Investigating the perceived effectiveness of digital technology for elite athlete support in golf

Digital technologies have enabled vast and varied amounts of data to be captured on elite athletes. The data is intended for use by athletes, coaches and support team e.g. physiotherapists, sports scientists for many purposes including performance development or injury prevention. However, the usefulness of such digital technologies and the information gathered is only beneficial if deemed effective by all those involved. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of digital technology for elite athletes’ development and support from athlete, coach and support team perspective in golf. Interviews were conducted with athletes, coaches and support team for a sport where digital technologies were used to facilitate training. The results of the study uncovered four categories that helped to understand how effectiveness was perceived which were “The Influence on Psychological Well-being and Proprioception”, “Measurement Uncertainty”, “Environment” and “Type, Ease and Frequency of Use”. Exploring these categories provided insight into the best practices for digital technology integration into elite athlete support and ultimately can help shape future developments of digital technologies.</div

How should golfers monitor training load?

Training load monitoring has been integrated into a variety of sports at a high level over the past decade. However, it has been presented by various authors that golfer’s sustain injury caused by overuse of specific sites of the body. This is done without knowledge of golf specific training loads and little academic research into training load monitoring within golf. Therefore, it is reasonable to suggest that the topic of load monitoring in golf should be researched, as load monitoring in other sports has been researched. Such studies have lead to the quantification of load and acute chronic workload ratios by academics. Two literature reviews; one on injury in golf and one investigating training load monitoring in other sports preceded a set of semi structured interviews with subjects working as coaches, doctors, physiotherapists and players within international golf. The purpose of the semi structured interviews was to discuss topics relating to golfing load, summarise the opinions of the experts on those topics and define the importance of each topic relating to a golf specific load monitoring tool

Application of current environmental research to golf course design, construction, and management practices

The recent proliferation of environmental research on golf courses has greatly expanded the understanding of the environmental impacts and costs of various golf course design, construction, and management strategies. This new body of research, however, has not yet been consolidated into a set of principles for sustainable golf course development and management. The purpose of this research will be to draw from current research to develop such a set of principles and, in particular, to examine the economic and environmental benefits of using native vegetation on golf courses. The objectives of this research were to: -- review and synthesize the large body of recent research to develop golf course design, construction, and management principles that have the greatest potential for maintaining playability, aesthetic value, and keeping costs down while minimizing environmental impacts (i.e. reduction of fertilizer and pesticide usage and runoff, reduced water consumption, and improved water quality); -- document the environmental impacts and potential maintenance savings possible through the construction and management of large areas of native vegetation in out-of-play areas such as buffer areas around lakes, streams, and ponds by examining selected, existing golf courses. The principles articulated in this study were developed by synthesizing the large body of current research on the environmental impacts of various golf course design, construction, and management practices. This particular study focused more on issues of water quality, soil protection, and the use of native vegetation but less directly on wildlife ecology

Towards using a physio-cognitive model in tutoring for psychomotor tasks.

We report our exploratory research of psychomotor task training in intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) that are generally limited to tutoring in the desktop learning environment where the learner acquires cognitively oriented knowledge and skills. It is necessary to support computer-guided training in a psychomotor task domain that is beyond the desktop environment. In this study, we seek to extend the current capability of GIFT (Generalized Intelligent Frame-work for Tutoring) to address these psychomotor task training needs. Our ap-proach is to utilize heterogeneous sensor data to identify physical motions through acceleration data from a smartphone and to monitor respiratory activity through a BioHarness, while interacting with GIFT simultaneously. We also uti-lize a computational model to better understand the learner and domain. We focus on a precision-required psychomotor task (i.e., golf putting) and create a series of courses in GIFT that instruct how to do putting with tactical breathing. We report our implementation of a physio-cognitive model that can account for the process of psychomotor skill development, the GIFT extension, and a pilot study that uses the extension. The physio-cognitive model is based on the ACT-R/Φ architecture to model and predict the process of learning, and how it can be used for improving the fundamental understanding of the domain and learner model. Our study contributes to the use of cognitive modeling with physiological con-straints to support adaptive training of psychomotor tasks in ITSs

BEYOND THE TEE - NAVIGATING THE COURSE: The player journey for golfers with a disability, lessons learned, and changes made.

