The effects of audible feedback as a coaching strategy on golf skill learning for novice players

Effective golf coaching has been a critical issue for trainees and coaches. We found that most conventional golf coaching systems are insufficiently supported by scientific evidence and require continued development of skill learning processes. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of a novel tagging teaching approach using an audible feedback for novice golfers to improve their kinematic characteristics and golf swing performance. In a controlled experiment, 24 male novice golfers were randomly assigned to either the tagging (n = 13) or the non-tagging (conventional, n = 11) training group, receiving a 1.5-hour training session 3 times per week for 5 consecutive weeks. Kinematic data of downswing trajectories, from the downswing to the follow-through (DF), were collected to examine the between-group differences in the angular velocity of pelvis rotation and clubhead, and the centre of mass (COM) displacement. The results showed that the kinematic characteristics and swing performances (clubhead and ball speed, clubface angle, flight time, and carry distance) of tagging training group were better than non-tagging training group. The study demonstrated the superiority of an audible cueing approach over the traditional approach in effectively enhancing golf swing performance.