David F. Wright, Ph.D.,PGA

Copyright Wright Balance® 2025

In the original biomechanics lab research, players stood on a lined mat with precise placement of their feet on a lined mat. Each subject had insoles with 1000 force sensors in each shoe to track changes in balance. They also had 40 light sensors on "anatomical landmarks" on their body. The electronics in the lab did not have wireless so the insoles in the subject's shoes were tethered to a computer.

Note the straight line drawn by the computer connecting the left and right feet. This image of a straight line connecting the left and right feet demonstrates balance. The location of the center of balance toward the center middle of the arches indicates a Lower Core Stance Width...

...compared to this illustration where the line drops toward the heel of the right foot. This illustration demonstrates an out of balance Stance. This diagonal line into the right heel indicates that this players pelvis rotates right.

One of the Centinela balance research protocols was a vision test.

Each subject stood on a lined mat 25 feet from a wall with a vertically lined chart numbered 1-24. The lines were 1 inch apart with a dotted line every 1/2 inch. A plumb line hung 10 feet in front of the subject. The plumb line was lasered from the center of the lined mat where the subjects stood to line 12 and 90 degrees to the chart on the wall.

When the subject was in balance, they visually perceived the plumb line intersect line number 12 on the chart.

The subjects stood with their left foot in front of the right, square to the wall chart, the club in the left hand and then the right hand while standing square, open or closed to the wall chart. Each of these were discreet segments of the protocol. Balance was observed in their feet and the orientation of the light sensor on the body relative to their stance line in each of these protocol changes. Their visual report of the where they saw the plumb line relative to the chart was recorded in each of these conditions.

When the subject was in balance, they visually perceived the plumb line intersect line number 12 on the chart.

When they were out of balance, the average right-handed subject reported their visual perception of the plumb line between 4 and 7 inches left (numbers 8 to 5 on the chart).

Two variables impacted each subjects balance and subsequent accurate visual perception of the plumb line relative to line 12 on the wall chart.

  1. The first variable was having the hips and shoulders square to the chart on the wall (this was measured by the light sensors on the subject's body.)

  2. Which hand the subject held the club in was the second determining variable and directly related to how square they were to the chart on the wall. That varied between subjects. When the subject reported seeing the plumb line intersect Line 12 on the chart, all they had to do was move the club to the other hand and they reported that their visual perception of the plumb line moved off line 12. Out of all subjects, only one, a Champions Tour Player, reported the line to the right (lines 13 through 24) when his visual perception of the plumb line moved.

The hand the subject used to hold the club when they perceived the plumb line accurately was observed when reviewing the data of the light sensors on the body. When the subject was in balance, the hand they held the club in squared the shoulders to the wall where the chart was hanging and their visual perception of the plumb line was that it intersected line 12. When they moved the club to the other hand, their shoulders subtly rotated open or closed as measured by the light sensors on the body and their visual perception of the line changed.

These observations laid the foundation for understanding vision as related to balance. In particular, as related to golf, when teaching alignment the hand the player holds the club in behind the ball impacts the "line" they see whether they are putting or in preparation to walk into the shot.

I will show you how to determine which hand the player needs to hold the club in behind the ball, how to test that observation and the impact it has on full swing alignment and putting. As noted, alignment is one of the factors that impacts keeping the club in front of the player through the swing.