This Optical Illusion Can WRECK Your golf Swing
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- Our eyes play a big trick on us when aiming a golf shot. Unless you know this illusion you could be aiming incorrectly. I will show you the optical illusion and how to correctly aim your golf club and practice. This is the cause of the slice in many golfers. So if you want to fix your slice in golf, you need to understand this optical illusion.
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Thank you so much for the Super!! Very generous and much appreciated. I taught a Korean golf camp in Thailand a long time ago so I learned how to say, gamsahabnida!
Phenomenal. These sort of tips will help out the average golfer much more than dissecting a slice due to how much wrist hinge you do or don't have. We tend to jump to the most complex solutions when in reality, they're pretty simple. Grip, stance, and alignment could probably fix 98 percent of weekend hackers. Great tip!
Thank you for the nice comment!
This is the best visual and explanation I have seen and I have to say "the light went on" in a way it hasn't before. I thought I knew how to line up ( railroad tracks) , yet I come over the top a lot. Yet when I remember to "swing out tot the right" about 10 degrees the ball flies pretty good. This is more than a "tip". It is the way to understand what I've been doing wrong and how to make it right.
Thanks Michael Brisbane.
Thank you Dave. I hope this really helps your game. Now get out to the course and practice and play!!
Best aiming / alignment video and fix on the web. Soooooo simple and basic yet most amateurs are clueless where they're actually aimed. THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for the nice comment. I hope you watch some of my other videos!!
1st time ive ever seen alignment explained in this manner. Excellent !!! Plus explaining over the top and slicing from an alignment perspective ..... Great instruction :)
Thanks Robert. It's very much a "Holy Crap" moment when you see this illusion. I hope you get to play this weekend.
@@BrisGolf lol thanks im a golfaddict ... i try play 9 holes 3-4 times a week ..
Very helpful. I've heard people talk about this alignment issue, but this is the best visual and description I've seen. And great practice station setup.
Thank you for the nice comment. I hope this helps your game. Keep watching!!
Pure gold! Seriously, this is absolutely brilliant! Mike Malaska calls it parallax view. This is a very good golf lesson.
Thank you Arthur. I appreciate your kind words. Keep watching!!
Parallax view is much more than just a golf matter and has been known for a long time, long before golf.
Light bulb! That is the best explanation of alignment I have seen, and I've been seeking instruction for 20 yrs, countless videos. This just is simple and makes sense. Great video. I'll be sharing this with friends.
Thanks Rick, hope you subscribed as well. My videos are made to help you improve. So don't be shy, watch them all!!! I appreciate the comment.
Excellent - I saw another southern colleague of yours the Sensei talk about the same issue and essentially from address the eye focus when turning your head should be to the right of flag so you do not swing left of target- he also pointed it as a factor in slicing.
Yep, I saw his video as well. Same concept. Nothing new, it has been talked about for years and years. I remember learning about it in the 1990's.
I have watched 1000's of useless golf instruction videos. Only came across a couple that spoke to something different, unique in the golf swing that no one talks about. You my friend are one of the handful of useful videos out there.........thanks!
Thanks Christopher. I really appreciate that comment. Thank you so much for watching. Take a look at some of my other videos.
Awesome Video. Thanks so much for putting in so much work and effort in describing it in such detail. You the man!
Thank you Steven. Great topic and can be a game changer for some. Make sure to watch my new series called "Don't Just Play Golf, Be A Golfer". 3 videos in and there is more to come. I think it is great info for those willing to listen.
Awesome training technique, it works for me and thanks for sharing.
Thank you Frank. I appreciate the comment.
That made it really easy to understand. Thank you for that.
You are welcome and thanks for the comment. Keep watching!!
Very interesting. I often accompany my wife, who is a good golfer, on her practice rounds and regularly stop her once she is at set up and tell her she is aimed to the right. She has now taken to being a little more open at set up ie aiming to the left to get her drives to go straight. This will help greatly for understanding why this works. Definitely will do the stick alignment drill.
