The effects of an individualized imagery interventions on flow states and golf performance.

Abstract

The primary aims of this study were to investigate the effects of an imagery intervention on the intensity and frequency of flow states and golf performance. A secondary purpose was to examine participants’ experiences of the delivery of the intervention. Adopting a single subject ABA research design, individualized imagery interventions were delivered over a 12-week period to four high-performance amateur golfers (one female, three male, aged 20-23 years). Golf performance was assessed via a participant-selected golf skill. Flow experiences were measured by the Flow State Scale-2, and the Dispositional Flow Scale-2 (Jackson & Eklund, 2002). Results suggested that three of the four participants increased mean global flow intensity, and all four golfers increased mean global flow frequency and performance during the intervention and post intervention period in comparison to baseline. The participants also perceived that their imagery ability had improved because of the intervention.