Professional Golfers Research Articles

Reconstruction of Chronic Boutonniere Deformity of the Thumb in a Golf Player

We present the case of a professional golf player who gradually developed a boutonniere deformity of the thumb due to chronic repetitive injury to the thumb and was treated with reconstruction of its insertion onto the proximal phalangeal base. The athlete showed an insertion variation of the extensor pollicis brevis, where some slips attached onto the extensor hood and the other slips ran along with the extensor pollicis longus to the distal phalanx, providing no slip to the proximal phalanx. The slips inserting to the distal phalanx were transferred to the base of the proximal phalanx and sagittal band reconstruction. As a result, the boutonniere deformity of the thumb fully recovered with satisfactory outcomes.Level of Evidence: Level V.

To stay or not to stay? Japanese spectators’ event-related perspectives on a professional golf tournament

ABSTRACTPurpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of core product features and event operations on spectators’ desire to stay at professional golf tournaments held in Japan.Design: Spectators (N = 602) completed a survey on consumer demand for core product features and consumer assessment of event operation quality during a tournament.Approach/Findings: Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analyses revealed that three core product factors (game of golf, affection to player, and course setting) and two operational factors (event service and hospitality/amenity) significantly affected Japanese spectators’ desire to continuously stay at a professional golf tournament, which in turn affected their attendance of future tournaments.Implications: The promotion of golf tournaments with the unique characteristics of golf market demand factor may assist sport marketers in attracting and retaining their spectators. Similar studies in other types of golf tournaments and other sport contexts are suggested so as to increase the generalizability of the research findings and elevate the level of conceptualization for forming useful theories.

Reading Yani Tseng: Articulating Golf, Taiwanese Nationalism, and Gender Politics in Twenty-First-Century Taiwan

Media narratives reveal a variety of perspectives on Taiwanese golfer Yani Tseng in Taiwan during her dominant years, roughly from early 2008 to the end of 2013. Tseng, a former top-ranked woman golfer who competed in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), was celebrated as a heroic figure of the Taiwanese nation. Yet, her gender, sexuality, and physical prowess was also questioned and scrutinized because of her transgressive presence as a strong woman athlete. Through critically analyzing media narratives and contextualizing them with both Taiwan’s political history and golf history, this research illustrates the complex intersection of Taiwanese nationalism, transnational capital, US cultural hegemony, and identity politics in the era of global capitalism.

The effect of alterations in foot centre of pressure on lower body kinematics during the five-iron golf swing

ABSTRACT The research aimed to evaluate the effects of an intervention aimed at altering pressure towards the medial aspect of the foot relating to stability mechanisms associated with the golf swing. We hypothesised that by altering the position of the foot pressure, the lower body stabilisation would improve which in turn would enhance weight distribution and underpinning lower body joint kinematics. Eight professional golf association (PGA) golf coaches performed five golf swings, recorded using a nine-camera motion analysis system synchronised with two force platforms. Following verbal intervention, they performed further five swings. One participant returned following a one-year intervention programme and performed five additional golf swings to provide a longitudinal case study analysis. Golf performance was unchanged evidenced by the velocity and angle of the club at ball impact (BI), although the one-year intervention significantly changed the percentage of weight experienced at each foot in the final 9% of downswing, which provided an even weight distribution at BI. This is a highly relevant finding as it indicates that the foot centre of pressure was central to the base of support and in-line with the centre of mass (CoM), indicating significantly increased stability when the CoM is near maximal acceleration.

프로 골프 선수의 심리기술훈련 프로그램 적용 단일사례연구

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of psychological skills training program on sports competition anxiety, psychological skill and performance strategy through professional golfers. This study was conducted a total of 12 sessions for 3 months. To analyse the data, first, before conducting the skills training program, the subjects performance were checked and after the skills training program were conducted, the subjects were analyzed with the following tests, the sports competitiveness status checklist (CSAI-2), the sports psychology technology test score (PSQS) and sports performance test score (TOPS), respectively.BR The results of this study were the followings. First, after the implementation of the psychological skills training program, the cognitive and physical anxiety decreased and increased the confidence of our subjects. Second, after the psychological skills training program, the subjects showed positive changes in the level of sports psychology such as confidence, concentration, goal achievement, team harmony, image, anxiety control and sports performance strategy. These results suggest that the application of psychological skills training program to professional golfers can help the athletes improve their performance through psychological stability. The result of this study suggests that technical training and psychological skills training should be done in parallel to improve the performance of golf players.