Thank you for the comment. I hope the drill helps you and your wife. Keep watching , there is lots a great information.
Simple advises but very effective & easy to follow. Thanks for getting in our shoes as amateur who tend to forget easily…. Few videos i did watch and all make sense, thanks a lot. Surely will watch all of them.
Thank you for watching and the nice compliment
Great video Bris. Already sent to 2 of my students.
Thanks Brah!!
This video is so critical that if you do not know these concepts, you were guaranteed to fail. Thank you so much for putting this video up and explain it the way you do I will borrow some of your concepts of your explanation in my lessons as well.
Thanks for the compliment. Borrow my concepts all you want, that is the biggest compliment. Where do you teach and are you PGA?
Excellent instruction
Thank you. I hope it cleared some things up for you and is helpful to your game.
arguably the "BEST most helpful" golf information ever
Thank you very much for that. Very kind comment. I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope you keep watching!
Been a single digit handicap for years and struggled with this very thing from the start. Never thought about what you have just revealed in this video. I learned to play with a slight over top pull fade. 😅It was ok when my timing was on…but frustrating when it was off. Great stuff!! Thanks…….
You are welcome. Hopefully that handicap will go down!! Keep watching
Great video!
Thank you Boyd. I just finished creating content with a former Tour player. It will be the last 3 videos of my series called "Don't Just Play Golf, Be A Golfer". You will definitely want to watch these videos.
Great video that so few high handicappers really understand. As a single digit player myself, I picture a clock face with the target being at 12 o'clock. I imagine or try to swing my club face towards the 1 o'clock position to force a slight in to out path knowing if I do my part correctly, I should not only be online with the target but the club path should encourage a favorable result.
Excellent imagery!
Great video explanation of a complicated subject. Personally, I use my "Shoulder line" (under my eyes) to establish my line. When I align my SHOULDERS to the target, then I know that I the clubhead (and ball) are starting on the ACTUAL correct line. It's a quick fix.
Thank you for the comment and watching the video. Watch some of my other content, I would like to read your comments there as well. Cheers!!
Excellent explanation of something I heard people talking about but could not visualise before this presentation ! Wondering any point in having a line on the ball that you make sure is pointing to the target ?
then swing club square to the line - kinda like lining up a putter to a line on the ball ?
It could help you with aim, but that club is coming so fast it won't help with path. Good question and thanks for watching!
Excellent video! The one small detail that might be better explained is THE DIVOT. The divot should not be pointed at the flag. It should be somewhat pointed to the left of the flag. The bottom of the swing should occur on the target side of the ball and the target side of the ball is just when the path of the club is returning back to the inside of "left" of the target line. The divot, on an iron shot, should begin in front of the ball, not under or behind it. Since we are swinging on an arc as seen from above, that arc is starting to go left of the target line which corresponds to the place on the ground where the divot begins.
I don't recall talking about the divot in this video. This video was about aiming and the optical illusion. You must have watched a different video, Thanks for the comment though.
@@BrisGolf Thought I'd double check my comment. Go to 5:23 and you'll hear yourself say "my divot is right on line". That was the point of my comment. Golf...BEING GOLF...where things aren't as they should be is ever confusing. You'd think a properly struck iron shot would have the divot pointing at the target line because...after all...that does make sense. But, the divot should point a bit left (for a right hander) because the bottom of the swing occurs after the ball and the club is now working around to the left or inside. I'm betting the vast majority of amateurs don't know this. At any rate, great video. Keep 'em coming.
Great lesson, never thought about that.
I am glad you liked it and thank you for the comment!!
Darn! I always had issues with alignment this is the best explanation I've ever seen sadly due to health issues I haven't played golf for years
Sorry to hear you aren't playing. Thank you for the nice comment and hopefully you can get back out on the course.
That makes perfect sence! Thanks!
I like it when I make sense. Thank you for watching and the comment. Check out some of my other videos.
