The purpose of this study was to examine measures of cardiac and respiratory activity when participants at different levels of skill development performed a golf putting task under attentional focus instructions. Putting performance and self-reports of attentional focus were also examined.The mixed factorial designs included group, putting condition, and epoch.Novice (n=18), experienced (n=16), and elite golfers (n=16) attempted 2.4m straight putts under a baseline (no instruction) condition and when instructed to focus attention on a process goal, a performance goal, an outcome goal, or to trust the body to perform the skill.Compared to novice golfers, the experienced and elite golfers showed better performance and reduced heart rate (HR), greater heart rate variability (HRV), pronounced HR deceleration prior to the putt, and a greater tendency to exhale prior to the putt. The attentional focus instructions also influenced HR and putting performance.The results show that athletes at different skill levels differ in their performance and focus of attention while performing a motor task.