Eye line and tracking

[George C]

Back to the eye line topic. Your eyes are not on the line of the cast, instead, they are to the side. eye line off set.png
Phil

Hi Phil
Perhaps you have some experience with this.
When trying to learn to play golf many decades ago I depended on a book by Bob Toski and Jim Flick.
In it they discuss an optical illusion that occurs when aiming at a distant point from a position several feet to one side of the ball (or rod tip as it passes our shoulder).
If you are 2 ft to the L side and visually aim at a distant point 2 ft to the same side of the actual target you end up aligned well right of the target.
Instead they advocate visually aiming well to the left which results in a truer alignment to the actual target.
They claim about 8yds left for a 100yd shot, 12yds for a 170yd shot. Obviously flycasting distances are a third of this but it still suggests that to align forces to a target 100' away you should feel like you are moving your body towards a spot @8ft to the left (for a R hand caster).

I've played with this while casting from an open stance and think it is actually pertinent to improving tracking and accuracy at distance.
Does any of this fit with your experience?
Thanks
George

[George C]

Probably this is frowned upon,but here is the passage I’m referring to:

[Bianchetti Ivan]

I would propose not to abandon the loop to itself, if you do this you lose control, the tip of the rod must keep the line above itself, to ensure that the fly remains in front of the line during the forward cast there must not be a click but a continuous dragging in acceleration to the end of the race.
Un saluto
Ivan

[Paul Arden]

Interesting. I like that George. Thank you.

Cheers, Paul

[Phil Blackmar]

Hi George

I apologize but I just now saw your post. I haven't been on the site much lately, I've been busy trying to "hit a branch on the backside of a tree".

I actually worked with Jim Flick on my own game while playing and also taught golf schools with him. I know Bob as well. Both have(d) incredible insights into the game. As for alignment, poor alignment in golf can lead to unwanted swing plane adjustments during the swing which the player will not even notice because the altered swing fits what his or her eyes are seeing. Swing plane in golf is synonymous with tracking in casting.

My post on SL was centered on the same premise. I was struggling with an outward thrust in the final milliseconds of my stroke which was causing a sort of crisscross layout to the right. I'm doing better with it now, but it still shows up at times if I don't do my drills. I still believe there is validity to the idea where an issue can arise due to the eyes being on a different line to the target than the rod.If you make a vertical plane cast with the casting elbow straight out from the shoulder and then make the same cast with the elbow and hand aligned near the ear, you will feel the difference.

It would have been fun to have had Jim interested in fly casting. He was big on grip pressure changes and tension in the shoulders being two of the biggest causes of poor golf shots. I imagine they aren't that great for casting either.

All the best George.

Phil

[Mangrove Cuckoo]

Hey Phil,

Did you catch Darren Clarke on the Mill House podcast?

There are some pro golfers who really like to flyfish... who knew???

[Phil Blackmar]

Darren loves to fish for permit in the Bahamas where he has a house. Approximately 70 days per year, he likes to fish for the 30+ pound variety. I heard the podcast is very good, I have not heard it yet. There are many very good fishermen on tour, some of which are fly fishermen.

[RSalar]

Just listened to the podcast — its a great one. makes me wonder though whether there is a right way and a wrong way to cast. Many of the top golfers had unorthodox swings, yet were great world class golfers.