Science on the Course Infographic: The Physics of Golf by Quicken Loans
Golf is as fun for professionals as it is for amateurs and casual players, you just never know exactly where the ball will go. My brother is the golf head in our family. Most all the Sports Techie community blog readers and followers are either players, or know someone that either plays or is a fan of some sort. My game is as good as the players I am with, if you have a low handicap so will I the day we play together and vice versa for high handicaps. That is why having your own personal golf coach explain why you hook or fade a drive off the tee or come up short on putts is a super concept but is not always available on the course, driving range and at home, but don’t worry, there are excellent golf sports technology products that can help you improve as a golfer. Another excellent tool is this infographic, “Science on the Course: The Physics of Golf,” created by Quicken Loans.
Golf Fundamentals
The reason Quicken Loans compiled the scientific golf information is because they are the official mortgage sponsor of the 2014 PGA TOUR. So to maximized the sponsorship, they asked me to share this data to any of our passionate global golf fans featuring facts and fundamentals about the game, invented in Scotland during the 15th-century before modern sports technology was implemented into the clubs, balls and courses, and apparel and shoes, so a guy like Rory McIIroy can become the best golfer in the world even though he is of average male height and weight.
Key Findings
- The effect of temperature on the distance a ball travels
- Facts about how a golf ball’s dimples make a big difference
- How a ball travels after it’s hit by a swing
- How torque affects swing and backspin on the ball
Hole-In-One Sweepstakes
I just entered and you should enter the Hole-In-One Sweepstakes for a chance to have your mortgage paid for an entire year. Every time a professional hits a hole-in-one on the PGA TOUR, Quicken Loan selects a lucky winner and pays their mortgage for a year. This type of contest is a good business opportunity for vendors and consumers.
If you don’t win the big prize, have no fear because they pick another winner monthly that gets their mortgage paid for one month. The digital sweepstakes continues until the 2014 tour ends.
So far eight hole-in-ones have happened so the odds are good that several more are on the horizon for a possible Sports Techie winner.
Science on the Course: The Physics of Golf
An infographic from the team at the Quicken Loans Zing Blog.
Sports Techie, If anyone is still alive that remembers the first patent for a dimpled golf ball in 1908, that would put him or her at 106 years-old, blessing to you. Over 330-500 dimples later, the revolutionary Titleist Pro-V-1 is the preferred golf ball of most pros because it flies father, spins more and is easier to control.
To think that since then, wood clubs and shafts has been replaced by steel, iron and now graphite, makes me wonder what material is next, probably nanotechnology. Purchasing clubs off the rack at a Pro Shop or sporting goods store was the norm for decades, now you can customize each component of the club with materials of choice constructed to hit the ball better and match your swing.
The PGA Tour has regulations and rules in place that take some of the sports tech competitive edge away, a good example is the belly putter that anchors to your body or arms is soon to be banned for all pros. I believe range finders will be legal at the 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay in Washington. Waterproof shoes are a standard for golfers that want to play their best. Lighter and smaller golf bags are another new trend enabling golfers who walk eighteen holes to have more power to hit the ball instead of carrying heavier bags around the sometimes hilly courses that can zap your strength.
Having the skill set to spin the ball is usually accomplished after years of practice and coaching instruction. Most instructors would advice you to shore up your swing fundamentals before attempting to spin a golf ball like the pros do.
Using a new Nike Vapor produces shots that regularly travel over 300-yards and then some. In fact, because sports tech has supped up performance so much, older golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus and other designers have become somewhat obsolete because the yardage is not enough to challenge the elite players of the world. Factor in the increase in club speed through the plane at nearly 150 mph and you begin to understand why the top hitters drive it 400-yards on average.
In terms of the club, visualize MciIroy again and the reasons why he drives the ball so far even though he is not the biggest or strongest golfer during PGA Tour or Ryder Cup play. His swing velocity, combines with the double pendulum effect, centrifugal force and torque to produce shots that are not only consistent but game-changers. Just last week, he hit a tough shot left handed after hitting into water hazard that saved par. The swing math formula is worth studying and understanding.
Temperatures are increased worldwide so it comes as no surprise that physics tells us a thirty degree increase in heat and humidity to 100 helps golfers hit the ball 15 yards further, another reason why more hole-in-ones are more common than ever before.
The final stat is revealing and a tad shocking, most of us have a 12,500 to 1 chance of nailing a hole-in-one while the odds of a PGA Tour pro striking pay dirt is only 2,500 to 1.
Golf is the sport that relies on equipment more than any other. The development of golf products can change overnight or in six-months time, making it expensive to keep up with the next Tiger Woods.
When nano-technology becomes a part of the ball, club face and shafts, and gloves, apparel and shoes, you can bet your house mortgage that hole-in-one shots will increase for everyone.
See y’all later in Seattle and here in Atlanta.
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