"Especial skills" exist in learned skills with regulated execution distances (e.g., basketball and baseball); however, no study has explored this effect for non-distance regulated skills. Therefore, this study explored whether the especial skill effect exists for actual versus predicted performance outcome variability (i.e., precision) or accuracy measures when executing golf pitch shots to an individually-preferred distance, based on the outcomes from four non-preferred distances. Ten skilled male golfers were recruited (three PGA Professionals and seven amateurs, Mage = 24.6 ± 5.0 years, Mhandicap = 2.1, SD = 3.2) and executed 50 quasi-randomly ordered shots using their own preferred "wedge" club (e.g., pitching, gap, sand, and lob wedges). Ten shots were executed to each target distance at 10-yard intervals from an artificial turf mat into an indoor net 4.5 m away without any outcome feedback. Performance outcome was measured using a photometric-based golf launch monitor. Precision was ≥10% improved when compared to the predicted value at the preferred distance for half of the participants. However, the prevalence of this effect was limited when considering accuracy measures. Data showed initial support for investigating the especial skill effect in non-distance regulated skills since there were positive effects for some but not all golfers. Future research would benefit by considering contemporary motor control theories and interdisciplinary applied factors to extend investigations of especial skills.
Carson et al. (2026) studied this question.