프로 골프선수들의 다차원적 완벽주의와 스포츠자신감 및 대처행동전략의 관계모형 검증

The purposes of this study are to examine structural relations among the multidimensional perfectionism, sport confidence, and coping behavior strategies of professional golfers and analyze the mediating effects of sport confidence on relations between their perfectionism and coping behavior strategies. For these purposes, the study applied convenience sampling to the professional golfers that were registered at KPGA and KLPGA in 2018 and played in tournaments of the first and second division tours and selected total 235 valid samples. Collected data was tested for the fitness of the overall model and hypothesis testing with the SPSS 20.0 and AMOS 20.0 programs. The analysis results were as follows: first, self-orientedness, a subfactor of multidimensional perfectionism, had significant positive(+) effects on sport confidence, whereas other-orientedness and social imposition had no significant effects on it; second, sport confidence had positive(+) impacts on problem-oriented, emotion-oriented, and detached coping behavior and negative(-) impacts on avoidance; third, other-orientedness of multidimensional perfectionism had no significant effects on all the factors of coping behavior strategies, whereas self-orientedness had positive(+) effects on problem-oriented, emotion-oriented, and detached coping behavior and no significant effects on avoidance. In addition, social imposition had significant negative(-) and positive(+) influences on emotion-oriented coping behavior; and finally, sport confidence had mediating effects on relations between multidimensional perfectionism(self-oriented) and coping behavior strategies.

G TOUR Pro의 성패귀인에 관한 분석

The purpose of this study is to analyze the demographic characterisitics of G TOUR Pro, such as gender, rize status, professional golf qualification, and average number of strokes. In orther to achieve this goal, 177 participants who joined the fourth final round, sponsor by Samsung Securities m Gound TOUR Pro, and the fourth final round, sponsored by LOTTE rent-a-car were selected. A total of 142 questionnaires were used for the actual analysis, except for those parts of the extracted data. The research tools used in this study were questionnaires. The surveys were carried out after the visit surveys were done sufficiently before the start of the game, and samples were selected using the convenience sampling method. In addition, all items and varibles were verified by content validity, exploratory factor analysis, and reliability analysis through expert meetings in previous studies and sports psychology. the collected data were process using SPSS 21.0 and independent t-test was performed for correlation analysis and hypothesis testing. This study produced the following results. First, there was a significant difference in success depending on gender of the G TOUR Pro. Second, the status of G TOUR Pro’s shows significant differences between success and failure. Third, according to G TOUR Pro’s golf program qualification certificate, significant differences between success and failure occurred. Thirs, the average number of G TOUR Pro hits showed significant differences between success and failure.

‘Battle of the sixes’: Investigating print media representations of female professional golfers competing in a men’s tour event

In May 2018, the men’s European Tour invited five female professional golfers to compete in its GolfSixes event in England, against 27 professional male players. This was significant, particularly given the female struggle for equality of access, participation, employment and decision making in golf settings. This research investigates the print media representation of these five female professional golfers competing in this male domain. Using the Nexis database, data were collected from print newspapers in the United Kingdom and Ireland over six days before, during and after the event. Following thematic analysis, findings highlight a double-edged sword with regard to media coverage of female athletes competing against men: women received greater media coverage when in the male sport spotlight, but the coverage was framed by gendered discourses. The results document a slow shift towards more equal and equitable print media coverage of female athletes, whilst drawing attention to the problematic ways in which sportswomen are represented.

프로골프대회의 사전 홍보활동과 타이틀스폰서 이미지 및 타이틀스폰서 제품 구매의도의 구조적 관계

프로골프대회의 사전 홍보활동과 타이틀스폰서 이미지 및 타이틀스폰서 제품 구매의도의 구조적 관계

Motor control of practice and actual strokes by professional and amateur golfers differ but feature a distance-dependent control strategy

We explored how practice and actual putting strokes differed between professionals and high-level golf amateurs, and how practice strokes reflected subtle differences in putting distances. We analysed swing amplitude, impact velocity, and acceleration profile of the club-head. The acceleration profiles showed that the motor control pattern of the practice stroke differed from that of the actual stroke. To clarify the effects of different putting distances on the practice stroke and to analyse how much the actual stroke could be explained by the practice stroke, we conducted individual regression analyses. The practice strokes of all participants could be divided into three strategies and five types by the coefficient of determination and the slope. This implies that the purpose of the practice stroke varied among golfers. Most golfers used the individual velocity criteria in their practice strokes, which resulted in different putting distances based on their criteria. Unexpectedly, we found no significant difference in skill level between professionals and high-level amateurs. The results of this study imply that the practice stroke does not duplicate the actual stroke, even for professional golfers with excellent skills. However, most high-level golfers adopted distance-dependent control strategies for slightly different putting distances.

