The Physics of Golf

 Many people have tried out the sport of golf during their quarantine period. As some would say it is an easy sport, but it is anything but that. Golf takes extreme focus, mental toughness, strength, and precision. For example in a par 3 hole, you must hit the ball just right so that it goes down the fairway straight. Then you must hit it again at the right spot to get it in a good position on the green. Next, you must hit the ball with careful precision to have the ball role in tandem with the hills on the green to land perfectly in the hole. A tad right, you miss; a tad left, you miss; not enough power, you miss; too much, you miss. There are so many instances that golf sets you up to fail. So how does Dustin Johnson, hit a golf ball so perfectly to be the winner of the 2020 Masters?

Many factors go into hitting a perfect golf swing. One of the main factors is angular motion. The golfer wants to have their maximal velocity at the bottom of their swing in order to transfer the most kinetic energy to the ball. According to The Physics of Golf, the kinetic energy is proportional to the mass of the clubhead and the square of its velocity. Another factor is the twisting motion of the club that creates torque. This torque is what affects the angular velocity which can cause the ball to move in different directions. 

Dustin Johnson can reach a club speed of up to 125 mph at the bottom of his swing. However, not only does his angular velocity matter but the angle between the club shaft and the clubface matters as well. Research done by Raymond Penner in British Columbia found that the optimal angle for a speed at 125 mph at the bottom of the club is 7.5 degrees. Now, for someone like me who cannot hit it very fast, I would have an optimal lie angle of around 20 degrees. This angle would compensate for the slower angular velocity. 

Some other factors that influence how the ball is hit are the flexibility of the golfer so that a longer range of motion can be attained, quick motion through the torso with little movement after the movement to concentrate the build-up of velocity, driving through the ball with hips, shoulder, and wrists to concentrate where the force is put into the ball, and having the clubhead follow all the way through past his back to continue its momentum instead of coming up short. Additionally, environmental factors need to be taken into account like wind, snow, rain, etc. Then picking the right club for the distance the golfer is trying to achieve and lastly, putting requires an even more precise hit because the hills, friction, and distance come into play. 

Don’t underestimate the sport of golf. Not only does it require a lot of physical effort, but it also requires a lot of physics. 

Works Cited: 

The Physics of the Golf Swing. http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/211_fall2002.web.dir/josh_fritts/swing.html. Accessed 28 Nov. 2020.