Quiet eye facilitates sensorimotor preprograming and online control of precision aiming in golf putting

Introduction An occlusion protocol was used to elucidate the respective roles of preprograming and online control during the quiet eye period of golf putting. Methods Twenty-one novice golfers completed golf putts to 6ft and 11ft targets under full vision or with vision occluded on initiation of the backswing. Results Radial error (RE) was higher, and quiet eye was longer, when putting to the 11ft vs. 6ft target, and in the occluded vs. full vision condition. Quiet eye duration, as well as preprograming, online and dwell durations, were longer in low-RE compared to high-RE trials. The preprograming component of quiet eye was significantly longer in the occluded vision condition, whereas, the online and dwell components were significantly longer in the full vision condition. Conclusion The findings demonstrate an increase in preprograming when vision is occluded. However, this was not sufficient to overcome the need for online visual control during the quiet eye period. These findings suggest the quiet eye period is composed of preprograming and online control elements, however, online visual control of action is critical to performance