Got Golfer's Glitch?

It’s Good Health Sense®

As published in the October, 2008 issue of The Scottsdale Downtowner

Got Golfer’s Glitch?

Adjust your Hand-to-Eye Coordination

By Dr. Daniel P. Secrest, DC

If you have trouble with a certain element of your golf game, you may be suffering from ‘golfer’s glitch,” a temporary condition that causes a momentary loss of your hand-to-eye coordination when hitting the ball. It doesn’t happen all the time, but when the conditions are just right, you look and feel like you took your eye off the ball. 

It may happen off the tee, with a certain club, punching out of a sand trap or hitting the ball on the freeway at a particular angle of elevation. I call these “action blind spots” and usually they are easily and comfortably corrected.

Tennis players have the same condition. They may be hitting the ball off the edge of their racket as they charge the net, or top the ball on a high overhead shot. Baseball players possess it too when the ball is thrown at a certain location or as they move to hit the ball at a given point.  Irritating, isn’t it?

Then there are goalies, which are consistently scored upon in a certain area. Boxers don’t see a blow coming from a particular angle and even pool players are not immune, as they reach to make a tough bank shot.

What really hurts is that your competition seems to pick up on your glitch quicker than you do and immediately makes the most of your “Achilles’ heel.”  Coaches look for it every time and call it “your weakness.”  Whatever the sport and sometimes at work, the hand-to-eye coordination can just seem to go haywire and you don’t know why.

So what causes these seemingly action blind spots and what can you do about it?

In many cases, the condition may have its origin as the result of a macro/micro trauma to the head in childhood or as an adult. Therefore, as you perform an action activity and the eye is put in a certain position, a momentary misalignment occurs among the cranial bones and upper neck, often affecting related neuro-sensors (nerves). This transitory condition can cause hand-to-eye coordination to be temporarily lost as you attempt to hit a moving or stationary target.

By observing the misalignment as you move through your action routine, a skilled structural physician is able to quickly make the gentle adjustment to relieve the condition. Usually, the correction is immediate and frequently does not require further treatment. Even difficult cases can usually be improved with just a few adjustments.

So, what do you think this is worth to your golf game?  It’s just good health sense.           

Dr. Dan Secrest is a practicing physician at Secrest Family Chiropractic on Hayden & Osborn Roads in Scottsdale and mentors doctors around the globe. He is the former radio host of his own talk show in Phoenix and has appeared on radio, TV and in the local press. The advice given in this column is for informational/entertainment purposes only and you should consult your physician before proceeding.  Should you have a health question or other inquiry, you may contact Dr. Dan through this web site at Info@SecrestFamilyChiropractic.com  or through his office at 480-994-4411.

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