An investigation into the effects of caffeine on golf performance with focus on the drive

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of caffeine on golf performance, focussing on the drive. Eleven male volunteers (age 29.36 ± 6.50years; height 180.27 ± 5.93cm; weight 85.48 ± 13.31kg; handicap 4.75 ± 3.68) were recruited. Each participant was tested on two occasions in a counterbalanced design involving three-phases; 1- ten-drives on a golfsimulator to assess performance variables (club head speed, ball speed, carry-distance, total-distance, offline and launch angle); 2- playing 18-holes of golf; 3- repeat ten-drives on the golf-simulator. Participants were administered (double-blind) 3mg  kg-1 caffeine or placebo over two-doses, firstly 30- minutes prior to commencing phase 2 and secondly, immediately following hole-9. Golf performance (total score, greens in regulation and total putts) hydration status, physiological (distance walked and mean heart rate) and environmental conditions (temperature and wind speed) were recorded. A 2x2 (condition x time) repeated-measures ANOVA and Paired-samples t-tests were used to compare performance differences between the two conditions. Analysis indicated significant interactions (p<0.05) for ball speed (154.65 ± 9.08 mph - 153.31 ± 9.05 mph, d= 0.16) and total-distance (278.55 ± 18.56 yards - 272.73 ± 15.45 yards, d= 0.36) in the placebo condition with no significant reductions (p>0.05) in the caffeine condition. However, no significant performance differences (p>0.05) were identified on the course over 18-holes. It was concluded 3mg  kg-1 caffeine consumed before and during golf attenuates the effects of fatigue on some performance variables associated with the drive, however did not improve performance on the course.