The Physics of a Golf Ball
The first written reference of golf was in 1457. Golf balls have had extraordinary changes since that time; they've gone from leather pouches to dried gum to today's dimpled balls. These dimples help decrease the drag and increase the lift. Different forces are applied to the golf ball when struck by the club. Golf clubs have grooves to create backspin. And then there are different variables that affect how a golf ball will travel, these include: lie angle and the shaft length. A golfer must never forget about "the wind factor". And last but not least , a golfer must flat-out use his own judgment in the game of golf.
The game of golf has a science all of it's own, and even the best players have days when the simplest of strokes proves a frustrating challenge. Golf has been an extraordinary sport for quite a while. In-fact, the first written reference of golf dates back to 1457. Since that time it has been a developing sport that has turned into a multi-billion dollar industry. With all the money, energy, and time (the sandpit in my situation) that has been exhorted to the game of golf, you'd think it would be a cakewalk rather than a mystery. Surprisingly enough, the average golfer knows next to nothing about the physics of golf. Here's an inside look at what happens from the time the golfer steps on the tee too the time that the ball falls into that "ooh" so far away black hole.
With like anything else, the game of golf has gone through ratification due to science and technology. Up until 1848, a spherical leather pouch was filled with wet goose feathers. The pouch was stitched with linen thread, turned inside out so that the stitching was on the inside. The ball dried to becom...
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... ball hit against the wind will have greater lift and more drag and one hit with the wind will have a smaller lift and less drag. But a smart golfer must realize the strength and direction of the wind.
Understanding the physics of a modern day golf ball will not alone save you from an embarrassing round of golf. Perfection comes with experience and getting a feel of each course that awaits you. I do believe that a thorough understanding of the physical principals underlying the various aspects of the flight of the golf ball will help the golfer to make the correct judgments and thereby improve his game.
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Jorgensen, T.P. (1994) Aerodynamic Forces.
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www.kent.wednet.edu (1995) The physics of Golf
Why do golf balls have dimples?
The agency I chose to do is the Hillandale golf course, which is located in Durham North Carolina. The reason why I chose to do my project on Hillandale golf course because since the beginning of the semester I have been traveling over to the golf course twice a week for a class learning the rules and the way the game of golf is played. Hillandale golf course is named the “Granddaddy golf course of Durham/ Research Triangle golf”. Hillandale was donated to the Durham area back in 1911 through the philanthropic interests of long-time Durham resident John Sprunt Hill. Donald Ross and Perry Maxwell originally designed the course. Donald Ross had designed the first 9 holes and Perry Maxwell came up with the last 9 holes. Since 1960 over 1.7 million rounds of golf have been played that being an average of 45,000 yearly. This public golf course provides a challenge from each level of players in the game of golf. In 1960, the Hillandale Golf Course was moved to its current location in Durham and was redesigned by George Cobb, who is also the designer of the Surf Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Contrary to what most think, an “Arnold Palmer” is not just a blend of tea and lemonade. One day, all might be able to swing a golf club like Arnold Palmer. Golf has been around since the thirteenth century and was introduced by the Scottish and Dutch. The main goal of golf is to reach the hole in the fewest amount of shots possible. One main difference between golf and many other sports is the lower the score the better. Regardless of the fact that the game was once banned, golf is now enjoyed by many (“The History of Golf”). Despite the images in common golf commercials, the golf swing is endlessly complicated.
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...
First, before you can drive a ball, you need the right equipment. You will need a number one wood, or driver, a golf tee, and, preferably golf shoes for extra traction to prevent your feet from sliding. Now that you have the proper equipment, you can begin the drive.
Golf is a game of honor. The furthest ball from the hole must be hit first to try and get it in. In match play, if the a player gets a double par they must pick up the ball and move on to the next hole. In golf, a player compete against an opponent to see who can hit the ball in the hole, the least amount of strokes. The athlete must endure mild to intense workouts to become good at the sport. The most important aspect to work on in golf, is the swing. The athlete must focus on their golf swing to perform optimal swing mechanics. This is because the players consistency for 18 holes “depends on a stable golf swing” (Pedersen). While swinging a club, a person can work at least 16 different muscle groups in their body, so training these muscle groups will help their overall ability. Last but not least balance is another essential for every golf player. In golf, “...players who are restricted in their hips or shoulders start to strike the ball better if they downshift to 75 percent or 80 percent of full tempo” (Nilsson). Balance is a key factor in playing and being good at
It is easy to conclude that the equipment differs in golf and frisbee golf. When golfing you use fifteen clubs and a ball, the clubs allow you to hit shots at different lengths. The ball you use consists of hard plastic that varies in the way they grip the green and the way they fly through the air. You hit the ball at a hole with a three-inch diameter by hitting the ball with the club. When playing frisbee golf you use frisbees made from a hard plastic for durability. When picking out your frisbee you must take a lot of other things into consideration such as: color, weight, design and flight pattern. You also may find it necessary to obtain two frisbees one being a driver and the other being a putter. The driver is for maximum distance but not accuracy and the putter is for the opposite. You throw these frisbees at hanging chains with a cup underneath. I think beginners should play where they get the frisbee to hit any part of the chains or the pole in the air. So if you throw it and nick the chains its as good as putting it in the cup, making it easier so you don’t get so discouraged. This also helps them experiment with how the frisbee flies and how to get it to fly other ways. To recap golf uses two types of equipment and frisbee golf uses just one, also in golf the club propels the ball as opposed to frisbee golf where your arm throws the frisbee.
