Video Analysis in Golf Coaching: An Insider Perspective

Abstract

Golf has evolved from a recreational pursuit to a professional sport, which attracts huge sponsorships and endorsements. With this development, greater demands have been placed on golf coaches to produce golfers with high levels of skills and competence. The technology used in golf coaching has also evolved with video analysis becoming an integral part of golf coaching. The purpose of this study was to elicit golf coaches’ perspectives on golf coaching. A qualitative research approach using semi-structured interviews was used to collect data from a purposive sample of eight (n=8) golf coaches. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Arising from an in-depth literature review, an interview schedule was developed to collect data on the following research issues associated with using video analysis in golf coaching: a) positive experiences, b) negative experiences, c) player development, d) attitude towards video analysis, e) barriers and constraints to using video analysis, f) focus of video analysis, and g) alternatives to video analysis. The data were content-analysed to reduce it to meaningful information units. The findings of the study revealed that the positive aspects outnumbered the negative aspects associated with the use of video analysis in golf coaching. Among the positive aspects were improved stance, balance and swing, while the negative aspects were mainly concerned with the high cost of the technology. Given the many positive aspects associated with using video analysis in golf coaching, and the fact that coaches continuously strive to get the best performance from their athletes, the use of video analysis in golf coaching appears to be a positive step towards achieving this goal.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n21p399