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Objectives: To determine whether a golf specific warm up programme (both immediately prior to play and after performing it five times a week for 5 weeks) improved performance in 10 male golfers compared with 10 controls matched for age, sex, and handicap. Methods: Twenty male golfers were matched for age (¡2 years) and handicap (¡1 stroke). Club head speed was assessed by two dimensional video analysis in a laboratory setting. In week 1, all golfers performed 10 strokes. In weeks 2 and 7, the controls underwent the same procedure as in week 1. The exercise group performed the golf specific warm up followed by their 10 strokes. Between weeks 2 and 7, the exercise group performed the specially designed warm up five times a week for 5 weeks. Results: The mean club head speeds of the exercise group improved at each testing week. Between weeks 1 and 2, golfers in the exercise group improved their club head speed on average by 3-6 m/s (12.8%), and between weeks 1 and 7, they increased their club head speeds by 7-10 m/s (24.0%). With the exception of one golfer whose club head speed varied by 1.7 m/s, the mean club head speeds of the golfers in the control group hardly varied over the testing period (range: 0.3-0.8 m/s). A significant difference (p = 0.029) was found between the mean club head speeds of the exercise and control groups over the duration of the study, and a significant interaction over time (p,0.001) was also found. Conclusions: This study has shown that golfers' performances will be significantly improved by undertaking a golf specific warm up programme compared with not performing the warm up.

Objective Eating disorders have been typically defined as an “adolescent problem.” As a result of emerging evidence which indicated this health problem to be evident in the prepubescent age range, this study aimed to establish prevalence and factors associated with eating/dieting, physical activity, and body image among a nonclinical, naturalistically‐derived sample of preadolescent (aged 10 and 11) school children (n = 61). Method: This cohort of children, which represented the entire grade 6 class of a suburban Elementary school, was measured for body image satisfaction [silhouettes], a participation in activity index, a self‐worth scale and a measure of eating attitudes & behavior [Eating and Me scale [E & M]]. Results: The longitudinal assessment of body image [3 measures over 9 months] indicated signs of stability of “actual” assessments of body image for males, but marked changes for females who preferred to be ideally “chunkier” in stature over time. Physical activity was only implicated with bulimia for the male sub‐group. The E & M scale reported a Cronbach's alpha of .76, with two factors [bulimia; drive for thinness/anorexia] representing 65% of the total variance. Moderate internal validity [r .58] between body dissatisfaction on the E & M scale and the silhouette measure was observed. Discussion: These results demonstrated that body image views and concerns appeared before puberty, that gender differences prevailed with respect to eating/dieting, activity and body image, and that the E & M scale has emerged as a promising research tool. The longitudinal nature of this study of eating disorders also promotes the need for qualitative research methodology and attention to pre‐pubertal cognitive/perceptual processes. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 21: 159–166, 1997.

Background-Although it is widely recommended that golfers warm up before play or practice to enhance their physical performance and reduce their injury risk, it is not known to what extent they actually undertake such warm up procedures. Objective-To collect information about the proportion of golfers who actively warm up and to determine the types of warm up behaviours. Methods-This study was conducted over three weeks at three diVerent golfing venues: a private golf course, a public golf course, and a golf driving range. Golfers' warm up behaviours, defined as any form of preparative exercise, were recorded by direct observation by two independent observers. Results-The sample consisted of 1040 amateur golfers (852 men and 188 women) aged at least 18 years. Only 54.3% (95% confidence interval 49.8 to 58.8) performed some form of warm up activity. Air swings on the tee were the most commonly observed warm up activity, with 88.7% (95% confidence interval 85.9 to 91.5) of golfers who warmed up performing these. Conclusions-Only a small proportion of amateur golfers perform appropriate warm up exercises. To improve on this, golfers should be educated about the possible benefits of warming up and be shown how to perform an appropriate warm up routine. (Br J Sports Med 2001;35:125-127)

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