To start off, Now, we come to the tee-box where we put our stretching and breathing into effect creating the positive mentality, followed by a few quick practice swings. You then tee-up the ball, making sure the ball is lined up with the center of the face of the club. Then, you line up your shot and swing away, sending the ball flying down the middle of the fairway, creating a sense of euphoria. Next, we approach our second shot, making sure to choose the correct club according to the distance from the green. Once again, you line up your shot and swing, letting the ball coast and land on the green, as close to the hole as you possibly could. Now, comes the trickiest part which is reading the green. You grab your putter, then step back and squat, all the time trying to visualize the ball path. You, determine then were you should line up your putt depending on the break which is in the ball path. You step up to the ball, line up your putt, and swing your arms like a clock pendulum. The ball sinks into the hole sending you into a jumping fit of excitement. Thus, neatly showing how you can successfully play a hole of
“Golf is the fastest growing competitive sport in the United States today” (Fossum 87). This game is rapidly growing In the United States, but is also a very expensive game to play. Today, it is a $25 billion business in the United States. (Dobrian). Golf is a game of dedication and patience that has a very interesting history. There are three main parts when it comes to the history of golf and how it can about. The creator of golf along with its origin, the advancement in equipment over the years, and the first golfers and courses are all major things in the history of the game.
The golf ball has changed dramatically through the years. Smooth hardwood balls were used between the 1400 and 1700's.
The legendary beginnings of golf in the United States can be traced back to the mid-1600s. One of the first published references to golf in America was in 1659 referring to the ban on golf in the streets of Albany, New York. The next substantial reference to the game comes from Charleston, North Carolina in 1786. At that time, a local Charleston newspaper ran a story about the formation of the Harleston Green Golf Club. The Harleston Green remained in operation for approximately twenty-five years, closing about the time of the War of 1812. Around the same time period, approximately1795, another golf club opened in Savannah, Georgia. References to this golf club continued until 1811 again apparently closing just before the beginning of the war. The War of 1812 served to destroy the desire to play golf. It wasn’t until the late 1870s, well after the Civil War ended, that there was a resurgence of golf in the United States.
Golf is the ultimate battle between man and nature. It is a beautiful sport in which dreams come true and hearts are broken. Man is challenged on every stroke by nature’s elements. Wind and rain are only a few of the conditions that affect this great game. Undulating hills, sand bunkers, thick rough, and even creeks and ponds come into play on most golf courses. These features are fierce at Augusta National Golf Course. Located along the fall line, the natural beauty of the region is the perfect complement to this championship golf course. Every spring when the flowers are in full bloom, Augusta plays host to The Masters Championship and is transformed into the Mecca of Golf.
The organ of golf in it most primary of forms is unknown, but there are many cultures that show golf in times as early as the thirteenth century. Three groups of people claim that they started golf: The English, the Dutch and the Scots. The English say that they started golf because of the sketches of a man apparently preparing to strike a ball in a golf like manner stained into the windows of the Gloucester Cathedral, England. Many scholars doubt that theory because it could have been a man playing cambuca, a popular pastime of English society in that time. The Dutch say that they started golf because they feel it is a mixture of the two Dutch games chole and jeu de mail. Many people believe that the word golf originated from Holland with the word "colf" which means club. A Dutch man named Van Hengal traced colf back to December 1297, in a town of Loenen in Northern Holland. In this month, local townsfolk played four holes of the game to commemor...
In the world of sport, a selection of game’s have been labeled as the “gentleman’s choice”. However, when push comes to shove, only one sport can rightfully stake claim to the tag, with that sport being golf. Many decisions and bonds have been done while playing this grass-laden game. Well, considering the sheer popularity of golf, Pipeline49 has brought the sport to life within its latest online casino slots release. Aptly titled Closest to the Pin, this game is all about precision and, quite frankly, we can’t get enough of it.
Up until this point, all the golf balls that were created had been made with a smooth, rounded surface. But the Gutta Perch balls had a strange phenomenon occur when they began to wear down and get chips and defects on the surface. They actually became more accurate and flew in a straighter line at this point. This is due to the aerodynamics on the ball, which is comprised of two elements, lift and drag. Lift pushes golf balls upwards in the air, whereas drag creates a force against the direction the ball travels. Small depressions on the ball 's surface, such as chips/ defects on a Gutta Perch and the dimples on modern balls you see today, create a layer of smooth flowing air turbulence around the ball that decreases drag. These indentations also help create a backspin on the ball, which positively affects the
One big difference is a type of balls used and what is used to make the balls. For a tennis ball, the "modern tennis balls are made of a hollow rubber core, covered in a wool or nylon shell which is known as the nap. Pressurized air inside the rubber core makes the ball bounce. Balls that haven 't got enough pressure inside make a thud when they hit the floor. These are called dead balls." This information I found on www.bbc.co.uk, which also explains a little bit of the history of the tennis ball. In golf, the balls are made up of "many materials used in golf balls but the majority can is broken down into three categories: rubbers, ionomers and urethanes. In the past, golf balls have been made of wood, leather wrapped around feathers, sap from a gutta tree and sap from balata trees." This information is found on www.srixon.co.uk/ which goes further into the making of the golf balls. The tennis ball is two and a half inches (6.35cms) in diameter and weighs two ounces (56.7g). A golf ball is 1.6 ounces (45.93g) and 1.7 inches (42.7mm) in diameter. Even though tennis balls and golf balls are different sizes, they almost weigh the same weight. I find it very interesting that the balls are such different sizes but only a few ounces different in