The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of a consistent pre-shot routine coupled with rehearsal imagery can increase putting performance of golfers. Two (2) volunteers participated in this study. The participants performed two putting tasks over the course of two weeks to establish baseline putting performance. Participants then met with the researcher and constructed new pre-shot routines that included positive outcome imagery. The new pre-shot routines were also presented to the participants in the form of an audio imagery CD that each participant was instructed to listen to five times a week through the remainder of the study. During the next three weeks the participants practiced their pre-shot routine and performed a putting task five times and their performance from each task was measured. With the use of visual inspection the results indicated a moderate increase in putting performance for both participants. Participants made more putts and had a smaller distance of missed putts during the treatment when compared to baseline performance. Participants did increase their pre-shot routine completion times (s). However, pre-shot routine completion times did not become more consistent from baseline to treatment. / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

Thesis (MA)--Universiteit van Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The goal of this research is to establish the effect of a hypnosis programme, based on the cognitive behavioural-hypnotherapeutical model (Araoz, 1985), on amateur golfers with a handicap of less than five in tournament golf. A secondary goal is to establish whether the programme had an effect on their general golfing attitude towards competing in tournament golf. In this research the focus is specifically on "putting", because it plays an important role in tournament golf. It is a part of the game for which there is no prescribed technique, but which involves heightened concentration, and therefore psychological preparation is of optimal importance. The importance of psychological programmes to enhance performance is confirmed by literature. The participants were golfers with a handicap of less than five, and they took part in this research voluntarily. The group was split into an experimental and control group on an equal basis. Both groups took part in the same five tournaments prior to and following the intervention. The intervention consisted of a mental training programme and was supplemented by interviews, which were held with the experimental group before and after the programme to ascertain if it had an effect on their putting performances. The averages of their scores before and after the programme were measuredand then compared with those of the control group. The results of the comparison between the two groups indicated a significant difference between the groups regarding their putting stroke averages. The results of the control group scores indicated no discernable difference between the scores. The interviews confirmed this effect and showed the positive influence of a mental training programme on the general golfing ability and attitude towards tournament golf, on the experimental group. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die ondersoek is om die effek van 'n sielkundige inoefeningsprogram, gebaseer op die kognitiewe gedragshipnoterapeutiese model van Araoz (1985),op amateur-gholfspelers met 'n voorgee van minder as vyf in toernooigholf vas te stel. 'n Newe-doelstelling sal wees om vas te stelof algemene gholfgedrag en ingesteldheid teenoor kompeterende toernooigholf gewysig is, al dan nie. In die ondersoek word spesifiek op die setwerk van gholfspelers gefokus omdat dit 'n beduidende rol in toernooigholf speel. Setwerk is 'n aspek van die spel wat baie konsentrasie verg, en omdat daar geen spesifieke tegniek voorgeskryf word nie, is sielkundige voorbereiding noodsaaklik. Die belangrikheid van sielkundige programme om sportprestasie te verbeter, word deur die literatuur bevestig. Die proefpersone wat aan die ondersoek deelgeneem het, het bestaan uit 'n vrywillige groep ghOlfspelers met 'n voorgee van minder as vyf. Die ondersoekgroep is op 'n ewekansige wyse in 'n eksperimentele en 'n kontrolegroep verdeel. Beide groepe het aan dieselfde toernooie voor en na die intervensie deelgeneem. Die eksperimentele groep is aan die sielkundige inoefeningsprogram blootgestel. Daar is voor- en na-onderhoude met die eksperimentele groep gevoer om vas te stelof die program 'n effek op hulle spel of gedrag gehad het. Die voor- en na-toetsgemiddeldes van die eksperimentele groep (blootgestel aan 'n sielkundige inoefeningsprogram) en kontrolegroep (geen inwerking van 'n onafhanklike veranderlike nie) is met mekaar vergelyk. Na die ingreep het dit geblyk dat die eksperimentele groep nie 'n beduidende verbetering ten opsigte van setwerk getoon het nie. Waar die resultate van die eksperimentele groep met die kontrolegroep vergelyk is, is 'n betekenisvolle verskil tussen die twee groepe gevind. By die kontrolegroep is daar geen beduidende resultate ten opsigte van enige veranderlike gevind nie. Uit die onderhoude het dit geblyk dat die sielkundige inoefeningsprogram 'n beduidende wysiging in die algemene gholfgedrag en ingesteldheid van die eksperimentele groep teenoor kompeterende gholf tot gevolg gehad het.

Low, moderate, and high handicap golfers, while wearing glasses with a blinder on the side, attempted 9 putts differing in length from 5 to 21 ft under timed (less than 3.5s from grounding of club to initiation of back swing) and untimed conditions in a counterbalanced design. Confidence ratings were taken prior to and following each putt. The results revealed a significant condition by handicap group interaction (p=.021). The lower handicap group had a more consistent and lower initiation interval duration than did the moderate and high handicap players. Post interviews determined that 33 of the 35 golfers felt more comfortable in the untimed condition. However, golfers' confidence levels were not significantly different in the untimed condition as compared to the timed condition.

The purpose of this study was to examine the factorial validity and measurement equivalence of the Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS; Thomas, Murphy, & Hardy, 1999); the Sport Anxiety Scale (SAS; Smith, Smoll, & Schultz, 1990); and the Golf Performance Survey (GPS; Thomas & Over, 1994) across age groups in a representative sample of amateur golfers. Based on archival data, participants comprising this study were 649 younger adult (n = 237) and older adult (n = 412) amateur golfers who played in the Dupont World Amateur Golf Championship in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The participants completed a set of questionnaires including psychological skills and strategies (e.g., self-talk, goal setting, imagery, etc.) used during competition, sport-specific competitive trait anxiety, and psychomotor skills and involvement in golf. Results demonstrated that the original factor structure of the TOPS competition subscale, the SAS, and the GPS, did not adequately fit the data among this sample of younger and older adult amateur golfers. Further exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses established evidence of factorial validity with the TOPS competition subscale, SAS, and the GPS with both younger and older adult amateur golfers. Configural, metric, scalar, and strict measurement invariance were identified in relation to the TOPS competition subscale, SAS, and the GPS across age cross-group comparisons. In general, the analyses demonstrated support that the TOPS competition subscale, SAS, and the GPS can be utilized with confidence with older adult amateur golfers, as well as conducting group comparisons with younger adult amateur golfers. The findings from this study have several future research directions and practical implications for structuring effective interventions with older adult amateur athletes.