A smooth swing on the practice range can fall apart when a prize is at stake. Many golfers use a pre-shot routine, a fixed sequence of planning, visualising, and self-talk before each swing, to keep their nerves in check. A new study from Thailand suggests that adding slow breathing to that routine calms the body, but may not be enough to keep shots straight under pressure.

Researchers at Thammasat University tested the idea in a laboratory experiment with 15 skilled male golfers. The findings appear in The Open Psychology Journal. Each player completed three conditions: his normal pre-shot routine, the routine with slow breathing added, and the same breathing routine under competitive pressure.

The golfers were aged 18–30, with a handicap of 0–5 and an average of 8.57 years of competitive experience. In each condition they hit five drives with their own driver, while a launch monitor recorded clubhead speed, distance, and how far the ball strayed sideways.

Slow-paced breathing means breathing at around four to six breaths a minute with a long out-breath, which is thought to steady the nervous system. Heart rate variability is the natural variation in the time between heartbeats, and higher values usually signal a calmer, more relaxed body. It was recorded alongside heart rate.

The players used a 4-2-8 pattern, breathing in, holding briefly, and then breathing out for longer. They built the breathing into two points of their routine: while picturing the target and just before the backswing. To create pressure, players were told their results would be recorded and ranked against others, with rewards for the top three.

Adding slow breathing raised heart rate variability and lowered heart rate compared with the normal routine, in calm conditions and under pressure. The differences were statistically significant and large. The golfers also rated their mental clarity higher with the breathing routine, and felt more physically relaxed when it was used in calm conditions.

The swing results were more mixed. Under pressure, the breathing routine produced faster clubhead speeds and longer drives than the same routine in calm conditions, but the ball also strayed further to the side. Neither breathing condition differed significantly from the normal routine on any swing measure, and confidence fell under pressure, from about 3.3 to 2.3 on a five-point scale.

The researchers suggest that the arousal created by pressure may have favoured power over the fine control needed for accuracy. Falling confidence may also have cancelled out some of the physical benefits of the breathing. A calmer body did not automatically produce a straighter shot.

The study has clear limits. It involved only 15 male golfers, measured readiness with single questions, and tested only immediate effects rather than learning over weeks. The pressure came from a ranking with rewards in a laboratory, which may not capture the emotional strain of real tournament play.

Earlier studies have found that slow breathing sharpens focus in elite swimmers and eases pre-competition anxiety in baseball players, so the calming effect here fits that work. The researchers suggest extra training may be needed to hold accuracy under pressure, and call for longer studies with players of different abilities.

Slow breathing before a golf shot calmed the body in a Thai study, but accuracy still slipped under pressure.