RSM and European Tour launch new player performance study

Andy Sullivan (ENG) and Felipe Aguilar (CHI) represent the players during the RSM Player Proficiency Study Media Presentation at the The British Masters 2016, at The Grove, Hertfordshire, England. 13View of the 10th2016. Picture: David Lloyd | Golffile.

RSM, a leading audit, tax and consulting firm, and the European Tour are collaborating on a new player performance study designed to help golfers at all levels improve their performance.

The new academic study, launched at the British Masters supported by Sky Sports, will be led by Dr Matt Bridge from the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Birmingham.

It will explore a number of factors with the potential to affect golf performance, including:

  • Time spent at address – is there an optimal amount of time to spend over the ball?
  • Player behaviour – number of looks at target, increased practice swings, negative reactions, etc.
  • Patterns of the time spent on the practice ground and players’ pre-round routines

Assisting Dr Bridge will be a panel of golf experts, made up of current and past players, coaches, golf journalists, R&A and RSM personnel, and key members of the European Tour.

The data for the study will be collected by RSM volunteers at ten tournaments on the European Tour, including the BMW PGA Championship, the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation, the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, and the British Masters supported by Sky Sports.

David Gwilliam, Chief Operating Officer at RSM said: “This study promises to provide a fascinating insight into the factors that can affect golf performance. While RSM’s expertise lies in helping our clients improve their business performance, we hope that by supporting this study we can help golfers of all abilities to improve their game.”

Keith Pelley, CEO of the European Tour said: “We are always looking at ways to better understand the numerous factors which contribute to player performance. This study, in conjunction with RSM, will provide vital insights which will help inform our future decisions and we look forward to receiving the findings next year.”

The study results will be released after the conclusion of the 2017 golf season.