New research from the School of Sport & Exercise Science’s Mental Toughness Research Group has shed light on elite golfers’ experiences when competing. Christian Swann and Lee Crust led a team that used a novel, inductive approach to analyse the data from interviews with ten European Tour golfers. Contrary to previously-reported experiences in other sports, the golfers indicated that they could tell when they were “in flow” and were able to control this state. The results also suggested refinements to the existing theoretical model in this area.

With the considerable current interest in golf, arising from the Ryder Cup, the research from Lincoln has been featured by both Science Daily and the Daily Telegraph.

The full article An inductive exploration into the flow experiences of European Tour golfers is published in the journal Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health.