Do you use your phone during a round? Here’s how it affects you

We’re all looking for that edge on the golf course that might help us pick up an extra birdie here or there.

But what if we were to tell you that your phone might be hurting your chances?

At least, that is true in some cases. A study from the Department of Information Science at Stellenbosch University has revealed how smartphone use on the course can impact performance.

And the results are worth your time.

The group of researchers surveyed 186 recreational golfers at five different clubs on their performance, enjoyment of the round, and smartphone use during play.

Data was collected right after mid-week club competitions and showed how frequently the golfers used their phones for work-related calls, emails, WhatsApp messages, personal calls and social media.

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Drum-roll, please.

According to the study, checking work-related emails and taking business calls while playing golf can worsen performance.

We’ll come on to why that is the case, shortly, however, the findings also show that performance is unaffected by personal uses like social media.

“We found that when golfers used their phones for personal reasons, like checking social media feeds or responding to messages, their performance was unaffected,” said lead researcher Dr. Daniël le Roux.

“However, when they read work-related emails or took business calls, their performance dropped.

“Interestingly, our data did not show a direct impact of smartphone use on golfers’ enjoyment of the round. However, as any golfer would attest, performance is key to enjoying the round.

“Our study highlights the dual-edged nature of smartphones on the golf course.

“While they offer convenience of staying connected, their intrusion can impair focus and performance, and ultimately make the game less enjoyable.”

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The key difference, le Roux claims, is what constitutes a digital distraction.

For instance, the use of a smartphone for distance measurement would be considered an on-task activity, while reading a work-related email between shots is qualitatively unrelated to playing golf.

Meanwhile, le Roux says ‘attention residue’ explains why some forms of smartphone use are more harmful than others.

“Attention residue describes how content of an email or a conversation remains in our minds after we put our phones away,” he said.

“It is likely that these lingering thoughts make it difficult for golfers to focus clearly during shot routines.

“Work-related communications seem to generate more attention residue than other forms of smartphone use.”

So, should golfers leave their phones in the locker room? It’s not as simple as that, but le Roux says recreational golfers should be aware of how their smartphones can negatively impact their score.

“They should identify which smartphone activities disrupt their focus during shots and generate high levels of attention residue,” he added.

“Knowing this, they can develop strategies that can help them avoid those distractions by blocking certain notifications or setting their phones to silent mode.”