Golf Experts: Physics people

[PlatinumGold]

if you have identical swings and head speeds, head shapes and angles, will a heavier club head hit the ball farther than a lighter club head?

 

[GagHalfrunt]

If all else is equal, yes, Simple conservation of momentum tells us that a heavier club will impart more energy to the ball. Unfortunately, all else is not equal and never will be. You will not swing a heavier club as quickly as a lighter club. Gains in transfer of momentum will be offset by less initial momentum to begin with.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
If all else is equal, yes, Simple conservation of momentum tells us that a heavier club will impart more energy to the ball. Unfortunately, all else is not equal and never will be. You will not swing a heavier club as quickly as a lighter club. Gains in transfer of momentum will be offset by less initial momentum to begin with.

the thing is, i can swing a club at 120 mph but i can't control it. so lately i've been hitting all my balls at a swing of about 90 to 95 mph. much better control but no where near the distance.

i'm pretty big and reasonably strong, so i figure i can probably keep the club going at the same speed (about 95 mph) even if i had lead tape to my clubs.

is this reasoning false?

 

[spidey07]

you're on the right track. but IMHO more clubhead speed is fine as long as you can control it. But hitting the ball properly is MUCH more important than clubhead speed. It's all in your swing.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
If all else is equal, yes, Simple conservation of momentum tells us that a heavier club will impart more energy to the ball. Unfortunately, all else is not equal and never will be. You will not swing a heavier club as quickly as a lighter club. Gains in transfer of momentum will be offset by less initial momentum to begin with.

the thing is, i can swing a club at 120 mph but i can't control it. so lately i've been hitting all my balls at a swing of about 90 to 95 mph. much better control but no where near the distance.

i'm pretty big and reasonably strong, so i figure i can probably keep the club going at the same speed (about 95 mph) even if i had lead tape to my clubs.

is this reasoning false?

Total mass of a driver is something on the order of 310-350 grams. Figure 198-200 grams for the head, maybe 50-60 for the grip and 60-90 for the shaft. The most you're going to be able to increase the weight is maybe 5-7 grams of lead tape. Anything more than that and the club will be unswingable. What percentage are you increasing the mass of the club, maybe 2%. At 95mph you're hitting the ball maybe 230 yards if you strike it perfectly. Pick up 2% of that by better transfer of momentum, what did you gain?

You're thinking about this the wrong way. You don't need to change your equipment, you need to change your swing. If you can really swing at 120mph, but can only make solid contact at 95mph, you're got a lot of headroom in that area. Work on slowly increasing your swing speed while maintaining control. A simple 5mph swing speed increase at the same control level will drawf gains you're going to make any other way.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
If all else is equal, yes, Simple conservation of momentum tells us that a heavier club will impart more energy to the ball. Unfortunately, all else is not equal and never will be. You will not swing a heavier club as quickly as a lighter club. Gains in transfer of momentum will be offset by less initial momentum to begin with.

the thing is, i can swing a club at 120 mph but i can't control it. so lately i've been hitting all my balls at a swing of about 90 to 95 mph. much better control but no where near the distance.

i'm pretty big and reasonably strong, so i figure i can probably keep the club going at the same speed (about 95 mph) even if i had lead tape to my clubs.

is this reasoning false?

Total mass of a driver is something on the order of 310-350 grams. Figure 198-200 grams for the head, maybe 50-60 for the grip and 60-90 for the shaft. The most you're going to be able to increase the weight is maybe 5-7 grams of lead tape. Anything more than that and the club will be unswingable. What percentage are you increasing the mass of the club, maybe 2%. At 95mph you're hitting the ball maybe 230 yards if you strike it perfectly. Pick up 2% of that by better transfer of momentum, what did you gain?

You're thinking about this the wrong way. You don't need to change your equipment, you need to change your swing. If you can really swing at 120mph, but can only make solid contact at 95mph, you're got a lot of headroom in that area. Work on slowly increasing your swing speed while maintaining control. A simple 5mph swing speed increase at the same control level will drawf gains you're going to make any other way.

would a 5% increase in weight be equal to a 5% increase in swing speed?

 

[Tiamat]

Agreed with the above. Your swing matters most in determining the distance. Unrealistically, if you double the weight of the club, than you will also increase the distance. However, since the weights of the clubs differ by only a small percentage, your swing accuracy and velocity will make the biggest difference.

 

[DaiShan]

Your OP has already been answered, but really you should concentrate on control. I hit it about 250-275, I Know a lot of guys that can out drive me, but I put mine in the fairway and they put theirs in the woods. Big hits look cool, but don't mean jack if you're double bogeying every hole.

 

[DAGTA]

F = MA
Force = Mass * Acceleration.

If your swing is exactly the same and the speed is exactly the same, the mass will make a difference of more or less force. However, as others have said, your swing is going to make more difference than anything. If one club is lighter but you hit better with it, that's going to help your game more than the club that you occasionally get 20 more yards but often hit worse.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: DaiShan
Your OP has already been answered, but really you should concentrate on control. I hit it about 250-275, I Know a lot of guys that can out drive me, but I put mine in the fairway and they put theirs in the woods. Big hits look cool, but don't mean jack if you're double bogeying every hole.

obligatory "drive for show, putt for dough"

but man it is so true.

 

[Toastedlightly]

KE= 1/2mv^2

Velocity will gain you more energy on the ball

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

would a 5% increase in weight be equal to a 5% increase in swing speed?

You need to make that determination yourself. Static weight, swingweight and club length effect different people in different ways. While simple physics says that making the arc of the swing longer will increase clubhead speed, that's only true to a degree. Everyone has a point where making a club longer will make the swing slower. The same is true for weight. Some will adapt to heavier weights with minimal speed decrease and some will drop quickly as the weight increases. Try sticking a brick on a piece of rebar. Great mass, think you can hit a ball more than 50 yards with it? Increasing club weight IS NOT THE ANSWER. I cannot put it any more simply that that. Long drive competitors and PGA tour pros spend countless hours on launch montitors and banging balls under real world conditions and they all reach the same conclusion that is indisputable: In the quest for distance lighter and faster is better than heavier and slower. THey use the lightest clubs THAT THEY CAN CONTROL. You should do the same.