Thanks for the video, Michael. The biggest optical illusion in golf by far is lining up putts. How many times have you used the line on a ball to stand behind it and line up perfectly to the hole but when you stand over it, it looks as if it’s about a foot to the right. You should do a video on that.
That shows that your eyes are too far inside the target line at address.
@@BrisGolf it was still be worth doing a video on
I agree and will put it on the list. I can always use the content. Thank you for the suggestion.
Thanks for the easy to understand explanation.
You are welcome and thank you for the nice comment!
Good video. Never thought about it like that and my aim is pretty good. I use a spot 6 inches in front of my ball and just go from there
Thanks for the comment, I appreciate you watching!
Woah… this might just fix my alignment issues, thanks! 🙏
I hope it does. Let me know how it works. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for sharing. In my life, I realized there are just a few "secrets" to the golf swing.
Meaning...hidden... elusive.... not widely known. This is one of the biggest secrets period... the optical illusion of correct alignment. This secret changes lives.
Thank you for the comment, very nice! I appreciate you watching my videos. Watch some more, you may find a few more hidden gems!!
A very "eye opening" (no pun intended) video indeed. I am an above average striker of the ball, but more often than not, hit the ball left of my target (with the accompanying leftward divot.) Thanks for pointing this out...looking forward to working on this asap.
Great pun whether intended or not!! Thank you for the comments and I hope it helps your swing path. Check back in a let me know the results.
Went to the range this afternoon with two alignment sticks. Right away I saw the mistake I HAD been making, and instead starting swinging out towards a point on my target line (over the alignment rod.) Immediate results, no exaggeration. Ball flight right on line and a matching divot. A nice bonus was that if I kept my clubface square(ish) to my target line and swung a touch more out to the right, it produced a tidy little draw! Thanks so much! Now I've gotta work on that tempo...
This is a big thing in hockey too. The shooter sees holes to shoot at on the goalie from eye level that aren't truly there when you look at where the holes are from the eye of the puck, which is about 6 feet lower and another 3-4 feet away from the body. People go their whole lives without considering this, but the best scorers internalize it and get a sense for it when they decide where to place the shot.
Great comment. I love hearing how different sports have things in common. Thanks so much and keep commenting!!
Thank you for the instruction.
How does lead eye/rear eye dominance play into this, if at all?
Good question and I really don't know the full answer. Too me it wouldn't seem that important as the target is usually a good distance away. Thank you for watching and the comment.
How far in front should my set of upright sticks be?
This is fantastic. Probably why I pull my short irons left sometimes
Thanks for the comment. Keep watching my other vids, lots of great golf instruction!
Would it help to pick a target behind the flag on the target line to aim at?
I don't see how that will help you aim better. Best to use clubs or sticks on the ground and learn what it looks like to aim properly. Thank you for the question and keep watching!!
Great video man..thankyou
Thanks Mike, glad you liked it!!
I’ve checked my alignment on a lot of bad shots and after I put a club down on my stance I’d estimate 90% of those swings my feet were aligned right of target. Thank you for the reminder
You are welcome and thank you for watching and the nice comment. Keep watching.
You explained this much better than my brother tried to!
Yep, you gat to watch those brothers sometimes. I hope it helps with your golf game. Keep watching. Thank you!!
Very good video. I hit a pull so I know I'm guilty of this. I have to really focus on a spot to feet out in front of my ball for my aim and trust it when I'm setting up
Try focusing on a start line for your ball instead of a spot. Visualize the ball flight and swing to that start line. Thank you for the comment.
Wonderful. Will soon learn how much this cures coming over the top. Regardless...
Subbed.
Thank you and welcome to my channel! I hope the information helps your game.
My high handicap mates and I noticed this some time ago. We’d all developed a very closed stance, we figured it was us subconsciously trying straighten our over the top with that target line
Watch more of my videos and you guys won't be high handicappers anymore, hahaha! Thanks for watching and the comment, much appreciated!
After watching this I know it will help me to hit the green instead of the left bunker or rough. My brother has told me before that’s where I am aiming so I thought i was adjusting but it keeps on happening. With this video I can work on this visual. Thank you.
