Golfers improve putting with 'Quiet Eye'

EXETER, England, July 17 (UPI) -- British researchers suggest golfers may improve putting accuracy by learning use a technique they call the Quiet Eye.

Researchers at the University of Exeter in England say all good putters follow a similar pattern of visual control -- lining up a putt and alternating between the ball and the hole. Then, before and during the stroke, they hold a steady fix on the back of the ball for about 2-3 seconds. After contact with the ball, the eyes remain steady for a further one-half second.

The researchers call this technique the Quiet Eye and measured the putting performance of a group of golfers with an average handicap of 2.5 before and after they had been taught the technique.

The study, published in the Journal of Applied Sports Psychology, finds golfers sank 6 percent more putts after training for this technique. The same group of golfers -- put in a higher pressure competition -- sank 17 percent more putts than their competitors not taught the technique.

"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," study leader Samuel Vine said in a statement.