This study investigated how scores and statistics of amateur golfers changed when self-scramble (SC) was compared to normal play. Participants took two (SC2) to three (SC3) golf strokes each. Scores under these conditions were compared with those from normal round (NR) play to determine to what extent the scores and statistics would improve. Means, standard deviations, repeated measures one-way ANOVA, and a forward stepwise multiple regression analysis were performed for data analysis. The mean total score over nine holes by NR plays was 46.6 strokes, with a significant reduction of 7.7 strokes and 10.6 strokes under SC2 and SC3 conditions, respectively. Even when the three play conditions' total scores decreased significantly for all subjects, the putt rate was around 38%, suggesting that the ratio of the number of putts per score did not change when play conditions changed. Stepwise multiple regression analysis for NR and SC2 using total score as the dependent variable and each statistic as the independent variables showed that greens in regulation (GIR) predicted 51.2% of the total score for NR; GIR and the One-Putt rate predicted 87.3% of the total score for SC2. These findings indicate that GIR is the most important factor for reducing non-professional golfers' total scores. This study suggests that players gain experience in reducing their golf scores in a format that is similar to an actual game of golf.
Background: Golfers face different environmental conditions in each game played under various constraints. Enhancing affordances through training in a constrained outdoor environment is crucial. Objective: To analyze club head behavior at ball impact of a tee shot by 42 professional (PGs) and 25 amateur (AGs) golfers in swinging to uphill and downhill fairway environments using the TrackMan portable launch monitor. Methods: We used TrackMan to compare golf club movement adaptations in 42 PGs and 25 AGs. A 330-m driving range facing both the uphill (+5°) and downhill (-5°) fairways were used. The tee shot area was the only flat ground surface, with the uneven ground between the shot area and the 200-yard fairway. Results: The clubhead speed and attack angle were significantly higher among PGs than among AGs. PGs could adapt their swings to the uphill fairway by increasing the attack angle (3.6°±2.4) by 3.3° compared with the downhill fairway. The attack angle did not correlate with the launch angle among the AGs in the downhill condition, suggesting that they were unable to control the height of the ball based on the far side of the fairway. Conclusion: PGs increased the attack angle in uphill conditions, and their awareness of the affordance, which was different from that of AGs, allowed them to change the optimal ball trajectory to avoid perceived fairway risks. Thus, the more skill a player had, the better he was at recognizing the affordance of the visual field. PGs demonstrated a better ability to adapt to environmental constraints.
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