Shrink Wrap - views from inside a psychologist's head

  The Psychological Importance of a Short Par 3 In the Closing Holes in  Golf  Course Design Ahh the pain, all golfers know it,  They have been rolling along reasonably well (sometimes better than reasonably) when the wheels come off. From nowhere the player manages to produce a string of double bogeys- even worse the horror of a single hole that creates the ignominy of  a double digit score on the card. Now that vision they had of striding off the 18th green and signing for a very low score has been blown out of the water. It's going to be a long long day - the golfer has nothing left to play for but pride- but will the golf course design allow them to enjoy it? Will it give them hope that they still have something to play for? PSYenz , a specialist division of Sport Psychology Ltd has been researching the golf course experience for nearly 20 years, applying techniques first developed by organisations like NASA to understand human interaction with their environ...

Following on the heels of the research that showed urban golf courses can help with the wellbeing of the whole local community, stunning new research suggests that these oases of greenery  may be pivotal in alleviating the distressing impact of post natal depression (PND).  PND is estimated to impact as many as 1 in 10 new mothers  - and its not just women as new fathers can experience mental challenges as well. A new study in the Lancet (Regional Health Americas) has discovered that simple proximity to green spaces can significantly reduce the impact of post natal depression on those living close to those spaces.   The study looked at over 400,000 pregnancies in Southern California over a 10 year period and calculated how closely each was to open green space. When all other factors had been taken into account the simple fact of living near green spaces had a powerful impact on PND in itself. Chief Neuroscientist at PSYenz Stephen Smith said: "This  study h...

It has long been known by evolutionary neuroscientists that human beings love to get back to nature. The benefits of being in contact with the natural environment are manifold and  well documented. Just being able to see some trees outside a hospital window has been shown to have incredibly positive effects on the post-surgery recovery of patients compared to those who have a window looking onto the urban jungle. Golf professionals have long claimed to work in the best office in the world and now the science is catching up and showing it to be completely justified. Research published in the esteemed journal 'Nature' has added another piece to the puzzle of how human beings cope in a 21st century environment with a physiology that evolved hundreds of thousands of years before the invention of the wheel. The scientists in this study were looking at the specific impact of noise on human performance and wellbeing. Specifically they compared the impact of urban noise (traffic sounds...

Research Suggests Smartphones Cause Powerful 'Mental fatigue' In a stunning  piece of research just 30 minutes of smartphone use has a significant impact on elite football players. The study was published in the esteemed journal, Psychology of Sport and Exercise - published by Elsevier. The research focussed on the impact of smartphone use by players directly before a football game (soccer for our North American readers) and was carried out in Brazil - a country that knows a thing or two about footy (as we call it in the UK). In a very well designed randomised condition design study it was clear that just a short time on the smartphone had a significantly detrimental impact on passing decision making. The scientists behind the study concluded that exposure to the smartphone created a powerful 'mental fatigue' that impacted thinking processes and the ability to convert intention to physical action. Of course this study is on the sport of football so one could ask does th...

Will Driver Heads Come in Different Weights? - Research from Ping Might Suggest So  Stephen Smith - 'The Fairway Physician ' Investigates  The world of golf is awash with stories of all the latest product releases after the annual product jamboree that is the PGA show in Florida. As tired and emotional golf hacks return to their natural habitat their heads are full of the ideas that they have come across - and can still actually remember - from the show. Not that I would dare to suggest the odd libation was enjoyed of an evening. However, one really interesting piece of scientific research by the engineers at Ping may have got drowned out by all the Orlando hoo ha. Just before the show they released some very interesting research on the impact that driver head mass - weight -  has on swing speed and distance. A standard 95 mph swing speed was optimised at the industry standard driver head weight of 206 grams but those with faster swing speeds (115mph) were optimised at a...

  How You Carry Your Golf Bag Impacts Swing Speed Golf Science Report From Neuroscientist Stephen Smith- 'The Fairway Physician' Contact: Info@Psyenz.org Phone  UK + 44 (0)7806 794 527 For Publication It seems to make sense that the more tired you are or feel on the course the less able you will be  to generate your maximum power and swing speed. Now researchers in America have shown that to be true and that the way you transport your bag around the course directly affects this important element of game success. A group of scientists from a number of universities in the southern states of the USA have collaborated to investigate this phenomena. They looked at: Walking with no bag Carrying a bag with a single strap Carrying a bag with a double strap Using a push cart/trolley They found that using a double strap and carrying the bag low on the back was the most positive impact on actual swing speed  but that those without the bag or using a push cart 'believed' they ha...