subject: Sleep Better, Golf Better [print this page] Many of the golfers are real fanatics, incessantly talking about ways to reduce the number of strokes it takes to get through eighteen holes. And now scientists have finally found the proof to make a case for my area of expertise: better sleep, that's it. Also, Weather, golf equipment, athleticism, conditions and technique aside, if you can get your game on at night, you can seriously get your golf game on over the greens.
This is not nonsense. A study out of Morristown memorial hospital in New Jersey found a group of golfers that improved their golf game by up to three strokes. Granted, these golfers suffered from sleep apnea and were users of the C-PAP, a continuous positive airway pressure mask that helps them sleep better. But my guess is that if a study were done on the general golfing population, we'd see similar findings: those who sleep better, golf better. The reason is that: first, you will have better concentration and ability to focus; second, you will have better hand-eye coordination. Third, the alertness, and fourth you can own sharper memoryto recall the level of difficulty or technical secrets to a certain hole, the course terrain, etc. All of this bodes well for the golfers or any sports player for that matter.
So, why were researchers looking at the effects of a C-PAP on golfers in particular? Sounds like an odd thing to report on. But not when you consider that savvy supporters of the C-PAP (myself included) are always looking for ways to motivate people who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea to wear these highly-effective devices. It also turns out that the better you are at golf, the more you have to gain (or lose, depending on how you look at it from a stroke perspective) from achieving restful sleep at night. The more adept golfers in the study lost the most strokes.
Now do please have a wonderful sleep. And take your clubs to go to golf tomorrow!
