when one eye is closed, your closed eye is your dominant eye.

There are varying degrees as to how much your eye dominance effects your technique. Like so many other characteristics in life, these observations do not always apply. There are no absolutes, but the following traits tend to be pronounced based upon your dominant eye.

Backswing Eye

If your backswing eye is your dominant eye (that’s the right eye for right-handed golfers), you have two primary body tendencies that affect your technique. You tend to have a shorter turn during your backswing and tend to be more open with your body at impact.

To have a simpler understanding of these characteristics, close your target eye during your golf swing. If you have a big nose, a big shoulder turn on your backswing or too upright of a posture, you will lose sight of the golf ball at a sooner point on your backswing than you would with your target eye. On the downswing, to have a better look at the object you are striking, your backswing eye wants to get those same offending body parts that were effecting your view on the backswing out of the way.



Address position for a backswing dominant eye (BDE) player.

Note a shorter backswing for this BDE player. His target shoulder is obstructing his view of the golf ball.



This BDE player’s chest is more open at impact compared with a Target Dominant Eye player. The trail shoulder does not obstruct his view of the golf ball.

Target Eye

If your target eye is your dominant eye, you have the exact opposite tendencies. Your body motion tends to produce a bigger turn on your back swing, and your body tends to unwind slower or later sequentially, on the downswing.

Again, to understand those tendencies, close your backswing eye during your golf swing. On your backswing, your turn can be less restricted, because your nose, shoulder and other body parts are less obtrusive in impeding your view of the golf ball as you swing your golf club backwards. On the downswing, your nose, shoulder and body tends to stay out of the way to give your target eye the best possible view of the golf ball as you strike it. Any one of those body parts will obstruct your view of the golf ball if you unwind too quickly during the downswing sequence.



Address position for a Target Dominant Eye (TDE) player.



Note the bigger backswing for the TDE. The target shoulder does not obstruct this player’s view of the golf ball.



This TDE player’s chest is more closed at impact compared with a BDE player. The trail shoulder can obstruct his view of the golf ball.

If you have read one of my previous stories, you will know your body motion plays a huge role in your ability to return a club face to square consistently. Identifying your eye dominance might help you understand the tendencies of your body motion throughout your golf swing.

Both eye dominance characteristics produce world class golfers. Let’s discuss the two world class players in the photos below who have traits of extreme eye dominance patterns.

Former U.S. Open Champion Justin Rose has the traits of a target eye dominant player. He makes a larger turn away from the golf ball on his backswing. On the downswing, his trail shoulder is sequentially later than a backswing dominant eye player in passing the point of impact. Other examples include Lee Westwood, Dustin Johnson, Jack Nicklaus and Michelle Wie.

Former PGA Champion Jason Dufner has the mannerisms of a backswing eye dominant player. He makes a shorter turn away from the golf ball, due to his target shoulder getting in the way of his view of the golf ball. On the downswing, Dufner wants to get his target shoulder out of the way to give him a better view of the ball with his dominant eye as he strikes. Other examples include David Duval, Inbee Park and Annika Sorenstam. It is important for me to note that I do not know unequivocally the eye dominance patterns of the players listed above. These are educated guesses, based upon my research and the golfer’s movement patterns.



Note both players at the top of their backswing. Dufner’s target shoulder is restricting his view and backswing.



Note how Rose’s trail shoulder is lagging behind Dufner’s just prior to impact.



Note how Dufner’s chest is more open to the target than Rose’s when the trail arm is parallel to the ground.

This information can potentially help you understand your golf game better than ever before. We are all trying to find the best technique for our own individual needs, and your inherent vision just might be the last clue to help you achieve your golfing goals. Or, for beginners, it might be a wonderful place to start the task of building a game for a life time.

I would also like to thank @JimHPGA, a mentor to me both on and off the course for close to 20 years, for his help with writing this article.