The physics of the drive in golf

Abstract

With the personal computer the undergraduate physics student can investigate interesting physical systems. This is illustrated with a study of golf drives predicted from experimentally measured lift and drag coefficients which give forces nearly proportional to the square of the velocity of the ball. Their interplay gives a surprising linear dependence of range on initial velocity, in good agreement with empirical formulas but in contrast with the quadratic dependence discussed in introductory physics courses. Spin damping is easily introduced and found to decrease the range for a given launch angle. The exploration of quantitative and qualitative differences between the trajectories produced by measured drag and lift forces and those predicted by a model with a linear velocity dependence illustrates the scientific method at work.