The Attentional Focus of Expert Golfers in Training and Competition: A Naturalistic Investigation

Abstract

This study explored the attentional focus of expert golfers using a naturalistic approach. Eight male professional golfers were filmed in two contexts (training and competition). Self-confrontation interviews based on the video were conducted immediately afterwards. Qualitative data analyses showed that golfers used various attentional foci. Foci were classified according to their content and their characteristics. Golfers adapted their attentional foci to the context. They used sequences of attentional foci and moved from one attentional focus to another when they prepared, executed, or evaluated their shot. Future research on attentional focus of expert athletes should study the phenomenon over time.

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the elite golfers who participated in this study. The study was undertaken with research grants from the French Ministry of Sport and from the French Federation of Golf. Additional thanks to Laura Killian, David Mann and Rémy Dinh-Phung for their comments on the manuscript.