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JOURNAL
OF
SPORTS SCIENCE &
MEDICINE
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Research
article
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LOW HANDICAP GOLFERS GENERATE MORE TORQUE AT THE SHOE-NATURAL GRASS INTERFACE WHEN USING A DRIVER |
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Paul Worsfold, Neal A. Smith and Rosemary J. Dyson  |
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University of Chichester, Chichester, West Sussex, UK |
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© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2008) 7, 408 - 414 Search Google Scholar for Citing Articles |
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| ABSTRACT | |||
| The aim was to determine the rotational torque occurring at the
shoe-natural grass interface during golf swing performance with different
clubs, and to determine the influence of handicap and golf shoe design.
Twenty-four golfers (8 low 0-7; 8 medium 8-14; and 8 high 15+) performed
5 shots with a driver, 3-iron and 7-iron when 3 shoes were worn: a modern
8 mm metal 7-spike shoe, an alternative 7-spike shoe and a flat soled shoe.
Torque was measured at the front and back foot by grass covered force platforms
in an outdoor field. Torque at the shoe- natural turf interface was similar
at the front foot when using a driver, 3-iron and 7-iron with maximum mean
torque (Tzmax 17-19 Nm) and torque generation in the entire backswing and
downswing approximately 40 Nm. At the back foot, torque was less than at
the front foot when using the driver, 3-iron and 7-iron. At the back foot
Tzmax was 6-7 Nm, and torque generation was 10-16 Nm, with a trend for greater
torque generation when using the driver rather than the irons. The metal
spike shoe allowed significantly more back foot torque generation when using
a driver than a flat- soled shoe (p < 0.05). There was no significant
difference between the metal and alternative spike shoes for any torque
measure (p > 0.05), although back foot mean torques generated tended
to be greater for the metal spike shoe. The golf shot outcomes were similar
for low, medium and high handicappers in both metal and alternative spike
shoes (metal: 87%; 76%; 54%; alternative: 85%; 74%; 54% respectively). The
better, low handicap golfers generated significantly more back foot torque
(metal spike: 18.2 Nm; alternative: 15.8 Nm; p < 0.05) when using a driver.
Further research should consider back foot shoe-grass interface demands
during driver usage by low handicap and lighter body-weight golfers.
Key words: Cleat, golf, iron, shoe, spike, traction. |
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