Although there is a plethora of research on disability and sport, there are several gaps related to golf and disability. This thesis aims to reduce the gaps, discover more about what we don’t know about golf for the disabled [G4D], examine the factors that limit or inhibit the playing of golf by individuals with disabilities [IwD], and offer recommendations for how the game can be improved to enable more IwD to sample, participate and compete in golf. The study is timely as all sports must adhere to growing legislation around accessibility, equity, and inclusion, along with greater public scrutiny of how establishments interact with society. The overall purpose of this research is to understand how IwD can better enjoy full, active, and inclusive participation in the game of golf. Desk research that included a scoping review was conducted to gain an understanding of the barriers and facilitators to playing golf for IwD and contextualise the work. Qualitative methods were also utilised to acquire knowledge of the subjective lived experiences of 77 golfers with a disability [GwD]. Data collection comprised of interviews and observation. A reflective thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. Chapter four presents the results of the scoping study. It was found that it is necessary to increase the knowledge of golf as a viable sporting option for IwD with disabilities, promote the availability of inexpensive golf and remove barriers such as lack of services, transport, support, equipment and ableist attitudes and practices. Based on the analysis of empirical data collected over a five-year period, the results first present the participants’ journeys into and through golf. Chapter five highlights the perceived barriers, benefits, and facilitators the participants expressed and I observed. Grounded in the experiences of the participants, chapter six provides recommendations for how golf can adjust. Chapter seven then focuses on how the conceptual framework known as Integrated Knowledge Translation [iKT] was utilised to support moving knowledge into action before providing case studies of two assets developed and deployed, from conception to construction and subsequent dissemination. Chapter eight turns to the impact of this research and how the research that underpins impact will take time to be visible. Preliminary impacts that are beginning to filter through are highlighted. The thesis concludes with empirical and practical recommendations and reflections on opportunities for future research

Playful mapping in the digital age:The Playful Mapping Collective

From Mah-Jong, to the introduction of Prussian war-games, through to the emergence of location-based play: maps and play share a long and diverse history. This monograph shows how mapping and playing unfold in the digital age, when the relations between these apparently separate tropes are increasingly woven together. Fluid networks of interaction have encouraged a proliferation of hybrid forms of mapping and playing and a rich plethora of contemporary case-studies, ranging from fieldwork, golf, activism and automotive navigation, to pervasive and desktop-based games evidences this trend. Examining these cases shows how mapping and playing can form productive synergies, but also encourages new ways of being, knowing and shaping our everyday lives. The chapters in this book explore how play can be more than just an object or practice, and instead focus on its potential as a method for understanding maps and spatiality. They show how playing and mapping can be liberating, dangerous, subversive and performative

Investigating Grip Range of Motion and Force Exerted by Individuals with and without Hand Arthritis during Functional Tasks and while Swinging a Golf Club

Hand arthritis is the leading cause of disability in individuals over the age of 50; resulting in dysfunction and pain, making activities of daily living and recreational activities such as golf difficult. Few studies have been conducted on the biomechanical response of individuals with hand arthritis when performing functional activities. This research quantified hand grip movements and strength differences seen in individuals with hand arthritis. Using a video-based motion capture system (Dartfish), a grip limitation of 17.2% (maximum flexion), and 12.7% (maximum extension) was discovered. A wireless finger force measurement system (FingerTPS), was used to show that larger diameter, softer firmness golf grips assisted in reducing the grip force in individuals with and without hand arthritis during a golf swing. This research will benefit the sport biomechanics and clinical fields, providing quantitative results to develop more sophisticated joint protection devices and gain a better understanding of hand arthritis mechanics

