The Influence of Social Evaluative Threat on the Putting Stroke in Golf

Abstract

The goal of this study was to examine the multi-level associations between state anxiety and various indicators of golf putting performance. Participants were 35 amateur golfers who completed golf putting tasks under a neutral condition followed by a social-evaluative condition. Participants were equipped with a highspeed infrared camera to measure various putting stroke parameters. Results of multilevel analyses indicated that the social-evaluative condition was associated with less putter rotation and quicker forward stroke times. A cross-level interaction indicated that golfers with low levels of somatic anxiety holed significantly more putts under pressure compared with baseline, whereas those with high levels of somatic anxiety did not. As well, a significant cross-level interaction indicated that high levels of cognitive anxiety were associated with slower back strokes under pressure. Results are discussed in terms of the complex interaction between psychological variables (i.e., state anxiety) and kinematic performance indicators.