The Effects Of Training Volume On Putting Skill In Recreational Golfers.

The strokes gained statistic enables a detailed analysis of each golf shot, assessing its positive or negative contribution to lowering scores. This metric emphasizes the importance of the long game in golf (shots >100 yards). Consequently, strength and conditioning professionals have increasingly focused on training strategies that enhance hitting distance and clubhead speed. PURPOSE: This study investigated how low- and high-volume resistance training, designed to increase clubhead speed and hitting distance, affects putting skill. METHODS: The primary hypothesis was that high-volume resistance training would degrade putting skill in recreational golfers due to the accumulated fatigue associated with high training loads. The secondary hypothesis proposed that both low- and high-volume training would yield similar improvements in club head speed, given the reduced influence of volume on strength and power development. Eleven recreational golfers completed a 24-attempt randomized putting trial to establish baseline putting skill. This was followed by a 2-week low-volume training protocol and a repeat putting test. Subsequently, participants completed a 2-week high-volume training protocol, followed by a final putting test. RESULTS: No significant changes in putting skill across the tests (p = 0.131). However, significant improvements in driver clubhead speed were observed between tests (p = 0.015), with post hoc analysis revealing significant differences between the baseline and second tests. No significant differences were observed between tests 2 and 3 (p = 0.08), aligning with existing literature on the diminishing returns of training volume on strength and power gains. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that recreational golfers can train with either low- or high-volume protocols without experiencing meaningful declines in putting skill due to fatigue. Golfers prioritizing clubhead speed may benefit from lower-volume training to optimize performance, as this study showed no added benefits in the high-volume group for CHS.