Experimental study of drag reduction on a golf driver club using discrete surface elements

A low-speed wind tunnel investigation is presented documenting drag reduction to a golf driver club. Geometrical modifications (or elements) were attached to the golf driver. The size, spacing, and location of the elements were varied. Wind tunnel velocities spanned a range from the amateur to professional golfer. Measurements included both force balance and surface pressure accompanied by flow visualization to aid in flow diagnostics. The results indicated that a 40% reduction in drag can be achieved, primarily due to reduced pressure over the forward face of the crown and increased pressure over the crown’s aft extents. This reduction in drag was estimated to yield a 0.54 m/s (1.2 mph) club head speed gain, causing a 3.65 m (4 yds) increase in carry distance.

‘Our wee country’: national identity, golf and ‘Ireland’

The careers of professional golfers offer a noteworthy opportunity to examine the ways in which national identity is imagined, constructed and experienced. This paper examines the nexus of national identity and golf in ‘Ireland’, and more particularly, Rory McIlroy’s public statements on the identity politics surrounding his country of choice for the 2016 Olympic Games. In so doing, it reveals aspects of McIlroy’s personal and sporting habitus, the value he associated with being ‘Irish’, his legitimization of Northern Ireland (NI), and the possible effect of his decision on others’ orientation towards his sporting identity on the island of Ireland. Given the current political instability in NI, it remains to be seen whether McIlroy’s talent as a golfer and his transnational social status will translate into him being a powerful cultural intermediary for sport in/and NI.

Customer-to-customer value co-creation and co-destruction in sporting events

ABSTRACT Previous scholars have examined value co-creation and co-destruction processes that take place between customers and service organizations or employees. Despite most service consumption situations occurring in the presence of other customers, few studies have examined customer-to-customer value co-creation and co-destruction. This lack of attention is particularly prevalent in sport service research. The purpose of the current study is to examine how other customers’ value creation (i.e. passion) and destruction (i.e. dysfunctional behavior) factors influence focal customers’ perceived value (i.e. economic, social, emotional, and epistemic), which in turn leads to customer citizenship behaviors (i.e. helping behavior and word-of-mouth). By using a convenience sampling method, data were collected from 318 spectators of professional golf tournaments. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that other customers’ passion had a positive influence on focal customers’ economic, social, emotional, and epistemic values (i.e. customer-to-customer value co-creation). Other customers’ dysfunctional behavior was negatively associated with customers’ emotional value (i.e. customer-to-customer value co-destruction). Emotional and epistemic values positively predicted helping behavior. Social, emotional, and epistemic values had positive effects on word-of-mouth. Overall, the present study contributes to value co-creation and co-destruction literature by highlighting other customers as potential value integrators. Further, the current work indicates that customer behaviors can serve as a double-edged sword, and it offers golf event practitioners novel insights regarding the necessity of strategic management aimed at facilitating customers’ passionate behaviors while protecting against the deleterious effects of dysfunctional behaviors.

한국여자프로골프선수들의 LPGA 투어 환경에 대한 사례분석

한국여자프로골프선수들의 LPGA 투어 환경에 대한 사례분석

Using Golf Analytics to Determine the Optimal Age Range for Golfers on the PGA Tour

The study sought to address the belief that professional male golfers suffer a decline in performance as they age. Thus, the purpose of this research was to understand if age affects male golfers’ performance on their entire performance for the PGA Tour for five seasons starting with 2013 and ending with 2017. The researcher sampled the top one hundred professional male golfers from the stated five seasons. The continuous variable was the average score of the golfers, while the categorical variable was the age range (20-29 years old, 30-39 years old, 40+ years old). Based on the amount of variables and the question to answer, the researcher decided to run an ANOVA test. After running this analytical test, the author concluded that there is no impact on the male golfers’ performance based on their age range (20-29 years old, 30-39 years old, 40+ years old). These results are not on par with what was suggested from past findings.

Are the Most Competitive Men More Resilient to Failures than the Most Competitive Women? Evidence from Professional Golf Tournaments*

ObjectivesWomen are underrepresented in top positions and experimental evidence suggests that one explanation is gender differences in preferences for competition, that is, fewer women than men enter competition‐intensive careers. Less is known about whether there are remaining gender differences in competitiveness within the subpopulation of men and women that choose to pursue such careers, which creates further female underrepresentation in top positions. Studying a subcomponent of competitiveness, namely resilience to failures, this article provides quasi experimental evidence from the field on this issue.MethodsI study professional golfers’ resilience to failures by estimating the causal effect of a failure in one tournament on the performance in the next.ResultsThe results show that both male and female golfers respond negatively to failures, and that their responses are virtually identical.ConclusionThus, in this particular subpopulation of competitive men and women there seems to be no gender difference in resilience to failures.

