Professional golfers can achieve greater success if they spend less time over the ball, according to the RSM player performance study conducted by RSM in collaboration with the European Tour.
The study collected data on 47 European Tour professionals over five tournaments, 304 rounds of golf and 22,579 shots. Led by Dr Matt Bridge, senior lecturer in coaching and sports science at the University of Birmingham in the UK, the study revealed three key findings:
1. Spending less time over the ball could earn a European Tour player an extra €189k per season.
2. Quicker shots improve performance. A shorter time over the ball across all putts results in a 90 per cent increase in the likelihood of strokes gained.
3. Consistency of time spent over the ball leads to a greater chance of making the cut. When players are more consistent in rounds one and two, they are 50 per cent more likely to make the cut compared to less consistent players.
