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DRILL OVERVIEW · PUTTING CARD 13
Mirror Check: Find Your Eye Position
Your drill at a glance
This is Putting card thirteen, Mirror Check: Find Your Eye Position, in the Golf Practice Made Fun App.
Give your putting setup a quick visual check. A putting mirror lets you see where your eyes sit in relation to the ball line and check your shoulder alignment. Choose a comfortable position, then practise returning to it before each short putt.
Your eyes can be over the ball line or just inside it, towards your feet. Keep the position comfortable and repeatable; avoid bending into an awkward crouch simply to reach a mark on the mirror.
Jump to aim the mirror, check your position or complete your round.
Watch the putting mirror lesson.
Brian Fitzgerald, The Golf Doctor, demonstrates face alignment, body alignment and eye position. His eye-position explanation begins at 2:35, where he describes why he prefers his eyes inside the ball line.
Step 1. Aim the mirror and putter face.
| Action | What to do |
|---|---|
| Choose a short putt | Start with a level, fairly straight putt on the practice green. Keep the same distance during this round. |
| Lay the mirror flat | Set the training mirror on the ground, with the ball in its intended ball position or cutout. Follow the design of your mirror. |
| Aim the start line | Point the mirror’s centre guide along your intended starting line. Check it from behind the ball before taking your stance. |
| Square the face | Use the mirror’s face-alignment marks to set the putter face square to that starting line. |
Set the mirror accurately first. If its guide points somewhere different from your intended start line, it cannot give you a useful alignment reference.
Step 2. Find your eye and shoulder position.
| Action | What to do |
|---|---|
| Take your comfortable stance | Hinge from your hips, soften your knees and let your arms hang naturally. |
| Look at the eye reflection | Check whether your eyes sit over the ball line or just inside it, on the side nearer your feet. |
| Choose your position | Settle on the comfortable eye position you will try to repeat throughout this round. |
| Check your shoulders | Use the reflection and guide lines to check that your shoulders run parallel to the intended start line. |
Use the reflection as feedback
| What you notice | What to try |
|---|---|
| You feel cramped | Stand up and reset. Adjust your distance from the ball rather than forcing your head down. |
| Your eyes drift between attempts | Pause and return to the chosen reference before making the next putt. |
| Your shoulders aim across the line | Rebuild the setup with your shoulders parallel, then check the putter face again. |
| You cannot see both shoulders | Use the checks your mirror actually provides. A small mirror may show your eyes and putter face more clearly than your shoulders. |
“Inside” means towards your feet from the ball-to-start-line guide. It does not mean moving your eyes farther down the line towards the hole.
Step 3. Complete your round.
| Action | What to do |
|---|---|
| Play 18 short putts | Use a small, smooth shoulder movement. Keep your posture comfortable and avoid steering the putter with a sudden hand action. |
| Check before the stroke | Before each putt, check your chosen eye position and parallel shoulder alignment. Count the setup when it matches. |
| Reset when needed | If the setup does not match, note it and rebuild your stance. Continue the round without restarting. |
| Record the total | Write down how many of the 18 setups matched your chosen position. Add a note about what helped you repeat it. |
Your practice record
| Part of the round | Record |
|---|---|
| Putts 1–9 | ___ matching setups / 9 |
| Putts 10–18 | ___ matching setups / 9 |
| Total | ___ matching setups / 18 |
| Chosen eye position | Over the ball line / just inside |
Count the setup you are practising. Record matching eye and shoulder positions. Holing the putt is welcome, but it is not the measure for this drill.
Use the same mirror, distance and chosen reference next time so the practice records are easier to compare.
George’s Practice Tip.
Stand up between a few attempts and build the setup again. That shows whether you can find the position afresh. The mirror is there to check your putting, so no need to practise your best passport-photo expression.
For a separate face-control exercise, try the Two-Ball Test. For a simple preparation sequence, try Picture, Look, Roll.
MAKE THE NEXT BUCKET COUNT
Pick a card. Practise with purpose.