Order of play advantage in sequential tournaments: Evidence from randomized settings in professional golf

In this paper we exploit naturally occurring randomized settings within a very large dataset of golf shots to test whether order of play matters in professional golf tournaments. We isolate two settings where professional golf competitors find themselves with virtually identical shots, implying the order of play is effectively random. These settings allow us to identify unbiased, causal estimates of the relevance of moving first or second in competition. We find robust evidence that the second-mover has a statistically (and economically) significant advantage, which we argue is consistent with a learning effect in competition.

Loss Aversion in Professional Golf

We examine loss aversion in the context of professional golf, and in particular how it plays out in certain US Opens. We analyze data from two courses, Pebble Beach Golf Links and Oakmont Country Club, each of which has hosted five US Opens in the modern golfing era. In the last two tournaments at each course, they changed the par rating of a par 5 to a par 4 without fundamentally altering the hole. In this natural, albeit unintentional, experimental setting, we find evidence of significant loss-aversive behavior in the world’s best golfers based solely on a hole’s par rating.

Game of Privilege: An African American History of Golf by Lane Demas

Reviewed by: Game of Privilege: An African American History of Golf by Lane Demas Donald Spivey (bio) Game of Privilege: An African American History of Golf. By Lane Demas. (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2017. Pp. 363. $30.00 cloth; $19.99 ebook) [End Page 128] Lane Demas, an associate professor of history at Central Michigan University, has penned the most important study of African American golfers yet published. The author masterfully weaves the story of black golfers into the African American journey for equality and personhood. The work is laced with historical nuggets as Demas traces black golf from ancient Egypt to slave caddies, to George Grant and the invention of the golf tee, to the pioneer black amateur and professional golfers, to Tiger Woods. Blacks were pitted against the color-line in golf as they were in every other sport from boxing to baseball. Struggling for admission and acceptance in the world of professional white golfers since the founding of the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) in 1916, blacks established their own association, the United Golfers Association (UGA), in 1925. Their continuing fight for the integration of the PGA was made even more difficult by the organization's official adoption of the "Caucasian-only clause" in 1934 lasting for twenty-seven years thereafter. Even the Harlem Renaissance did not earn blacks acceptance into the privileged world of white golf and its country clubs. African Americans built their own country clubs and golf courses, such as the famous Shady Rest County Club in South Plains, New Jersey, which served Harlem's elites, both non-golfers and golfers, including James Weldon Johnson, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Chuck Webb, and Count Basie. Female players Nettie Speedy, Maggie Mae Hathaway, and Sarah Spencer Washington, were mainstays in the development and promotion of African American social clubs, golf courses, and important as players. They helped to bring other black women into the sport. None excelled more on the greens than the great Althea Gibson. The author does not avoid the critics of black golfing such as W. E. B. Du Bois, H. L. Mencken, Marcus Garvey, Father Divine, Thur-good Marshall, and Ella Baker. For many it was a game of privilege, conspicuous consumption, and a waste of intellect and resources. The NAACP was hesitant to devote any of its resources to the fight [End Page 129] to desegregate golf courses and clubs. However, the struggle on the greens gained recognition as a part of the overall battle against the color line and racial discrimination with the Supreme Court victory of Holmes v. Atlanta (1955). The win against segregated public golf courses in Georgia was a substantive implementation of the Brown v. Board of Education (1954), and a blow against the counter-revolution occurring in the defiant Jim Crow South. Golf echoed the protest spirt of the times from the debates about integration to direct-action and Black Power. Joe Louis's favorite sport outside the boxing ring was golf. The Champ sponsored tournaments and individual players, along with taking to the links himself. Sammy Davis, Jr. and other celebrities lent name and fame to the movement on the greens. The author places the pioneer black golfers within the movement for civil rights: Walter Speedy, John Shippen, Bill Spiller, Ted Rose, Charlie Sifford, Lee Elder, and others. Some were, of course, more radical than others—just like the movement and its leading voices-such as Bill Spiller, one of the most militant of the black golfers who engaged in direct-action protest against the PGA and segregated golf tournaments. The final chapter is devoted to Tiger Woods and is a valuable exploration of race, class, and ethnic identity that Woods personifies. The chapter makes perfect sense, but ends the book without a conclusion or even a final paragraph in which the author ties the pieces together and gives the reader a concluding salvo to golf and its importance to the civil rights movement. That missing hole-in-one aside, Demas is to be commended for putting the game of privilege into its proper historical context as a significant player in the struggle for civil rights. His is a vital contribution to sport...

Expecting Japanese Female Professional Golfers

Expecting Japanese Female Professional Golfers