Ground Reaction Force and Centre of Pressure During the Golf Swing and Associations with Clubhead Speed and Skill Level: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: Optimising performance with a driver, fairway woods and long irons is a key focus for many golfers, with the primary goal of hitting the ball as far as possible while maintaining the ball in play. As such, recent years have seen a strong focus in the golf literature on how to maximise performance off the tee by investigating the factors that lead to the increase in clubhead speed (CHS). These factors include: (i) effective use of ground reaction force (GRF) during the swing and (ii) the path followed by the centre of pressure (CoP). OBJECTIVES: The primary purpose of this systematic review was to investigate GRF and CoP within golf research and to identify what associations they have with CHS and skill level. METHODS: This systematic review followed the most recent Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. In total, 129 studies where initially retrieved from SPORTDiscus, Medline and CINAHL databases, with studies meeting the inclusion criteria being subject to Newcastle-Ottawa's quality assessment criteria (with a maximum score of 9 being possible). RESULTS: A total of 24 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. Nine empirical investigations showed moderate-to-strong relationships between either: (i) CoP and CHS or (ii) GRF and CHS. In addition, more skilled golfers tended to exhibit higher GRF and superior CHS than less skilled golfers. From a quality assessment standpoint, all 24 studies scored either a 7 or 8. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in both CoP and GRF represent important factors which contribute to superior golf performance, as defined by increases in CHS or reduced handicaps. Clearly defined methods for assessing force during the golf swing and universal terminology regarding GRF and CoP metrics are recommended for further research.