You are welcome! Make sure to watch my recent videos on Mastering The Basics. A lot of great information and drills. Thank you and keep watching!
What should one do out on the course to make up for this?
Whitney, this is a great question. You have to train your eyes to understand what it looks like to aim properly. This is why you must practice correctly with alignment aids on the ground, making sure you are aimed correctly. After so many repetitions your eyes will teach your brain what is correct. Thank you so much for the question and watching!! I hope this helps.
Nicklaus would stand behind the ball and pick out a spot on the ground about 10 -15 feet in front of his ball that would line it up to his target.
When he went to make his shot he would just look at that spot knowing it put his ball on the path he intended it to fly.
I want to ask for some clarification. I find how you say aim here confusing, as it sounds like I should align my clubface in that direction. Do you actually mean, I should align my club and my feet at the target (Say 12o'clock) but then I should swing my club towards 2 O'clock. Is this correct?
Thanks for watching and the question. The leading edge of the clubface should be aimed perpendicular to the target line, which will aim the face at the target. Feet should be aimed parallel to the target line which will have them aimed parallel left of the target. The club path should approach the ball from the inside of the target line, which is on plane. Therefore it may feel like you are swinging to 2 o'clock, but you will be on plane. I hope that answers your question. Keep watching more of my content and you will keep learning.
I used to golf with a guy that aimed 25° to the right. From the top of his backswing, he looped the clubhead severely over the top, got steep on club approach and hit a big pull towards the target. He usually chose his 8 iron when playing into the greem from 150 yds. All of his irons pretty much flew the same distance, as his 8 iron, about 125 yds.
When I informed him of this, and that I would even take a phone video from behind him, he was having none of my advice to adjust his alignment. He drove the ball with a push slice about 175 yds with roll. His handicap was too high to be inside of the handicap range. About a 40ish, I'd say. He was good at short pitches with his sandwedge, but that was about it.
Some people just don't like advise!
This is a fantastic description, in my case I shoot left and I’m left eye dominate, if my son is with me he will gently mention turn your aim to about 2 o’clock .
Thank you very much. You have to be aware of where the target is, and your relationship to that line. Keep watching.
Good job!
Thank you sir!! Keep Watching!!
nice job. thx.
I've never had that problem, as I don't aim down my eye line...I aim down my foot line with is parallel to the target line. So I don't hit the ball to the right this way.
Thanks!
Good video, This optical illusion is called the parallax effect.
Thank you for the comment!
My ol' school teacher says 'effect'. 👩🏫
But yes, good point that this is all about parallax.
I wonder how many other illusions affect us on the golf course?
@@rcdlaing I was wondering the correct way to spell it as I wrote it, thanks for clarifying.
I noticed the perfect takeaway which is the best thing to correct- aside from alignment- to an amateur.
Thank you for the swing compliment, and you are correct. A good back swing can solve a lot of issues. Thank you for watching!!
@@BrisGolf Mu pleasure, I spent two years on the PGA Tour so I have a lot of experience observing the best golf swings in the world.
Good video BUT you've left out the most important part on how to train yourself to hit to the right of the stick in the ground which other instructors have addressed in their videos. In order to train yourself to do that, and it can be done on course as well, you need to also create an aim line. So once you've got your target line sorted, you then pick an aim line ( for a RH golfer) to the right of the target and swing at the aim line. Until you start doing that you will NEVER cease hitting over the top.
Thank you
Pretty sure that I assumed
Binocular vision. Have an intermediate point no more than 9 inches in front of the ball and use that to release either left or right of it to fade or draw the ball to the target.
Thanks you!
