Golf Research Update #3: Advancements & Insights
Putting Under Pressure, Increasing Clubhead Speed, and Improving Practice
Below are summaries of three recent academic publications related to golf performance.
Paper #1 - The Effect of Quiet Eye Training on Golf Putting Performance Under Pressure
What: The study assessed quiet eye (QE) training's effect on putting accuracy under pressure among 22 young golfers from China's national team, split into a QE group and a control group receiving standard coaching.
How: Over two weeks, both groups practiced putting, with the QE group focusing on maintaining their gaze on the ball longer before the stroke. Their performance — measured by putting success rates, self-reported pressure, anxiety levels, heart rate, and eye movement—was evaluated before and after the intervention in a high-pressure setting created by a competitive putting scenario with financial incentives and video recording to emulate real tournament conditions.
Results: The QE training group showed a significant improvement in putting accuracy, reduced self-assessed pressure and state anxiety, and longer quiet eye periods compared to the control group.
Implications: These results validate QE training as an effective technique for enhancing putting accuracy in stressful situations, by improving focus and reducing anxiety. The study highlights the importance of targeted psychological training to improve performance during key moments in competitions, ensuring golfers are better prepared to handle the pressures of the game.
For more information on quiet eye, watch my interview with Dr. Laura Carey.
Paper #2 - Associations Between Physical Characteristics and Golf Clubhead Speed: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis
What: This research aimed to identify the physical traits that have the strongest correlation with Clubhead Speed (CHS) in golfers across all levels of expertise, using specific physical tests for measurement.
How: Researchers conducted a comprehensive search across multiple databases, resulting in 20 studies for analysis. The study synthesized data on lower and upper body strength, jump performance, upper body explosive strength, anthropometry, and muscle capacity, contrasting these against flexibility and balance to assess their associations with CHS.
Results: Jump impulse emerged as the strongest predictor of CHS, and upper body explosive strength showed significantly stronger correlations than mere upper body strength. Flexibility and balance, however, did not exhibit a meaningful relationship with CHS.
Implications: The outcomes highlight the importance of certain physical characteristics, especially those related to explosive power, in enhancing CHS for golf. The negligible correlation of flexibility with CHS prompts a reconsideration of its traditionally assumed importance in golfing performance.
Paper #3 - Motor learning in golf — a systematic review
What: The study systematically reviewed different motor learning strategies in golf to determine the most effective methods to enhance golf performance.
How: Researchers analyzed 52 studies that tested five training methods on golfers:
Cognitive Training (eg. Mental Imagery) - This approach focuses on the visualization and mental rehearsal of golfing activities.
Practice Scheduling (Blocked vs. Random Practice) - This method explores the impact of different practice sequences on skill acquisition.
Augmented Feedback (eg. Video Feedback) - This method provides learners with external information on their performance, such as visual or auditory cues, to aid in skill improvement and error correction.
Implicit and Explicit Learning - This contrasts learning golf skills through discovery and experimentation versus direct instruction.
Focus of Attention (Internal vs. External) - This examines how golfers' focus on internal body movements or external outcomes affects skill development.
Results: Strategies emphasizing an external focus of attention, fostering contextual interference (such as through varying practice conditions), and promoting errorless learning are among the most beneficial for improving golf performance.
Implications: The systematic review underscores that while specific motor learning strategies can markedly enhance golf performance, their effectiveness may vary depending on individual and situational factors.
For more information on focus of attention see my interviews with Dr. Christopher Aiken, Dr. Jared Porter, and Dr. Henrik Herrebrøden.
I have an issue with the first paper "The Effect of Quiet Eye Training on Golf Putting Performance Under Pressure".
The eye tracking device mentionned is: ASL Mobile Eye-XG (page 1 and 3)
The eye tracking device in the picture is: Tobii (page 4)
The ASL company doesn't seem to be existing anymore, and their customers seem to be taken care of by Argus Science. I understand that they could have some previously bought equipment in their laboratory, but the picture should coincide with what you have.