Tempo, rhythm, and aging in golf

Author(s): Greenberg, N., Liao, M. J.

Journal/Book: J Motor Behav. 1997; 29: 1319 Eighteenth St NW, Washington, DC 20036-1802. Heldref Publications. 159-173.

Abstract: Older (n = 12) and younger (n = 12) golfers attempted to hit a golf ball into a target net a short distance away. An accelerometer attached to the back of the clubhead measured the applied force. In contrast to the more typical finding of slower perceptual-motor performance by older adults, older golfers reached their peak downswing force earlier in the shot and also exhibited a trend toward a faster overall speed or tempo of the shot. Additionally, older golfers exhibited greater changes in applied force and greater variability. A pattern of divergence among the force-time histories from multiple shots suggested that the overall person-plus-golf-club dynamics were unstable during a part of the shot. Older adults may be slower in controlling this instability. Half of the participants heard a tone whose pitch was proportional to their force. These participants had a slower follow-through; however, they did not make significantly more or fewer shots than participants who had not been presented with the tone. Analyses of the temporal covariation among the backswing, down-swing, and follow-through favored a chain-like temporal structure over a hierarchical, proportional structure. The pattern of covariation suggests that the tempo and rhythm of the shot are not independent and that changing one's tempo may disrupt rhythm.

Note: Article Jagacinski RJ, Ohio State Univ, Dept Psychol, 142 Townshend Hall, Columbus,OH 43210 USA

Keyword(s): aging; golf; rhythm; tempo; PERFORMANCE; AGE; ADULTS; FORCE; OLDER; TESTS; MODEL; SKILL

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