THIS IS SPOT ON !!! I always have the flag @ my left shoulder and I appears as thought I am aiming way right BUT THE BALL ALWAYS GOES TO THE TARGET !!!!! or draws a little left ..... WAS NOT EXPECTING MUCH FROM THIS VIDEO. ((((. BUT GREAT !!!!!!!! JOB AND VISUAL for those who don't understand PARALLEX )))))))
Thank you for watching and I am glad I didn't disappoint!
your welcome DON'T WORRY I would have ROASTED YOU if the video sucked. BUT you KNOCED IT OUT OF THE PARK
I've always noticed and thought it was interesting that I've only seen Tiger use an alignment stick outside of the ball and never near his feet
If you make your feet parallel to the stick by the ball you don't need one by your feet. Good observation. Thanks for watching and the comment! Keep checking in to the channel, lots of good info.
My experience is quite the opposite. I often see that amateurs aim their feet *at* the target instead of parallel left, which means the club (especially the driver) does not have the time to square up during the downswing. This results in wild slices that end up OB. Whereas if the feet are parallel left, even an over-the-top move causes a pull-fade or pull-slice which most of us can live with because it rarely goes OB.
Yes, you are correct as well. Because people aim on their eyeline, they aim to much to the right. Both poor aim and over the top cause poor shots. Thank you for the comment!!
It's been called 'railroad track' alignment. Your shoulders and eyes should be aimed a little left of your target. Square your clubface to the target line and square your body to the clubface. Then you're parallel to the target line. Play with guys who always say I'm lining up left when I am doing exactly what he is explaining. When playing with others 90% are aiming to the right and I try to teach them the proper technique.
Thanks Lou. Don't listen to the guys you play with, they don't know what they are talking about, hahaha!!!
When I was starting in golf back in New Castle, PA used to get the Pgh Post Gazette and Jack Nicklaus was a contributor with a little golf hints drawing. This was one of his hints. Get behind the ball and find something on the ground in front of your ball (like your stick) and square up on the ball and that little thing on the grass. Your hint should be seen by every new golfer. Good job. Keep it up.@@BrisGolf
I saw this in another video and if it helps you great. I don’t suffer from this issue and frankly it blows my mind that anyone does. It just never occurred to me that it was even possible to think like this, lol.
It's possible and quite common. Thank you for the comment and keep watching!
I get it, but the main camera view appears to be to the right of the flag (of course, the golfer’s view is even further to the right).
Hard to get the camera directly down the target line. Where in Texas? I have played a lot of golf in Texas.
I have an unpleasant tendency to set up closed, which leads to too much inside and hook. Perhaps it is possible to derive to the same phenomenon you show?
Thank you for watching. Yes, you aim your body at the target, which is closed to the target line. You must be parallel left of the target with your body. Good question.
Exactly what happens to me sometimes
I hope this helps cure your issue. Make sure to check out my series called "Don't Just Play Golf, Be A Golfer". Part 6 drops tomorrow and you will definitely want to watch. Talking with a former Tour Player, great stuff. So check out 1-5 before tomorrow. Thank you for the comment.
Helpful explanation of the problem. But i didn't really get what the top tip is to overcome the problem.
Thanks for the comment and let me explain the solution. The solution is to set up the practice station and try to start your ball over or to the right of the stick. This will ensure that your club is traveling on the correct swing plane. Also once you learn to square the club face it will train your eye to the real target line. I hope this answers your question, if not let me know and I will try and give more details. Thank you for watching!
The way I do it- on a stock shot, I pretend the stick represents a wall- I cannot hit to the left. If I go to the right of the stick it’s a draw stock shot. Then I was able to know how to shape my shots because I know the discipline. Without knowing a point A then there is no way of knowing point B.
The shot was actually straight. It looked like a fade on the tracer.
Thanks. You confirmed what i have suspected.
Glad I could help. It's nice when our thoughts are confirmed. Thank you for watching my video and I hope you are now a subscriber.
But nobody aims at a stick 10 yards in front of them when they play golf. Just align your body and swing parallel to your body and you will be on target.
Great advice???
Also, l must say, this was my light bulb moment.🏌️♂️🏌️♂️
And sorry for the delayed response. I was in Uruguay teaching golf and just arrived home today. Keep watching!!