ABSTRACT
The current study is an initial investigation of expert performance theory in golf putting. According to Ericsson and colleagues (Ericsson & Smith, 1991; Ericsson, Krampe & Tesch-Römer, 1993), a performer’s mental representations are the primary mediator of performance and the degree of refinement of those representations determine the level of performance in a domain. This study’s purpose is to investigate golf putting performance in situations that require representational guidance to analyze, plan and execute putts in various putting situations. Using a screen to block visual access to the putting situation (occluded condition), this study examined expert and novice golfers in various putting situations to determine their ability to perform using only their mental representations to establish direction and distance when putting to targets of different lengths and over different terrain. Results showed that on a level putt from 23 feet, both experts and novices averaged within just over two feet laterally from the target (direction) and overall 3.5 to 5.5 feet from the target. This represents general competence in putting under occluded conditions, though none were trained in this condition. On substantially more difficult occluded putts, all golfers averaged within 10 feet of the target, on targets where they averaged more than 8 feet in the visible condition. Having acquired more refined representations, the experts, on the 23 foot occluded single target, were 35% more accurate than the less skilled golfers, and in the most complex putting situation (multi-breaking 28 foot putt), experts were 37% more accurate. These results support Ericsson and colleagues expert performance theories in mental representation mediation of performance and representational refinement mediation of levels of performance.
