Where To Look When Hitting a Golf Ball

If you’ve cracked your swing style, sorted out your footwork, and got a set of golf clubs that fit your way of playing, there’s only one more thing you need to focus on to level up your game: your eyes. You might think you’re looking in the right places when taking your shots, but how often have you intentionally considered where your eyes are focused when you swing?

We’ve got the top tips on where to focus for each swing type and some insight into what the pros do. Read on to see what you can do to improve your game.

Where to Focus Your Eyes For a Straight Shot

When taking a straight shot, the goal is to square the clubface upon impact. If you can do that, you have a much higher chance of the ball going straight and hopefully, landing where you wanted it to. While there’s a lot more to hitting a straight shot than where you are looking, it’s a great place to start and will hopefully get you on the right path toward succeeding.

To start, keep your eyes focused on the back of the ball. This should help you to align your club as you swing it down, thus hitting it in a straight line. How far it goes is up to you and how hard you hit it.

Where to Focus Your Eyes For a Bunker Shot

No one likes being in the bunker, and it can be a place of psychological warfare if you’re not careful. The more you think about how you’re stuck in a bunker, the more you feel like you’ll never get out of it. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

With a bit of adjustment on where you focus your eyes when taking your wedge shots or using your sand wedge, you can completely transform your time in the bunker. Because no matter how good you play, you’ll likely end up there again someday.

The top tip for getting out of the bunker is to focus your eyes around two inches behind the ball.

Where to Focus Your Eyes When Hitting a Draw

When it comes to hitting a draw, we must consider the logistics of what hitting a draw means. As this type of hit needs an inside-to-out path, you must start the ball just to the right. You’ll also want to aim for a closed clubface upon impact. As for where you want to focus your eyes, go for the back of the ball and to the right. This should give you the greatest chance of succeeding with this shot.

Where to Focus Your Eyes When Hitting a Fade

Alternatively, a fade shot is about the out-to-in swing path. Because of this, the back-left part of the golf ball is the best place to focus your eyes when trying to take this shot. Doing so should give you the best chance of hitting the ball with an open clubface while allowing for the sidespin needed to succeed with this shot.

Pro Tips: Where Do Pro Golfers Focus Their Eyes During a Golf Swing?

It might surprise you to learn, but there have been scientific studies on where pro golfers focus their eyes when they swing, going to show how important that aspect of the game is.

So, where are the pros looking? Back in the day, Jack Nicklaus was famous for his intense focus before his swing. He’d reportedly follow this pattern: look a few inches in front of the ball, then to a spot in line with the target around 20 feet in front of him, and then look back around two to three feet behind the ball before taking his shot.

In 2012, part of his process was solidified in science when Professor Joan Vickers coined the term ‘quiet eyes,’ a similar process where elite players focus their eyes. Ultimately, the final point you should concentrate on before you swing is the back of the ball.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where Do You Look When You Hit the Golf Ball?

Where you look when hitting the ball in golf partially depends on which swing shot you're taking. However, one thing that goes across all shots is that your final focus point should be on the back of the ball. Variations of exactly where change for shots such as straights and bunkers.

Do You Look at the Golf Ball as You Hit It?

In short, yes, you should look at the golf ball as you hit it, but specifically, your focus should be on the back of the ball. The only exception to this is when you take a bunker shot, where we recommend looking a couple of inches behind the ball.

Where Do You Look at the Ball When Driving?

To get the best results, as you drive your club down on the swing, you should focus your eyes on the back of the ball. For long shots such as this, you want to ensure you hit the ball with a square clubface. Together, this should give you the best chance of success.

How Do You Keep Your Eye on the Golf Ball?

Focusing your eyes before you take your golf shot is one of the most important things you can do to prepare for it. Look at your target, then bring your eyes back to the ball - mainly the back of the ball - and keep looking there as you take the shot.

Final Thoughts

Keeping your eyes focused on the back of the ball when taking your shot during a game of golf is one of the most essential steps to succeed in your shots. While there is some variation depending on the type of shot you are taking, this is a great place to start.

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