Ideal golf swing : an evaluation of its characteristics and the assumptions underlying its acquisition during coaching

The game of golf requires hitting a ball from a range of lies over a range of distances in environments that include many obstacles to be avoided. Each of these different golf shots arc designed to move the ball from the tee to the hole in the least number of strokes. However, the fundamental assumption that seems to underlie the coaching of golf, particularly to novice players, is that acquisition of an ideal basic golf swing is the most important outcome of coaching. Implicit in this view are three further assumptions. The first is that once this ideal basic golf swing is acquired by players, they are able to complete a game of golf in a competent manner even though this requires a range of different shots. The second is that there is a close correspondence between the quality of execution of any golf swing as judged in terms of this ideal swing, and the quality of outcome of the golf shot of which the swing is a part, as judged by where the ball comes to rest. The third assumption is that visual inspection of the golf swing by a coach can reveal inadequacies which can be remedied leading lo improved performance in the game of golf. The research reported in this thesis is an investigation of these assumptions. The rationale underlying coaching of golf was examined by reviewing the golf coaching literature (Chapter 1) and conducting a survey of professional golf coaches (Chapter 2). Results of the literature review and the survey indicated that the major emphasis of golf coaching of novices was on their acquiring what might be described as an ideal basic golf swing. This typically involved identifying components in sequence. Little emphasis was placed during this stage of coaching on what might be described as the complete action of a golf shot which involves hitting a ball to some target location. To examine the assumption that there was a close correspondence between the quality of execution of the golf swing and the quality of the outcome of a golf shot, two studies were conducted. In Chapter 3 the development of a 70-item checklist to be used to evaluate the quality of execution of a golf swing is reported. This checklist was based on a detailed behavioural analysis of the golf swing involving collaboration with relevant experts (i.e., golf coaches, biomechanist, kinesiologist), and information derived from a review of golf coaching materials. Development of the checklist was an iterative process in which earlier versions were used to evaluate sample golf swings, and problems identified during this lest process were used to improve the checklist. The final 70-item checklist comprised of a static component with three parts (left-hand grip; right-hand grip; stance) and a dynamic component with six parts (half backswing; full backswing; half downswing; ball contact; half followthrough; finish position). This version of the checklist was used in a study (reported in Chapter 4) of the relationship between the judged quality of execution of a golf swing and the outcome accuracy of a golf shot. Three groups of golfers with varying ability and experience were required to hit 50 balls with a 9-iron club to a target. Outcome accuracy for each shot was assessed in terms of the distance between the target and the resting location of the ball. Edited videotapes (showing only execution of the golf swing) of the five most, and five least accurate shots produced a sub-sample of these golfers (four professional players; four novice players) were subsequently viewed by three expert coaches. They independently rated using the checklist, the quality of execution of the 80 golf swings in random order without having information about the accuracy of any shot. As expected, the professional golfers completed more accurate golf shots than did the novices, and the golf swings completed by the professionals were rated more highly than those completed by the novices. However, for both groups of golfers the results indicated that there was no clear relationship between the rated quality of execution of golf swings and the outcome accuracy of the shots of which the swing were the initial part. Chapter 5 provides a summary and overview of the research reported in Chapter 1 to 4. It is argued that this research suggests a need for a change of emphasis in golf coaching away from consideration of the golf swing in isolation to consideration of the golf swing as part of a complete action. That is, the quality of execution of a golf swing should not be judged simply in relation to some ideal set of golf-swing components, but rather in relation to how well the completed swing (i.e., the golf shot) achieves the desired aim of propelling the ball from its present location to the target location

Tool for measuring self-preserved "pressure" in athletes

The purpose of this study was to develop a practical assessment tool for measuring self-perceived "pressure", a situational variant in athletes. A checklist was developed and in its final form contained 16 items. The checklist was shown to be a valid, reliable, readable, and standardized assessment tool. Responses to the scale used in the checklist were weighted to reflect the levels of both positive (facilitatory) or negative (inhibitory) effects of internal and external sources of pressure. The developed checklist was administered to four Olympic athletes during competitions and provoked honest, accurate responding while demonstrating the sensitivity to "pressure". The checklist was shown to be capable of providing immediate feedback to coaches concerning athletes' perceptions of pressure prior to performance. The checklist provides scores which can be quickly interpreted by the coach as a measure of the levels and sources of pressure perceived by athletes

Towards new knowledge : The corpus of Late Modern English Medical Texts

Peer reviewe

Changing portrayals of medicine and patients in eighteenth-century medical writing : Lexical bundles in Public Health, Methods, and case studies

Peer reviewe

Manual to the LMEMT corpus

Peer reviewe

Sociohistorical and cultural context of Late Modern English Medical Texts

Peer reviewe

Scientific Periodicals : The Philosophical Transactions and the Edinburgh Medical Journal

Peer reviewe

Public health

Peer reviewe

Preventing injuries to competitive and recreational adult golfers : what is the evidence ?

Pathologie traumatique, de surmenage ou liée à l'environnement en golf : identification des facteurs de risque et stratégies de prévention. En particulier, analyse du geste du swing en rapport avec les lombalgies, les lésions du poignet et de l'épaule du golfeur