Category: Research

The support offered by caddies can help elite golfers stay ‘in the zone’ even under the pressure of major championships, new research has revealed.

The study by sport psychology researchers at the University of Lincoln, Leeds Beckett University, and St Mary’s University in the UK, and University of Canberra in Australia, found that as well as carrying the player’s bag, caddies can help their players perform at their peak – achieving so-called ‘flow states’ – by offering vital psychological support and encouragement throughout the round.

The findings, published in the Elsevier journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise, could lead to new ways of studying and understanding flow states within golf and sport more generally.

Flow, often referred to as being ‘in the zone’, is the mental state athletes reach when they are fully immersed in their discipline and feel in control of what they are doing, even in the most personally challenging situations. Importantly, athletes in flow often perform at the peak of their abilities, meaning that golfers who win major tournaments are more likely to have been in this ‘zone’.

The study indicated that caddies influenced golfers’ flow states by helping their player select targets, maintain concentration and avoid distractions, and preserve confidence after setbacks such as missed putts. They also provided positive feedback after shots, reinforced the player’s decision making, and were able to help the golfers relax under pressure which is especially important in major championships.

By helping golfers get into this coveted state of flow, and then stay in this ‘zone’ even longer, the caddie’s contribution could help their player perform at their peak when it matters most.

Lead researcher Dr Christian Swann, from the School of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Lincoln, said: “The key finding was how much of an important role caddies can play when golfers experience flow. Previous research identified factors which are believed to help athletes get into the zone, and this study moved a step beyond that by exploring the specific ways in which golfers’ flow states are influenced by such factors, including the caddie.
“As players often describe these experiences when they win tournaments, understanding how and why flow happens is very important for coaches and sport psychologists. These findings could also be important for optimising the golfer-caddie partnership to be most effective on the course.

“For example, one golfer in the study described a particularly clear example of flow while he was in contention to win The Open. He remembered holing a long putt in the middle of the round which gave him the lead. Afterwards he said to his caddie, ‘Make sure you don’t stop talking to me from now on. Don’t leave me, and don’t talk about golf.’

“Interestingly, the caddie’s role in this case was to keep the player’s mind away from analytical thoughts of winning which are known to disrupt flow. Instead, by focusing on topics other than golf, they were able to take each shot at a time and perform more on autopilot – prolonging the experience of being in the zone under pressure.”

The study was conducted with 10 European Tour golfers including The Open players, and European Tour, Challenge Tour and Senior Tour winners.

Reference: Christian Swann, David Piggott, Lee Crust, Richard Keegan & Brian Hemmings. (2015). Exploring the interactions underlying flow states: A connecting analysis of flow occurrence in European Tour golfers. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 16, 60-69. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2014.09.007

Article written by Ian Richard, PR Manager

The skeletal remains of a grandfather executed by soldiers more than 30 years ago during Guatemala’s brutal internal armed conflict have been exhumed and analysed by science students on a unique field trip.

The group of postgraduates from the University of Lincoln, were accompanied by programme leader Gillian Fowler and forensic anthropology technician Marco Perez.

Gillian previously spent six years working for the Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala (FAFG) where she was involved in the exhumation of graves containing innocent victims of the uprising against the military dictatorship of the 1980s. Marco spent 12 years working for the FAFG as the Head of the Social Anthropology Unit.

The team travelled to a remote region in the highlands of Guatemala to carry out two exhumations, both graves containing victims extra judicially executed by the army.

Accompanied by archaeologists from the FAFG, they exhumed the body of a man in the village of Batz Chocola, a three hour drive from the town of Nebaj. Family members were present as the remains of the grandfather were uncovered.

The second exhumation took place on an ex-military base, on the outskirts of Cotzal, near to Nebaj, where the students spent three further days digging trenches. On the third day one trench revealed clothing and further careful excavation uncovered a grave of six individuals. They had been thrown into the grave and all had their hands tied. Ballistic evidence was also recovered from the grave, indicating the victims had been shot.

Back in Guatemala City, the group of students from Lincoln’s MSc Forensic Anthropology programme returned to the FAFG laboratory to analyse the remains. Their findings will add to evidence being collected by the country’s state prosecutor to bring perpetrators of war crimes to justice.

Postgraduate student Ryan Austin said: “The field trip gave us the opportunity to experience first-hand the demands of being a Forensic Anthropologist and both the practical and mental challenges that ensue. Comparatively, on a personal level to work on human rights issues and know that we have contributed in some small way to the families in their pursuit of closure and justice while still on our Masters is a remarkable privilege.”

