I recently took a trip to Ping's PLD Fitting Lab at their HQ in Phoenix, Ariz.
When developing their new Scottsdale TEC putters, Ping used the lessons of the 'Silent Eye' theory to help develop their new Eye Q alignment aid. The aid has gone on to give Tony Finau his unprecedented first putt in the game, as well as powering Wyndham Clark to several wins this season. The question is, what makes the Eye Q alignment aid so great? I also found Ping's Erik Henrikson.
As explained in the video, the new design of the Scottsdale TEC Eye Q alignment aid comes from the team studying the 'Silent Eye' theory. The research involves using eye-tracking glasses to check what the golfer is doing in the split second before they start putting the stroke. By studying a variety of putters with a variety of different alignment aids they settled on their Eye Q alignment design which features a very small front dot that mates with the crown line. (Here's a great article on The Silent Eye in sports that you can read here.)
The Quiet Eye Theory is widely used outside of golf and with the help of eye tracking glasses like the Tobii glasses I'm wearing in the video, it's easy for engineers and scientists to collect data on people's ability to focus on their target or target. I actually saw this test when I worked in the gun industry and it's something I always find very interesting.
As a competitive shooter, we used to watch replays of videos showing how the best shooters in the world could fire through ranges while wearing eye tracking technology to see how they hit the range on multiple targets. Understanding how people focus, and more importantly what they might be distracted by, can be critical information. In the video you hear Erik tell us that when they started testing they realized that something as simple as the placement of the shaft band sticker was affecting how well players could or could not focus on their putt.
I went into this test with real skepticism, but also realized that as an engineering startup, Ping would probably prove me wrong easily. I mean, how much can an alignment aid design really help a golfer focus on what to do? Little by little as I found out.
My eye tracking heatmap with Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset.
Ping Golf
I actually prefer not having alignment aids on my putters. If anything I want a nice clean dot. Turns out, it actually makes a ton of sense. With a mallet putter with long alignment lines, I don't feel comfortable standing over the ball. There's just a lot going on. But with the small sight dot on the Scottsdale TEC I was surprised at the comfort it provided, and there was no conflict with the eye tracking data.
My eyes were all over the place without order. It seemed like I was searching, I ended up focusing on the golf ball itself. With just a normal line, my eyes are slightly centered in the center, but I'm still looking for a landing spot between the face and the ball. With the help of Scottsdale TEC's Eye Q aligner, my eyes were struck by a small dot crossing the long crown line.
PING Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Start Custom Putter
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But again, Ping delivers on its promise of engineering and science. As I said above, I can't say I'm surprised. There's a lot going on within those walls of Ping HQ, and every trip I take I'm learning answers to questions I didn't even know I needed to ask. Now the question is, which Scottsdale TEC putter would be perfect for my bag? Tony Finau is doing better than ever, and Wyndham Clark is winning … so there must be something there!
