ORCID

0000-0001-9599-9969

Keywords

golf; biomechanics; warmup; reliability; fatigue; movement screen

Abstract

The golf swing is a complex movement requiring a combination of power, flexibility, stability, balance, and coordination to strike the ball at a high velocity with precision. The Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) screen is a series of functional tests used to identify individuals’ physical limitations that may influence their ability to perform the golf swing effectively. TPI guidelines recommend performing the TPI screen without a warm-up to improve consistency, but reliability of the TPI screen has not been previously published. Additionally, factors such as a warm-up or playing a round of golf may influence the body’s physical capabilities and could be reflected in TPI screen performance. The purposes of this dissertation were to evaluate the effects of a warm-up on TPI screen scores, determine test-retest reliability of the TPI screen, and compare TPI screen scores before and after playing an 18-hole round of golf. The first study found that adult golfers score significantly higher on the TPI screen following a dynamic warm-up (median 36, interquartile range [IQR] 31/40) than before a warm-up (median 33, IQR 28/36), suggesting warm-up status should be considered when interpreting TPI screen performance. The second study found good to excellent test-retest reliability of the TPI screen (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] range 0.895-0.933) and most golf swing characteristics (ICC ≥ 0.88), except for “loss of posture”. This study concludes that warm-up status does not notably affect TPI screen reliability, and video analysis of golf swing characteristics display strong day-to-day reliability. The third study found that following an 18-hole round of golf, TPI screen performance significantly decreased (median 29, IQR 27/31) when compared to baseline (median 32, IQR 29/35) and post warm-up testing (median 36, IQR 33/39). Swing characteristics also occurred more frequently following the round of golf, suggesting fatigue impacts functional test performance and swing biomechanics.

Completion Date

2025

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Mangum, L. Colby

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Health Professions and Sciences

Department

Kinesiology

Identifier

DP0029396

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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