A COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL APPROACH TO STRESS MANAGEMENT WITH GOLFERS (INOCULATION, SPORTS)

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a stress management treatment package (stress inoculation) could be effectively utilized in-vivo with a golfing population to help improve performance over time. The research also evaluated whether the treatment intervention was more helpful to one particular level of golfing ability than another. The study was conducted at a Southern California country club with 40 members of varying golfing ability who volunteered their participation based upon a letter from the investigator outlining the research procedures.

The research was conducted over a 10 week period at the country club's driving range, with the members hitting golf balls twice per week off of a computerized electronic device designed to analyze the clubhead speed, approximate distance, and accuracy of each shot. Shot performance was monitored throughout the research, and subsequent to the baseline phase, participants were randomly assigned to either the treatment or attention-control group. Treatment group members received an adapted version of Meichenbaum's stress inoculation training via group presentation of the program components (relaxation training, imagery, positive self-statements) within a four session training regimen. A comparable attention control group was shown videotapes of golfing mechanics by various golfing professionals.

It was hypothesized that the stress inoculation treatment technique would be effective in reducing the frequency of mishit shots over time, and could be applied to a golfing population.

The results indicate that the treatment package was effective in reducing the frequency of mishit shots on the driving range over time for the golfers. Additionally, all treatment group members benefitted equally from the intervention, regardless of their calibre of play.

On the basis of the results obtained, the effectiveness of this stress management treatment program in improving golf range performance was demonstrated, with the results being comparable to previous research conducted with a variety of populations. Implications for the research regarding generalizability to the golf course proper and other athletic settings were explored, and suggestions for future areas of research were offered.