Laterality and performance in elite male golfers

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Human Movement Science
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Human behavior exhibits lateralization, influencing sport-specific stances like in golf.
• The relationship between handedness, eye dominance, foot dominance, and elite performance in golf remains under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the lateralized preferences (hand, eye, foot dominance, stance) of elite professional golfers.
• To investigate the association between these lateralized behaviors and high-level golfing performance.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed 71 male professional golfers (top 500 worldwide) on hand preference, eye dominance, foot dominance, and golf stance.
• Assessed performance using official rankings and 'strokes gained' statistics.

Main Results:

• Observed an underrepresentation of left-hand dominance and left-hand stance among elite golfers.
• Found limited direct associations between individual lateral preferences (hand, eye, stance) and performance.
• Identified a positive association between higher rankings, right foot dominance, and uncrossed combinations of hand, eye, and foot dominance.

Conclusions:

• Elite golfers exhibit specific lateralization patterns, with a prevalence of right-sided dominance and uncrossed laterality.
• While individual lateral preferences show weak performance links, combined dominance patterns may be more indicative of elite golfing success.
• This study enhances understanding of lateralized behavior in elite golf, suggesting potential areas for future research and training.