Recovery for Professional and Elite Amateur Golfers: A Scoping Review of Evidence-Based Methods

Bishop, C ORCID: 0000-0002-1505-1287, Xu, J, Wilson, L, Close, G ORCID: 0000-0002-7210-9553, Mountjoy, M, Dunne, D, Coughlan, D, Turner, A and Murray, A (2025) Recovery for Professional and Elite Amateur Golfers: A Scoping Review of Evidence-Based Methods. Sports Medicine. pp. 1-19. ISSN 0112-1642

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Abstract

The lifestyle and athletic demands of a professional or elite amateur golfer are both physically and mentally challenging. Players need to withstand large forces during the swing, frequently travel between time zones, and often cycle through a variety of training and competition environments for large portions of the competitive season. Thus, with numerous factors contributing to physical and cognitive stress, optimising recovery for golfers is paramount. The primary objective of this scoping review was to evaluate different evidence-based recovery methods for professional and elite amateur golfers and assess where the current research gaps lie. A three-step search strategy identified relevant primary and secondary articles, in addition to the grey literature, using a total of five online databases (SPORTDiscus, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest Central and PubMed), which retrieved articles from January 2000 to May 2024. Data were extracted using a standardised tool to create a descriptive analysis and a thematic summary. Studies were included if they focused on nutritional and hydration methods, laboratory and controlled environment methods, sleep and jet leg management, independent methods or adjunct recovery methods, in relation to golf or other sporting populations. The initial search found 4862 relevant articles from the selected databases, with 39 studies meeting our criteria for the scoping review. Limited investigations have been conducted examining effective recovery methods for golfers. However, some preliminary evidence supports the use of targeted nutrition and hydration strategies, massage, and regular mobility and flexibility exercise. In addition, though, a more fundamental focus on sleep and jet lag management strategies is required, given the lifestyle challenges often faced by professional and elite amateur players. If golfers want to improve their chances of consistently competing at the highest level, strategies that focus on optimising recovery for superior health and well-being are essential for helping to sustain performance over time.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	4201 Allied Health and Rehabilitation Science; 42 Health Sciences; 4207 Sports Science and Exercise; Behavioral and Social Science; Generic health relevance; 0913 Mechanical Engineering; 1106 Human Movement and Sports Sciences; 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy; Sport Sciences; 4201 Allied health and rehabilitation science; 4207 Sports science and exercise
Subjects:	R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC1200 Sports Medicine
Divisions:	Sport and Exercise Sciences
Publisher:	Springer Nature
Date of acceptance:	24 July 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	2 September 2025
Date Deposited:	02 Sep 2025 14:25
Last Modified:	02 Sep 2025 14:30
DOI or ID number:	10.1007/s40279-025-02297-0
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/27087

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