28This paper provides an overview of current golf coaching practices employed with 29 experts, when attempting to make changes to (i.e., refine) a player's existing technique.
30In the first of two studies, European Tour golfers (n = 5) and coaches (n = 5) were 31 interviewed to establish the prevalence of any systematic processes, and whether 32 facilitation of resistance to competitive pressure (hereafter termed "pressure resistance") Systems for technical refinement in experienced performers: The case from expert-level golf
54Much research attention has focused on the learning of motor skills (e.g., Schmidt & 55 Bjork, 1992; Wulf, 2013). This has included theories of learning as a systematic process, 56 distinguished by the learner progressing initially through a stage of acquiring broad features 57 of the movement form, to eventually fixating or diversifying their movement repertoire 58 depending on the environmental constraints dictated by the sporting context in which they 59 perform (Gentile, 1972). In addition, an understanding of process markers or mechanisms, 60 associated with the learning stages, for example cognitive structures changing from 61 declarative to procedural in nature (Anderson, 1982) and coordination dynamics evolving 62 from freezing to freeing of degrees of freedom (Bernstein, 1967), has enabled progression 63 through these systematic stages to be assessed and monitored by the coach. In other words, a Research has also investigated numerous coaching strategies or "tools" which, when 68 applied, serve to facilitate different outcomes within the learning process. These have 69 included such variables as feedback (Bruechert, Lai, & Shea, 2003), demonstrations (Horn, 70 Williams, & Scott, 2002), and practice schedules (Goodwin & Meeuwsen, 1996). As a 71 result of this research, coaches should have sufficient knowledge to manipulate learning 72 and practice environments to achieve specific, measureable outcomes (e.g., rapid acquisition
81Similarly, expert golf instruction has been reported to be largely intuitive with a lack of 82 reference to (applied) scientific evidence-bases, whereby the primary sources of knowledge 83 are derived from other coaches and previous experience (Schempp, Templeton, & Clark, 84 1998). This is in contrast to current approaches adopted by other sport professions (e.g., If golf coaches were to employ these explicit and evidence-based decision making 99 approaches, instead of solely or predominantly using intuition, they may have the potential 100 to enhance practitioner effectiveness when considering the need to address unique
147Reflecting these considerations and the need to establish an updated perspective on the 148 potential research-practice gap, the purpose of this paper was to provide an overview of the 149 current practices employed in expert golf coaching, when attempting to make changes to a 150 player's existing technique. In viewing both players and coaches as active agents within the For this initial investigation an...