THE SIDELINES : Golfers Shrink, Study Finds
<i> From Times wire services</i>
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland —
The long-held theory among golfers that their sport can cut even the biggest player down to size has found scientific support.
According to a paper delivered at the first World Scientific Congress of Golf, the average golfer shrinks one-hundredth of an inch during an 18-hole round, or 16-hundredths if he or she carries a full golf bag over the course.
That finding, by researchers at England’s Liverpool Polytechnic College, is among the more odd presentations at the four-day conference in this university town where golf began centuries ago.
On Tuesday’s opening day, the 300 delegates were told that golf just hasn’t kept up with performance advances of other sports in recent years.
They also were told not to worry about it.
