You're standing over a crucial six-foot putt on the 18th green which could win you your match, the monthly medal or the side bets on the Saturday roll-up. Where's your point of focus?
The hole? The target line? The ball? The clubface? The alignment marks on the clubhead? Putting master Dave Stockton reckons it's more likely to be on one of the 'hot spots' on the putter head caused by reflected sunlight which can distract you from your main task, which is to focus on the putter head, the alignment system and aiming the putter squarely down the target-line.
The former double US PGA Champion and Ryder Cup captain has had significant input into TaylorMade's latest white Rossa Corza Ghost putter, a mallet designed to be exceptionally easy to aim and roll the ball down your intended line.
It launches next week, ahead of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth where several players are set to put it into play.
"When I started playing on PGA Tour in the 1960s, I used a silver mallet," Stockton recalls. "Nicks and marks would form on the crown from normal use and lit up when sunlight hit them at address. I found this so distracting I'd have the crown sandblasted frequently to erase these hot spots.
"When you look down at the putter you don't want anything disturbing your focus, which should be on the putterhead and the features of it that you use to align the putterface squarely down the target-line."
He says Corza Ghost's white finish helps keep hot spots from standing out, allowing the player to focus attention on seeing the whole form of the putterhead and the alignment system so we can aim without distraction.
Corza's senior director Bill Price reveals the white finish emerged as a result of early experiments in designing a putter that was easier to aim than any other. They consulted Dr. Steven A. Hitzeman, a professor at the Indiana School of Optometry who felt they were onto something.
"The white putter head stands out so clearly against its background because of the high contrast between white and green," says Dr. Hitzeman.
"That high contrast maximises stimulation to the retina and highlights the head's shape and features. The contrast would be lower if the putter was black or grey. Many golfers use the leading edge of the putter as part of their alignment strategy, so this high contrast for the leading edge gives the golfer the best chance of squaring up the putter face at address."
To make it even easier to aim the Corza Ghost, Rossa engineers put three black alignment lines on the crown and a circular hole in the back of the putterhead, giving the golfer different options to focus on to lock in their aim.
"You can focus on the topline to aim Ghost," said Bret Wahl, senior director of iron, wedge and putter development, "or you can focus on the alignment lines to visually connect the circular hole and your ball to lock in your aim. The point is that you've got options, each one highly effective."
Other features that Corza claims, make the Ghost outstanding, is its high-MOI head stability from off centre hits and the anti-skid groove face insert.
All this experimentation and technology comes at a cost. The Corza Ghost is scheduled to appear in retail golf shops at the end of June at a recommended price of £129. More Ghost models with a white finish and black alignment lines are scheduled to become available later in the year.
