Video Analysis of Left and Right Breaking Putts

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate how a player responds to external constraints (slope and angle) in a golf putting task. The sample consisted of 10 adult male (33.8 ± 11.89 years), right handed and highly skilled golfers (average handicap of 10.82). The participants performed 30 putts at a distance of two meters with 25 degrees to the left of the hole (Angle 1) and 30 putts at a distance of two meters with 25 degrees to the right of the hole (Angle 2), with a constraint imposed by a slope. The data suggests that the performance of the golf putting may be improved if different situations and difficulty degrees are employed and exploited. In that sense, the manipulation of task related constraints forced the appearance of solutions uniquely adjusted to each player. This brings implications to the area of sports coaching and training, considering that the athlete can optimize his performance if he explores different couplings of information-movement, in different levels of complexity.