How can a ball fly in a *downwards* curve ?!

[Oops!]

Usually I know exactly what I did wrong, but today I found myself in a situation where I could use your help, please :
I hit two balls into a water hazard with my driver from the tee.
That in itself wouldn’t be all that surprising, if the drives hadn't been long enough and had landed in the water just short of the fairway. But that wasn‘t the case.
The hole is officially listed as 388 meters; the first shot goes over a water hazard that starts about 30 meters behind the tee on the left side of the fairway and is approximately 80 meters long and 20 meters wide.
The tee is slightly elevated, about 2–3 m higher than the fairway, and the water is another 30–50 cm lower.
Both balls flew dead straight, but in a *downward* curve, and hit the water after only about 35 m (and didn‘t resurface … ).
What on earth went wrong? Did I top the ball? Did I tee it up too high ? How can a ball fly in a *downwards* curve ???
I’ve never experienced anything like this before and would really appreciate an explanation!
Help, please !

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

It really sure I’m fully understanding how the shot description is meant to come across, how high did the ball get after impact ? Was there any curve left/right before it nose dived into the water ?

 

[Oops!]

It really sure I’m fully understanding how the shot description is meant to come across, how high did the ball get after impact ? Was there any curve left/right before it nose dived into the water ?

No, dead straight, but downwards.

Edit : Seen from the side it started as a straight line, them went down. Imagine a half-parabola lying on its side with the opening facing left…!

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

No, dead straight, but downwards.

So absolutely no airtime at all with the ball!

Sounds like a top but not the type
Because you are on an elevated tee, a topped ball will shoot out low and fast. Once it leaves the tee box, the heavy topspin acts like a "sinker" pitch in baseball—it will aggressively dive and plummet into the water below, but it will always travel forward first.

That’s how I’m thinking from your description.

 

[Oops!]

I think you're right: Because the tee was raised slightly, the ball actually took off like a topped shot—very flat—and then curved downward.
That makes sense!
Thanks!

 

[Crow]

A top that imparts topspin to the ball will create lower pressure under the ball, pulling it down in the same way that backspin imparts lift.
Funnily enough a video explaining the aerodynamics has just been released.

 

[Bagger Vance]

Imagine a half-parabola lying on its side with the opening facing left…!

I'm a golfer not a mathematician

 

[Mel Smooth]

Lack of spin - what driver and shaft are you using?

I had a go with a Titleist driver with a stiff low spin shaft in and got the exact same ball flight - the boy could hit it, but I couldn't (his swing speed is higher than mine).

 

[Oops!]

BTW,

I'm a golfer not a mathematician

Sorry, I drew a picture and took a photo of it, but the forum software rejected it because the file was too big to upload, and I just didn't feel like going all the way to the office, booting up the computer, resizing the image, and then trying again!
I hope you can forgive me!

 

[Bagger Vance]

All you had to say was X={2/1+ (*Y/#) x air temperature and we would have understood

 

[Oops!]

Lack of spin - what driver and shaft are you using?

I had a go with a Titleist driver with a stiff low spin shaft in and got the exact same ball flight - the boy could hit it, but I couldn't (his swing speed is higher than mine).

Cleveland Launcher XL2 Draw Driver, graphit shaft (Aldila Ascent PL 4).
First practice session on Saturday at the driving range: 90 minutes, 45 of which were with my coach, and the balls flew dead straight and far (a good 150 meters carry). Only at the very end did a few balls show a very slight tendency to the right (slice), but it was nothing like before (when they used to go way off to the right).
Then today, the first round on the course confirmed that initial impression: straight and far. The number of slices was practically zero, and my longest drive today was 190 meters total (as measured by GPS).
So for now, I don’t think it was the club’s fault…!

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

No, dead straight, but downwards.

Edit : Seen from the side it started as a straight line, them went down. Imagine a half-parabola lying on its side with the opening facing left…!

Glad you added the edit after I commented. I’m in the military the only shapes I understand are Figure 11 targets. I couldn’t even fathom what a half-parabola shape is let alone imagine and explain one

 

[Mel Smooth]

Cleveland Launcher XL2 Draw Driver, graphit shaft (Aldila Ascent PL 4).
First practice session on Saturday at the driving range: 90 minutes, 45 of which were with my coach, and the balls flew dead straight and far (a good 150 meters carry). Only at the very end did a few balls show a very slight tendency to the right (slice), but it was nothing like before (when they used to go way off to the right).
Then today, the first round on the course confirmed that initial impression: straight and far. The number of slices was practically zero, and my longest drive today was 190 meters total (as measured by GPS).
So for now, I don’t think it was the club’s fault…!

To be fair, it wasn't the clubs fault in my example - it was a lack of ability by the operator.

 

[Oops!]

To be fair, it wasn't the clubs fault in my example - it was a lack of ability by the operator.

I know the feeling all to well … !

 

[rulie]

Have you watched tennis and seen the effect of topspin on a ball?

 

[Oops!]

Have you watched tennis and seen the effect of topspin on a ball?

I didn’t just watch; I actually played myself nearly 50 years ago (and not half bad, if I do say so myself).
I just couldn’t imagine that I could get the same effect with a driver, especially since the trajectory of my other topspin shots looks completely different: a flat takeoff, a flat trajectory, but still going up (even just marginally), not down!
Well, learned something new again…!

 

[Orikoru]

It's not actually possible to put topspin on a golf ball, unless you've literally only topped it a few yards. A severely low-spin impact will make it drop out of the air quickly though. As others said above, a regular topped drive can produce this.

 

[Tashyboy]

Yes, you can put topspin on a golf ball, but how and when you do it drastically changes the outcome. Unlike tennis or ping-pong, true topspin is actively avoided in standard golf, as a golf ball relies on backspin (lift) to fly.
Putting topspin on a golf ball functions differently across the game:

1. In Your Putting Stroke (Intentional)
You do want topspin when putting. It makes the ball roll smoothly end-over-end without hopping or skidding off line. [1, 2, 3, 4]

• How to do it: Hit the ball "on the rise" (when the putter is traveling upward in your stroke arc) with a slight forward shaft lean. This reduces the putter’s loft and imparts a forward roll. [1]

2. Full Swings & Chips (Generally Accidental)
In a normal full swing with an iron or driver, a struck golf ball always spins backwards. Trying to swing "up and over" a ball on the turf will only result in a mishit. [1, 2, 3]

• The "Topped" Shot: If you hit the top half of the ball (a "worm-burner"), you impart topspin. The ball will scuttle forward along the ground immediately