Golf is an individual sport in which performance is publicly judged daily on the basis of a golfer's scores. Elite golfers, who are required to play well on a consistent basis in order to maintain rankings, must be able to handle competitive situations and pressure in order to succeed. This study explores the sources of stress, stress reactions (emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and physiological), and coping strategies used by elite amateur and professional female golfers. Four elite amateur golfers and four professional golfers participated in this study. Structured individual interviews were used to gain insight into the sources of stress, stress reactions, and coping strategies used by the two groups of golfers. The responses given by the elite amateur golfers and the professional golfers were analyzed, and common themes were developed. The results indicate that stress is an individual response to each golfer's perception of her ability to cope with a situation. Although they recognized stress at different and in different ways, these golfers used some common cognitive and behavioral strategies to deal with stressful situations. It is important for sport psychologists to understand the common sources of stress, stress reactions, and effective coping strategies used by elite golfers, in order to generate effective stress intervention programs for golfers of all skill levels. / xi, 125 leaves ; 29 cm.