Perception and Action in Golf Putting: Skill Differences Reflect Calibration

Article

We assessed how golfers cope with the commonly observed systematic overshoot errors in the perception of the direction between the ball and the hole. Experiments 1 and 2, in which participants were required to rotate a pointer such that it pointed to the center of the hole, showed that errors in perceived direction (in degrees of deviation from the perfect aiming line) are destroyed when the head is constrained to move within a plane perpendicular to the green. Experiment 3 compared the errors in perceived direction and putting errors of novice and skilled players. Unlike the perceived direction, putting accuracy (in degrees of deviation from the perfect aiming line) was not affected by head position. Novices did show a rightward putting error, while skilled players did not. We argue that the skill-related differences in putting accuracy reflect a process of recalibration. Implications for aiming in golf are discussed.

Reference H. van Lier, W., van der Kamp, J., & Savelsbergh, G. J. P. (2011). Perception and Action in Golf Putting: Skill Differences Reflect Calibration. Journal of sport & exercise psychology, 33(3), 349-369. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.33.3.349
Published by  Urban Vitality 1 January 2011

Publication date

Jan 2011

Author(s)

Wim H. van Lier
John van der Kamp
Geert J.P. Savelsbergh

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