The Effect of Smartphone App-Use Patterns on the Performance of Professional Golfers

Abstract

Smartphone app-use patterns will predict professional golfers’ athletic performance, and the use time of serious apps would be associated with improved performance. This longitudinal 4-week observation of 79 professional golfers assessed golf handicaps and smartphone app-use patterns at the start of the Korean professional golf season and 2 and 4 weeks later. We classified use as social networking, entertainment, serious apps, and others. Use time of entertainment apps increased for non-improved golfers but did not change for improved golfers. Use time of serious apps increased for improved golfers and decreased for non-improved ones. Changes in golf handicaps were positively correlated with changes in entertainment app use time and negatively correlated with changes in serious app use time. Professional golfers’ sports performance was not associated with smartphone use time but was with the smartphone app type. The management of smartphone app-use patterns is important for professional golfers’ performance.

The Association Between Temperament and Characteristics, Smartphone App Use Patterns and Academic Performance of University Students

“…We classified the 20 initially identified categories into four application types: social networking (SNS, blogs, cafés, video calling, and messengers), entertainment (YouTube, TikTok, music apps, Netflix, podcasts, webtoons, media apps, and games), serious apps (Internet browser, schedule, e-books, creativity [camera, photo, video], education, and diaries), and others (banking, shopping, and delivery apps). 13 These four classifications of apps have already been used in our previous study on the relationship between golf performance and smartphone app use pattern. 13 Serious apps included those used by participants to support their studies.…”

“… 13 These four classifications of apps have already been used in our previous study on the relationship between golf performance and smartphone app use pattern. 13 Serious apps included those used by participants to support their studies. 57 58 59 “Others” consisted of apps not covered by previous studies or included in different categories in varied studies.…”

“… 57 58 59 “Others” consisted of apps not covered by previous studies or included in different categories in varied studies. 13 60…”

“…In previous studies of sports players and students, smartphone app use pattern predicted sports and academic performances. 13 Comparing the smartphone usage patterns of excellent and general players, that the former used useful apps more often. 14 15 In addition, smartphone use is closely related to personal achievement for most students and athletes, regardless of their major.…”

“… 19 20 However, few studies have examined the relationship between smartphone log data and personality and temperament. Lee et al 13 classified app usage history from mobile log data for four weeks into four types (“social networking sites [SNS],” “entertainment,” “games,” and “serious”), and reported a correlation between golf players’ performance and smartphone usage patterns. This study collected smartphone usage patterns and app usage history using Screen Time and Digital Wellbeing features on iOS and Android, respectively.…”