NON-LINEAR ANALYSIS OF CENTRE OF PRESSURE PATTERNS IN THE GOLF SWING – POINCARE PLOTS

Abstract

Little research exists in the golf swing examining shot to shot differences in the short or long term. The aim of this study was to use Poincare plots to examine if short and long term patterns exist among golfers. Five golfers performed 50 golf swings hitting a ball into a net while standing on two AMTI force plates. Centre of Pressure in the direction of the swing (CPy) was calculated for each swing. Poincare plots with CPy Range at swing N on the x-axis and CPy Range at swing N + 1 on the y-axis were constructed for each golfer. Plots were individual specific with short and long term variability highlighting interesting differences between golfers. Interesting shot to shot patterning existed, especially for one golfer. The use of Poincare plots in future work can provide useful information to the golfer and coach.