Different golf balls can affect the outcome of the shot. The different constructions of each ball can change the possible distances of the flight of the ball. Although different subjects may have varying results with each ball, the construction does have an effect on the outcome. The dimples affect the airflow around the ball and different dimples have different effects.
Golf balls have not always had dimples on them. The balls that are used when playing golf used to be made of wood. They then evolved into the featherie. A featherie is a leather pouch that was filled with wet goose feathers. When the leather dried the ball shrunk and hardened. They worked well in good weather conditions, but when the featheries got wet they did not work as well. More kinds of golf balls had been made after the creation of the featherie. The guttie was a rubber ball that worked well in wet conditions, unlike the featherie. As the gutties were being used, the players found that the dirty beat up balls that had chunks hit out of them worked better than the new smooth balls. Ball makers began making molds with bumps and ridges so that the balls flew the best when the game started. After the discovery that the balls that aren’t smooth fly better, dimples came about in the world of golf.
The dimples are there to decrease the drag on the golf ball. They delay the separation of air particles from the ball. In doing so, the dimples create less drag allowing the ball to travel a farther distance. Drag occurs faster when the air particles separate from the ball at a normal rate. This happens because there is space between the ball and where the particles separate which creates a vacuum effect (Smith, 2010).
Every company makes golf balls differently. Some...
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Most amateur golfers believe that impact on the ball is the only key factor for hitting straighter and farther by swinging harder and faster, forgetting important facets in basics of the swing. There are multiple parts of the swing that involve biomechanics however; some key points are set-up, backswing, downswing, follow-through, and ground reaction force (GFR). To focus primarily only on one point of the swing to fix all problems is an obscure way to view the s...
In 1982, Ely Reeves Callaway had bought his small wedge and putter golf business and called it Hickory Stick USA and created clubs that were enjoyable for the average golfer. He called these clubs the Demonstrably Superior and Pleasingly Different (DSPD) clubs. This was a code he had always lived by. The family of Ely Callaway are not involved with the company today because he was told to choose his successor, and had chose Ron Draqpeau. He is a man who only shared the same vision and thought of golf, but also had the skills as a leader to continue his wonderful golf company. The goal was to make a good product and tell the truth about the game. In those days Ely would provide them to his customers personally in the back of his Cadillac. He made sales calls and talked to pros, amateurs, and those who came to be known as an average golfer. Finally, Hickory Stick USA came to be knows as Callaway Hickory Stick U.S.A, and not too long after that, Callaway Golf.
As I was doing research on this assignment I came across a web page about the effects of gravity on mars as it specifically relates to the projectile path of a curve ball. I know that you cannot believe everything you read, especially when it comes to internet content, but the issue is still worth noting. I will mention this effect when the topic of spin on the ball is discussed. Gravity was the other force that was mentioned by the scientists. This isn’t too particularly exciting, because it’s always in
Next, approach the ball and establish a stance. The stance of your legs should be shoulder width apart and square with the shoulders. More advance golfers may use open or closed stances, but a square stance is best for beginners. After establishing a stance that is comfortable then take the golf club, holding the shaft on the tape with the left hand placing the thumb on top of the shaft pointing to the ground while the other four fingers are wrapped around the handle holding it. After doing this extend the left elbow to a locking position and place the right hand on the shaft in the same fashion, but put the palm of the right hand on top of the left hand thumb. The grip should seem very comfortable. This is called the baseball grip, a widely used grip by beginning golfers.
Baseball is a fascinating sport that is exceptionally fun to play. This assignment is all about understanding the physics of a few key aspects of this sport. One might ask what physics could have to do with baseball? Like most sports baseball involves physical motion. Baseball encompasses all three planes of motion through throwing, hitting, and fielding. All of the classical laws of mechanics can be applied to understand the physics of this game.
(http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/airplane/ballforce.html Horney, A., Lowry, T., Schwenker, E., & wray, E. (2008). A New spin on baseball. Electronic Proceedings of Undergraduate Mathematics, 3(4)).