Subjective and objective assessment of tennis racket performance play

Assessment of wielded implement performance is important to a variety of human endeavours and often critical to success in a sports context, particularly so in the game of tennis. Tennis racket design and manufacture is a multimillion business involving 10 major international companies. Tennis participation is currently estimated at around 60 million individuals worldwide. Thus the importance of optimum racket performance to maximise competitive advantage and minimise the risks of injury is clear. This thesis presents work to enable advances in tennis racket performance with respect to player feel perception, measurement of physical phenomena and the correlation of these aspects within real play contexts. To investigate feel perception a methodology was adapted from the existing literature. Interview testing was conducted to elicit a comprehensive range of tennis specific vocabulary. The end goal was to create a perception relationship map or ‘feel map’. The inductive analysis was used to link all the related clustered themes identified from the vocabulary to sub and base themes describing the relationship. Further analysis introduced higher level general dimensions that unified common base themes. The resulting feel maps were created from both English and German sample groups, with a view to subsequent comparison. To complete the map and broaden its application a wide scale questionnaire was distributed to a tennis playing population. The responses provided data indicating percentile use of selected vocabulary within the tennis community and the relative importance players associate with assorted perception groups. Visual representations of the data were introduced to the map for quick and easy use and an associated lexicon compiled to provide a reference for more detailed information. The feel maps and lexicon provide users with a versatile tool in the form of a ‘perception relationship model’. The map itself can act as an overall research guide for future work in the field. The addition of percentile use and relative importance data mean the map can be used to create more informed and subtle player test questionnaires or as a design aid, with interdependency links indicating which additional factors should be considered or exploited for their influence on the characteristic areas in question. Interestingly the general dimensions of highest relative importance were sound and grip respectively. This may be due to the basic level of interaction between player and racket which ultimately has to be perceived either through the grip or from the sound. A perception test questionnaire was also created with the use of the feel map and later used to study the correlation between objective and subjective measures. To best attain objective measures from the racket an innovative instrumentation system was created. Two alternative systems were designed and tested, the first based on wired instrumentation and data capture the second based on wireless technologies as these became available. Both systems were required to take measures of grip pressure and acceleration with 6 degrees of freedom. The first system utilised uniaxial accelerometers mounted on an aluminium bracket, and a triaxial accelerometer inserted inside the butt of the racket arranged to allow measurement and calculation of acceleration from the required 6 degrees of freedom. The system could be adapted to include either TekScan multi-cell full grip coverage force measurement, or 2 single point higher sample rate single cell grip force sensors. All data was fed via 15 m of cable to data acquisition systems. This restricted the participants’ freedom of movement and encumbered the racket and thus the systems application, making it unsuitable for extensive perception or fatigue testing. The second system utilised a compact data logger with an integrated on board tri-axial accelerometer small enough to be mounted within the racket handle. A revised mount overcame the need for the aluminium throat bracket, moving the uniaxial accelerometers into a bulbous addition to the butt of the racket. The system was capable of capturing 8 channels simultaneously which allowed for the 6 accelerometers and two single cell grip force sensors to be located under the grip. The system was more difficult to adapt and maintain than the wired system, but improved freedom and reduced added weight to the racket made the system far more suitable for the planned perception and fatigue testing. Fatigue testing conducted with the wireless device investigated the effect of full body fatigue on players’ performance by monitoring the resultant effects in the racket. The protocol was based on the multistage fitness test, designed to progressively increase in difficulty until volitional fatigue. Heart rate data indicated that the protocol was successful in fatiguing the participants to a point at or near their VO2max. Unfortunately, with the wireless system in its early stages of development, the device failed mid way through testing. The limited data set that was collected indicated that technique was affected by fatigue. Further research is required to confirm this finding and to make comparisons between racket types during the fatiguing process. The wireless device was adapted to make it more durable and reliable before the planned perception testing was conducted. A protocol was developed to investigate the affect of changing racket moment of inertia on player perception and physical measures. The test questionnaire developed from the feel map was used to evaluate player perception ratings of various elements of racket feel, and the wireless instrumentation system was used as part of methodology designed to compile a set of comparable physical data. A detailed analysis of the results revealed that there was some evidence of correlation between the perceptions of power, balance, flexibility and control and the moment of inertia of the racket. In a design optimisation context, however, more definitive correlations would be more useful. These would be expected to be found with future testing utilising a wider range of racket properties. The research proves to a large extent the original hypothesis that through the use of non invasive instrumentation and improved player perception elicitation techniques it is possible to substantially and usefully improve the objective and subjective assessment of tennis racket performance in play to enable investigation of better design characteristics and fatigue related injury phenomena

Marketing communication plan: Century 21 global

Trabalho projetoThis project was elaborated with the intention to establish a communication plan for Century 21 Portugal, with the intention of promoting the foreign investment in the Portuguese real estate market. After analyzing the Portuguese market and the current strategy of Century 21 Portugal, it was found some opportunities that a brand, like Century 21 , can take advantage. The main idea of this project is to create a new communication plan and a new type of business for the brand Century 21 Portugal, using certain communication tools and techniques that will help the company to focus on critical factors and to reach their potential customers overseas. The objective of this "new direction" for the brand is to provide a better service to the property owners offering new possibilities of business, outside of Portugal. In long term, this "new direction" can be extended to all markets, with more people getting their second, or even the first home in other countries. With this project Century 21 can create just "one big and global real estate market", approaching all the markets, the owners of the properties and potential buyers from around the world.Este projeto foi elaborado com a intenção de criar um plano de comunicação para Century 21 Portugal, com o principal objectivo de promover o investimento estrangeiro no mercado imobiliário Português. Depois de analisar o mercado Português e a estratégia atual da Century 21 Portugal, verificou-se algumas oportunidades que uma marca, como Century 21, pode aproveitar neste mercado. A idéia principal deste projeto é a criação de um novo plano de comunicação e um novo tipo de negócio para a marca Century 21 Portugal, usando algumas ferramentas e técnicas de comunicação que ajudarão a empresa a concentrar-se em fatores críticos e alcançar potenciais clientes no estrangeiro. O objetivo desta "nova visão" para a marca é proporcionar um melhor serviços aos proprietários de imóveis oferecendo novas possibilidades de negócio, fora de Portugal. No longo prazo, esta "nova visão" pode ser alargado a todos os mercados, com mais pessoas adquirindo a sua segunda, ou até mesmo a primeira casa, em outros países. Com este projeto Century 21 pode criar apenas "um grande e global mercado imobiliário", aproximando-se assim de todos os mercados, dos donos das propriedades e dos potenciais compradores de todo o mundo