Fellow student Stephanie Morgan said: “It was an honour to be able to meet the family of one of the victims, and to see how the community deals with the disappeared was a humbling experience. To witness how the FAFG helps the community and what it means to the families shows how important this work is.”

On the students’ work Nancy Valdez, FAFG Field School Coordinator, said: “During the two week field school the students demonstrated an excellent performance in both the development of professional and sociocultural activities. They displayed huge interest in the work and were eager to learn, as well as showing respect and thoughtfulness towards the families.”

Gillian Fowler, Senior Lecturer in the University of Lincoln’s School of Life Sciences, leads the MSc in Forensic Anthropology and established the student field work with the FAFG. Recognised internationally for her work on mass grave exhumations, she has also been involved with the Afghan Forensic Science Organisation (AFSO) from its inception in 2010 and contributed to a special report which outlines steps Afghanistan can take to help identify the victims of the country’s 35-year conflict.

She said: “The students have been well-trained throughout their course to carry out complicated analytical tasks taking instruction in Spanish and the FAFG were very impressed with their abilities. The final day was spent in the FAFG’s DNA lab where they worked on family reference samples and prepared bone samples for DNA extraction and analysis.

“This was a real test for the students who had to prove themselves and work in very difficult conditions. I am extremely proud of how they handled themselves and they are a credit to the University of Lincoln. We are the only Masters programme to incorporate this type of experience within the course in the UK and I believe this hands-on experience is essential to anyone wishing to develop their skills in forensic anthropology.”

Article written by Marie Daniels, PR Officer

Scientists from across the UK and Europe are working together to build a better understanding of the chemical processes behind the creation of crystals with the aim of developing new ways to produce pharmaceuticals.

Crystallisation – the process of crystal formation via crystal growth – is typically employed in chemical manufacturing as a purification step or to isolate a final product and determine its quality.

Despite its widespread uses, understanding the precise molecular mechanisms which occur during crystallisation remains a scientific challenge, particularly for organic compounds.

The Crystallize research network, funded by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), brings together recognised scientific leaders in the field to develop new ideas, research and share knowledge in the science of crystallisation. The inaugural meeting ‘Crystallize – From molecules to crystals – how do organic molecules form crystals?’ will take place from June 22-25, 2015 in Marseille, France.

The objective is to increase academic and industrial understanding of the structure and function of crystals in order to custom-design new materials for specific applications, such as pharmaceuticals.

Led by Dr Simon Lawrence at University College Cork, the group involves Professor Nicholas Blagden from the School of Pharmacy at the University of Lincoln, UK, who is involved in the management committee to represent the UK and support the working group in crystal growth.

Professor Blagden explained: “Crystal growth is the science behind creating a crystal – about how and why crystals form. Particularly over recent years the pharmaceutical industry has shown more of an interest in organic crystals and their use in creating new drugs.

“The big problem is that we have still got a lot to learn about how crystals actually grow as it’s not clear how they change from a liquid to a solid state. This is called ‘nucleation’ and is the first step in crystallisation, determining if a crystal can form from a liquid state. A bigger effort has now begun to understand crystallisation and how it impacts on everything from chemicals to pharmaceuticals. We need to understand this process so we can deal with the bigger problems. It’s about sharing advice and experience.”

Professor Blagden is known for his work in crystal growth, crystal engineering and polymorphism (the ability of a solid material to exist in more than one crystal structure).

He is part of a team of researchers at the University of Lincoln focussed on crystal growth, specifically around the pre-formulation of drugs. In Lincoln’s Crystallisation Lab researchers are growing nanocrystals on tiny plastic chips, meaning they can produce larger volumes and have much more control over the growth process.

Professor Blagden said: “If you look at modern society many everyday items evolve from a crystal at some point. There are crystals in the filaments in lights, in bricks and mortar and even in the metal of a chair frame. Crystals are everywhere. Developments in advanced analytical techniques and computational methodologies are beginning to provide insight into how molecules interact in solution and ultimately form crystals. Together with studies into different phases, in confined systems, on surfaces and with impurities, this will improve our understanding of crystallization processes.”
Professor Blagden is also involved in research exploring the formation of co-crystals with small drug molecules or biologics such as peptides – a new crystalline structure produced from the two forming materials – and their potential use in drug delivery.

Many new drug discoveries are difficult to develop into viable dosage forms because of their inherently poor structural properties. For example, they are often poorly soluble, or problematic to crystallise and therefore the active ingredient is difficult to dissolve.

One potential method of improving the solubility of certain drugs is to form a co-crystal of the drug with another pharmaceutically accepted material, such as a sugar or vitamin.

Written by Marie Daniels
Press Officer