DEVELOPING EXPERT VISUAL ATTENTIONAL CONTROL FOR OPTIMAL GOLF PERFORMANCE UNDER PRESSURE

Attentional control is considered a limited capacity system comprising two main functions: inhibition - which prevents attentional resources from being directed to task-irrelevant stimuli, and shifting - which controls and redirects attentional resources, so they remain focused on task-relevant stimuli. Researchers and practitioners widely believe attention to be a crucial driver of peak performance, and thus it is vital for golfers to train and improve visual attentional processes. Coaches should also seek the expertise of sport psychologists trained in technologies such as eye-tracking to gain a deeper understanding of their players’ attentional control and how it can be optimised. Indeed, top professional golfers have acknowledged the importance of task-focused attention for excellent performance, and research using eye-tracking technology has illustrated that through amassed experience, higher-level golfers tend to display more optimal visual attentional control than lower-level golfers.