Avid golfers know all too well the elusive nature of the golf club’s sweet spot. It is a mystery they spend hours trying to solve on the links, usually to no avail. What sets apart amateurs from the professionals is the ability to consistently strike the highly critical pinpoint portion of the club. It is easy to see the difference between the consistency of an amateur and a professional with the definition of the wear spots on the pro’s golf club located where the sweet spot should be (see figure 1 below). Although many complex factors influence the path of a golf ball, the sweet spot has proven essential to maximize the final distance. The sweet spot is all powerful because of its ability to compress the golf ball. The transfer of energy that occurs through the perfect strike produces the largest velocity of the ball and therefore the greatest distance. The reason that mastery of hitting the hot spot of the clubface is close to unmanageable for the average amateur golfer is simply because of all the factors at play. Focusing on the most important part of the golf swing, impact with the ball, narrows the whole motion down into a split second of action. For golfers, the swing has little to do with success on the course, it is how efficient players are at the moment of striking the golf ball. In other words, it all comes down to that moment of impact. This allows people with a variety of body types and ages to excel at the sport throughout their life. Strength has a small role in lowering scores on the course and sending the ball farther down the fairway. An example of the small role that the golfer’s physical size plays, in relation to mastery of the sweet spot, is that I, at 5’7”, consistently drive the ball further than my 6’2”, considerably larger father. Researching and perfecting the sweet spot remains an important field of study in all the big name club manufacturers, as well as in the United States Golf Association (USGA).
First off, the knuckle ball. It is called the hardest pitch to hit. A pitch that seemingly floats like a butterfly and then magically drops into the strike zone, dumbfounding the batter and almost always resulting in a strike out. But how is this pitch actually thrown? The name of the pitch essentially entails how the pitch is thrown, the pitcher curls his fingers into his hand, placing the knuckles of his fingers on the ball, and releasing the ball in this manner and fashion. But why does this work? It comes down to the position of the laces. By throwing the ball off the pitcher’s knuckles, the ball exhibits no spin throughout the entire duration of the pitch. This allows different lift forces within the air is passes to exert themselves upon the ball. By doing this, the ball is subject to different planar movements as a result of different lift forces manifesting themselves upon the baseball that is thrown. In a simplistic explanation, this is why a knuckle ball “knuckles” as it is thrown.
Lift or curve in the motion of an object through air is a phenomena that is noticeable in a ball traveling through fluid/air. This change in direction is due to the effect that spin has on the object in motion. This can be explained by Bernoulli's Principle. Bernoulli, a 1700's physicist and mathematician, showed that the speed of an object through liquid/air changes the pressure of the air. The velocity of a spinning ball relative to the air is different from one side to the other creating a low pressure on one side and a high pressure on the other. This causes the ball to move in the direction of the lower pressure. The golf ball is typically hit with an undercut causing a reverse rotation and therefore a lifting action on the ball.
The Titleist brand was inspired by an event which occurred in 1932. An amateur golfer, Phil Young, missed a putt while playing in a match with his friend. Convinced that it was the ball 's fault, Young and his opponent went to the hospital, x-rayed the golf ball in question and found that its core was, in fact, off-center.
...the knuckle ball will go the direction of least resistance. This makes the pitch very unpredictable and hard to control.
Golf. A sport that started out with just a wooden stick and ball, is now a very well know game by many people all around the globe. The sport that also just started out as a way to mess around has become a job for some of the people and is making some golfers millions of dollars each year. A sport that many people spend their whole lives playing or watching used to not be exactly what is today. Even though golf is a very well known sport now, golf has been around for hundreds of years and is played by people all over the world. The sport of golf has been dated all the way back to years before 1,000 and has kept growing exponentially ever since. According to the International Golf Federation, they have 144 different countries a part of the organization, leaving out 51. The game of golf is played at many different levels all the way from junior tournaments, all the way to professional events. The evolution of the sport of golf is made up of a couple main things. These two main things are how golf got its start, and what has changed about the game.
The amount of contact in each sport is a prime example. In football, it is impossible to avoid physical contact, as it is a very aggressive sport with hard hits occurring every play. There is also a difference in the type of injuries within each sport. In football, injuries are much more severe. According to Head Case Company, football is the leading sport in concussions (“Sports Concussion Statistics”). It is common to have injuries in upper and lower limbs and in the torso and pelvis (“Sports Concussion Statistics”). There is also a difference in training between the two sports. Daily, our football practices consist of intense running drills, weight lifting, hitting and blocking drills, and many team building activities (BE3). When contrasting physical demands of football with golf, an obvious difference is that in golf there is no contact with opponents. There are also minor injuries that are common due to repetitive motions in the shoulder and elbow. Training for golf is much less strenuous, as it focuses more on muscle memory. Meticulous changes are often made to the swing and grip, and a sweat typically isn’t broken. Golf training heavily focuses on precision and
Projectile motion is used in our daily lives, from war, to the path of the water in the water fountain, to sports. When using a water fountain or hose, projectile motion can be used to describe the path and motion of the water. This technology was created by finding the angle at which the water would come out at a maximum height and the person using it would be able to drink it without leaning over too much. These types of projectile motion will be further explored and analyzed in this assessment.
H. Young, & R. Geller, Sears & Zemansky's College Physics, 8th ed., (Pearson Education Inc., San Francisco, 2007), pp. 422-426, 428, 430-431.