Proposing the readiness triad and efficiency triangle: A conceptual framework for integrative wearable-based readiness monitoring in elite golf

Athlete readiness reflects the dynamic balance between accumulated stress and recovery and is poorly captured by any single physiological variable. Wearable devices now generate dense, multidimensional data in the field, yet practitioners lack simple, theory-driven frameworks for integrating these streams into decisions at the point of coaching. This paper proposes two original, device-agnostic monitoring frameworks for elite golf. The Readiness Triad integrates morning heart rate, psychological stress, and REM sleep to index neuro-autonomic and psychological readiness; the Efficiency Triangle integrates step count, energy expenditure, and a fatigue index to index movement economy and internal load. We set out the physiological rationale for selecting and integrating each constituent variable. We then illustrate how the frameworks are operationalised, using monitoring data from a single elite female golfer. The observation period covered six days: a taper and three rounds of a national-level tournament. Worked through day by day, the weakest-link rule returned a ‘poor’ overall reading on three of the six days. Each was governed by a single vertex. Applied to matched days, the Efficiency Triangle returned a signal in which the fatigue index rose while ambulatory output was unchanged. These readings illustrate how the rules resolve discordant inputs rather than constituting findings in their own right. The single case is presented solely as a proof-of-concept demonstration of how the frameworks operate and is not offered as validation. We discuss practical implications for coaching and the priorities for formal validation, including replication in larger cohorts and the use of criterion-referenced measures.