Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 27, 2026
06:42
Providing Visual Biofeedback Using Brightness Mode Ultrasound During a Golf Swing
Published on: August 25, 2022
2.5K
The variable and chaotic nature of professional golf performance
Michael Stöckl1, Peter F Lamb2
1a Department of Sports Science , University of Vienna , Vienna , Austria.
Journal of Sports Sciences
|July 5, 2017
Summary
PGA TOUR golf performance exhibits chaotic dynamics, with stable performance phases comprising typical shots. Decreased variability in tee shots correlates with better tournament rankings, suggesting a complex interplay in professional golf.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Motor Control
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Individual performance in golf is influenced by numerous shot-specific constraints rather than direct player interactions.
- Understanding shot-by-shot performance dynamics is crucial for analyzing golfer performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the stability and variability of PGA TOUR golfers' performance on a shot-by-shot basis in 2011.
- To investigate the relationship between performance stability/variability and tournament outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA) was used to assess performance stability.
- Standard deviation was employed to measure performance variability.
- Analysis covered all shots taken by PGA TOUR golfers in the 2011 season.
Main Results:
- Approximately 10% of shots occurred during short stable phases (3.7 ± 1.1 shots).
- Stable phases predominantly included typical performance shots, not exceptional or poor ones.
- Overall stability and variability did not correlate with tournament performance, but decreased tee shot variability was linked to higher tournament rankings.
Conclusions:
- PGA TOUR golf performance demonstrates chaotic characteristics.
- Further research is needed to explore amateur golf performance structures and universality.
Related Concept Videos
01:04Social Facilitation
36.7K
Not all intergroup interactions lead to negative outcomes. Sometimes, being in a group situation can improve performance. Social facilitation occurs when an individual performs better when an audience is watching than when the individual performs the behavior alone. This typically occurs when people are performing a task for which they are skilled.
36.7K
04:08The Uncertainty Principle
33.6K
Werner Heisenberg considered the limits of how accurately one can measure properties of an electron or other microscopic particles. He determined that there is a fundamental limit to how accurately one can measure both a particle’s position and its momentum simultaneously. The more accurate the measurement of the momentum of a particle is known, the less accurate the position at that time is known and vice versa. This is what is now called the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. He...
33.6K
01:29Theory of Attribution II: Kelley's Covariation Theory
746
Attribution theory plays a crucial role in social psychology, helping to explain how individuals interpret the causes of behavior. One prominent model within this field is Harold Kelley's covariation theory, which provides a systematic approach to determining whether internal traits or external circumstances drive a person's actions. The model posits that individuals rely on three key types of information—consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness—to make these judgments.Consensus:...
746
01:52Regression Toward the Mean
7.2K
Regression toward the mean (“RTM”) is a phenomenon in which extremely high or low values—for example, and individual’s blood pressure at a particular moment—appear closer to a group’s average upon remeasuring. Although this statistical peculiarity is the result of random error and chance, it has been problematic across various medical, scientific, financial and psychological applications. In particular, RTM, if not taken into account, can interfere when...
7.2K
02:05Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
44.9K
People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about...
44.9K
03:37Uncertainty in Measurement: Accuracy and Precision
111.8K
Scientists typically make repeated measurements of a quantity to ensure the quality of their findings and to evaluate both the precision and the accuracy of their results. Measurements are said to be precise if they yield very similar results when repeated in the same manner. A measurement is considered accurate if it yields a result that is very close to the true or the accepted value. Precise values agree with each other; accurate values agree with a true value.
111.8K