Treating Yourself in a Fairway: Examining the Contribution of Self-Compassion and Well-Being on Performance in a Putting Task

Abstract

Researchers have advocated for greater insight regarding the contributions of psychological resources to sports performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the contributions of self-compassion and well-being to sports performance using a golf putting task. Male golfers (N = 87, Mage = 54.94; SDage = 15.37 years) completed the Self-Compassion Scale—Athlete Version and the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale immediately prior to the golf putting task which consisted of 15 consecutive putts from 7 feet on an outdoor practice green. Performance was assessed immediately following the putting task. Simple linear regression analyses showed that self-compassion did not predict ‘perceived’ (β = −0.20, p = 0.06; ƒ2 = 0.04) or ‘actual’ (β = −0.17, p = 0.11; ƒ2 = 0.03) performance. Similarly, well-being did not predict ‘perceived’ (β = −0.16, p = 0.15; ƒ2 = 0.03) or ‘actual’ performance (β = −0.01, p = 0.91; ƒ2 = 0.00). Overall, the conclusions from this study offer converging evidence that self-compassion and well-being may not impact putting performance in adult male golfers. Greater insight into whether, and if so under what conditions, self-compassion and well-being matter to sports performance warrants additional scrutiny.