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| For every shot, pick your lineup of targets. At first you'll have to consciously work this into your routine, but after a short time, picking your target lineups will be automatic. | Ben Hogan was playing a semi-blind shot and asked his caddie where he should aim. The caddie advised him to aim at "that group of trees." Hogan's next question was, "Which limb?" That's my Hogan limb behind the flag ― aim small, miss small. |
By T.J. Tomasi
It's safe to say that most golfers don't aim correctly, and the farther away the target, the more ambiguous their aim becomes until, with the driver, they're aiming at something like "north," which is a nice direction, but not much of a target.
The latest research by Dr. Jason Gallivan at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada, suggests that the size of the target determines how much help you'll get from your visual-motor system (VMS), an unconscious support complex that gives you the ability to coordinate visual information with motor output. Your VMS is an unconscious backup system that helps make your movements accurate.
Basically, the smaller the target, the stronger the signal coming from the VMS, which implies that because the target is small, you'll need help in the form of unconscious muscle adjustments that keep your hand or club on target. In our example of aiming the driver north, the target is so large that you need no help, while a fairway that's 40 yards wide from 275 yards away requires all the help your subconscious can muster.
The good news is that your brain can be trained to identify very small, specific targets and, as competitive target shooters will tell you, the more specific the target, the more accurate the shot. In the movie "The Patriot," the hero instructs his young sons in the shooter's mantra "aim small, miss small" to prevent them from firing willy-nilly into the mass of advancing British redcoats. The same applies whether you're shooting a musket ball at the enemy or a golf ball at the flag.
Ben Hogan, in my opinion the best golfer ever when it came to hitting the target, always focused on the smallest part of the target he could define. If you want to trigger your in-house guidance system when you hunt targets, you must include "aim small" as part of your target acquisition routine.
Four-target system
To help you pinpoint your target, use a four-point reference system that takes advantage of the way your eyes naturally gauge distance and direction. Once you have a clear image of your shot, pick a specific target where you want the ball to land (target 1).
Then pick a marker ― a tree, fence post, bunker or something behind the flag if you're shooting at a green _ that's in line with your landing area (target 2). Draw an imaginary line back from your distant targets to the front of the ball. Now pick out a closer intermediate target on that line ― a divot, old tee or some other mark (target 3) and aim your clubface at it.
The fourth target is the ball.
T.J. Tomasi is a teaching professional in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Visit his website at tomasigolf.com.
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