Fore-getting the Risk: Golfers do not select an optimal shot endpoint when hazards are present

Psychomotor Learning Abstracts

Previous laboratory-based research using a touchscreen and pointing movements has shown that participants can adjust their aimpoint to maximize expected gain while avoiding negative outcomes in their environment. This laboratory task is analogous to a golfer trying to hit a green while avoiding sand and water hazards around the green. The purpose of this study was to determine whether golfers optimally adapt their shot aimpoints to account for different penalty landscapes and their own motor variance. Participants (golfers who could report a handicap) hit golf balls using a TrackMan golf simulator to aim for a green. As in previous laboratory work, the size of the green and the presence of a penalty region were manipulated across separate blocks of trials. Participants earned points for hitting the green but lost points for hitting the penalty region, when present. These points were converted into a monetary reward at the end of the experiment. Unlike previous laboratory studies results, participants did not adjust their swing aimpoints in response to the penalty region, even though avoiding it would have required substantial endpoint shifts to maximize expected payout. This finding suggests that golfers may have difficulty selecting shot endpoints that effectively avoid hazards on the course highlighting a potential role for coaches in helping players develop more strategic and adaptive aiming decisions under risk.