Spot

Studies by staff from the University's School of Sport and Health Sciences have shown that focusing your eye on precisely the right spot at the right time can be vital to success in sinking the ball. Their research has shown how using a technique known as the 'Quiet Eye' can help golfers of all abilities to improve their putting accuracy, stay calm under pressure, and hole more crucial putts.

Samuel Vine, who led the research, said: "Putting is a hugely important part of golf -- accounting for around 45% of the shots taken in an average round. It's vital to success and requires high precision and accuracy, making it susceptible to breakdown under high levels of pressure and nerves. Our research shows that assessing visual control, using state-of-the-art eye trackers, and coaching golfers to use the Quiet Eye technique can lead to dramatic improvements in putting performance."

The best putters all follow a similar pattern of visual control before and during a shot. Experts alternate quick fixations between the ball and the hole when lining up a putt. Then before and during the stroke, they hold a steady fixation on the back of the ball for around 2-3 seconds. After contact with the ball, the eyes remain stable for half a second. This technique was named the Quiet Eye.

It is effective because it allows the golfer to take in only the necessary visual information required to make the shot. Focusing anywhere else can interrupt the organization of millions of neurons in the brain that converts the visual information into movements of the putter. The red spot marked on the PASS putting stick helps to train the Quiet Eye technique.