Lets face it, golf can be a pretty stressful game. It is a game of both patience and skill, and demands an increased ability to focus and concentrate.
On top of the game itself, professional golfers have several other stressors with (besides the obvious stressors – family, social, financial):
- A long competitive season
- Weekly travel (which has them traveling all over the world through the year)
- Long practice hours
- Several rounds of competitive play (typically 4-round for PGA tour events, although some LPGA events are 3-rounds)
- The stress of worrying about ‘making the cut’ during the early rounds of competition
- Nutritional needs that have to be met on a busy travel, practice, and competition schedule
- Hydration needs that have to be met during long hours of practice and competition (with 18-holes of golf lasting anywhere from 3-4 hours in time)
An interesting study recently looked at both the stress response and immune response of elite level golfers (both male and female) to both practice and competition.
Stress response was measured by salivary cortisol levels, while immune function was measured by salivary immunoglobulin A during four periods of time for either a round of competition or practice:
- At rest
- Before the round
- During the round
- After the round
Cortisol, a hormone in our body which, when released in excess – due to high amount of stress or anxiety – can have some negative affects, has been shown to be elevated before and during competition because of the both the anticipation of competition and physical exertion. In this study, it was found that males had higher levels of cortisol before the round or practice/competition, with higher levels of cortisol being measured prior to competition compared to practice. In contrast women had their highest levels of cortisol measured during their round of practice/competition. It is hypothesized that men could stabilize their anticipatory response, where as woman may get more anxious or stressed as the round of golf goes on.
Salivary Immunoglobulin A, an antibody contained in our mucous which, acts as a defense mechanism against pathogens, has been known to drop temporarily following intense exercise, causing some athletes to become susceptible to upper respiratory tract infections. In the elite male golfers, salivary immunoglobulin A tended to be decreased when cortisol levels were increased (which was before the round of practice/competition); however, during and after the round, salivary immunoglobulin A tended to be increased. In female athletes, the opposite was true, with salivary immunoglobulin A being elevated during the round of golf, at a time when cortisol levels were actually higher! It is hypothesized that salivary immunoglobulin may be elevated during and after the rounds of golf, as the bodies way of coping with the physiological and psychological stress placed on it (more on this later).
What does this all mean?
The first thing that stands out is that there appears to be a different affect with regard to stress and immune function in the game of golf (psychological and physical stress) between men and women.
The second thing that stands out is that there are more questions that need to be asked. For example, this is just a look at one day of either practice or competition. As stated earlier, professional golfers will play/practice many days in a row (competitions usually lasting four days), and have the added stress of travel. It would be interesting to see the results during several weeks, or an entire season, for a professional golfer. It was hypothesized that the body increased salivary immunoglobulin A, as a way of attempting to handle the physical and psychological stress placed on it. How long can the body do this for? Obviously we adapt to our demands, but eventually there is going to be a period where the body begins to break down and can no longer adapt to what we throw at it. One would have to think that the travel, practice and competition schedule of a professional golfer would eventually take its tole on their immune function.
Finally, what stands out is that given the high amounts of stress that professional golfers are placed under, recovery strategies are essential to both high performance, and overall health and wellness (a chronically sick or injured golfer is not one that is typically successful). Aside from offseason preparation – which should help the athlete develop the needed work capacity, strength, and power to withstand the daily grind of being on the professional circuit – professional golfers need to be proactive about their rest and recovery program following both competition and practice.
In a nutshell, this paper is a step towards helping us understand what the body goes through when having to perform at an elite level. All athletes are susceptible to overtraining syndrome, and understanding the demands of the sport and how each individual athlete is able to deal with these demands is an essential component in developing both a training and recovery program to improve performance and maintain optimal health.
Reference
Kim KJ, Park S, Jim KH, Jun TW, Park DH, Kim KB. Salivary Cortisol and Immunoglobulin A Responses During Golf Competition vs. Practice in Elite Male and Female Junior Golfers. J Strength Cond Res 24(3):852-858, 2010.