garyinderry
Ryder Cup Winner
Arnold said the same thing to himself when he stood on the tee of a par5 he wanted to reach in two blows.
So if Force = Mass x Acceleration..
- Thread starter standrew
- Start date
Arnold said the same thing to himself when he stood on the tee of a par5 he wanted to reach in two blows.
MadAdey
Money List Winner
i think the general consensus is to learn to hit it better. Have you ever tried hitting half shots with your driver and just concentrated knocking it it over the 150 marker on the range, you would be amazed at how far it actually goes as you are getting a better contact on the ball. I have always been interested more in the scientific side (bio mechanics, transfer of energy etc etc) of the game rather than the psychological or technical side of things.
There are so many factors to hitting the ball a long way, but the one main thing is this. You have to strike the ball at the optimum part of your swing, where your club is moving at it's greatest speed. But it is not just as simple as that, you also need to make sure that the club is being delivered at the correct angle and that you are hitting it out of the 'sweet spot' too. So hitting it further is dependent on 3 key aspects IMO, club head speed, face angle, and where the on the face the ball is struck.
So by just increasing club head speed you may loose control of the club head and start getting a poor contact, which may actually make you hit it shorter as the quality of the strike is not so good. IMO you should go get your swing measured and find the correct club head and shaft for your swing, that will improve distance.
standrew
Head Pro
okay my main question was should a heavier club go longer than a lighter one assuming same aoa, compression, swing speed yadeyadeya
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chrisd
Major Champion
All these answers are just bunkham
If your 5ft 7in and want to hit the ball further try a short run up - works every time!
If your 5ft 7in and want to hit the ball further try a short run up - works every time!
Maninblack4612
Tour Winner
I have a training club. It's a driver and it's seriously heavy. I cannot swing it fast & I've tried it at the driving range. I'm lucky if I can hit it 130 yards. To answer the question, no. The heavier the club, the more it slows your swing, reducing the extra kinetic energy that would have been there if you'd been able to swing it at the same speed, which you can't. I think that, within a fairly narrow range of club head weights, the lower swing speed cancels out the bigger mass. Outside of that range, a sharp fall off occurs. I'm sure if you had an ultra light club head you'd be able to swing it faster but I bet you wouldn't hit it too far.
If, on the other hand, you have a light shaft & can swing the same weight clubhead faster yes, you'll hit it further then.
the_coach
Journeyman Pro
The lightest club head & swing weight you can 'control to find center' will give you the fastest swing speed, so will be able to transfer the most energy at collision, so fastest ball speed so furthest distance. Question of how light you can go yet still 'feel' the head so you can get rhythm & timing.
Very heavy, or heavy club/clubhead you ain't going to be able to generate the speed at collision so you won't get the energy transfer to generate the ball speed.
SocketRocket
Ryder Cup Winner
Thats not correct. Force is the pressure applied by the clubhead. Mass is the weight of the clubhead and Acceleration is the speed the clubhead is travelling. None of this relates to the golf ball.
The ball has elastic properties and amplifies the force from the clubhead, COR (coefficient of restitution)
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Foxholer
Blackballed
Well, you got 1 bit right - but the rest is rubbish!
Mass and weight are different things (Weight is a Force - actually Mass * Gravity aka Newton's 2nd Law)
Acceleration and speed are different (Acceleration is the change of Speed, well velocity/direction - and (Nwton's 1st Law) is constant unless acted on by a Force.
It applies to both Ball and Club (head).
The Elastic properties do not amplify the force at all. The CoR, at least for the Club-face) measures how (in)efficient the impact is - how much energy is lost as it's always below 1.0. The collision would defy the Laws of Conservation of Energy otherwise!
Backwoodsman is correct. It's the efficiency of transfer of energy that is the key!
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John_R7
Assistant Pro
Theory - Yes
Actual - No (in my experience)
I have an R9 that I think is loaded heavier than standard (22 gram MWT). I have a TP weight kit and use(d) it on 4 differnet clubs. I love it but as usual want more distance.
Went to the range this morning and changed to 28 grams. Felt heavier (remember you are changing swing weight but, man, that could be a complete thread in itself!).
I hit it well, liked it, but, no further so I switched back to what i knew (could) works for me as it was 30 minutes before RD1 of the club championship. I like a tinker but HUGE weight increase in the head does not relate to massive distance gains (in my experience).
I do prefer a 'heavier' head as I feel it is more stable through impact. My Hybrids are loaded heavier than standard but don't think they go further either - I just like the feel.
My original theory was he same as yours but the results do not really match up. If you can easily change the weight give it a try.
Edit PS:-
Tempo & good strike are 100% more effective than lashing or adding weight - Oh I wish I could remember that before EVERY shot!
SocketRocket
Ryder Cup Winner
Do you have to use terms like 'Rubbish' in a discussion? It's not conducive to a sensible conversation, is it? Disagree if you must but please be adult in doing it!
MadAdey
Money List Winner
+1 :whoo:
Everyone is is entitled to an opinion and rubbish is never good terminology. If someone disagrees with another opinion then please explain why they are wrong, not just resort to childish behaviour.
Foxholer
Blackballed
Well, it was just so wrong that that is what it was - rubbish, codswallop, garbage, twaddle or whatever.
And I did point out what was wrong.
This was nothing to do with opinions which, generally, I will respect, even if I don't agree with them - and may (occasionally passionately) counter, with my reasoning. The blunders were about facts and definitions, something that cannot be 'opinion'!
You may change your approach after a few months residency in US, though West Coast tends to be more 'laid back' than East!
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SocketRocket
Ryder Cup Winner
Cant help yourself!
Although I still think I am correct with the fact that the 'Force' is referring to that of the clubhead, the mass is referring to the clubhead and the velocity is also referring to the clubhead. The ball leaves the clubhead with more speed than the clubhead was travelling at impact, something created that increased velocity.
If you want a grown up discussion thats fine, otherwise just leave it.
Foxholer
Blackballed
It would seem that you don't understand basic physics! Though you are at least using the correct (well, better, but it's simpler that way) terms. You need to consider both the Club-head and the Ball!
There is definitely a Force exerted by the Club-head on the ball - and as per Newton's 3rd Law, an equal and opposite force by the ball on the Club-head. The amount of Force would be measureable, but is not particularly relevant - in the same way that the Force on 2 falling bodies of vastly different mass is different is not particularly relevant - until the heavier one hits you as opposed to the lighter one!
As stated previously, not only by me, it's the transfer of the (kinetic) energy caused by the impact that describes/explains the velocity of the ball. The actual impact can be studied, but is not absolutely essential to do so for the purposes of this discussion - it's the results that are key! As the ball is roughly a quarter of the mass of the club-head, it is quite reasonable that its consequent velocity will be greater than that of the club-head - which will lose some of its energy, by slowing down (unless you continue to impart a force on it with your swing).
If the ball was significantly more massive/heavy (say a metal ball of the same size), what would you expect the result to be?
Have you read Shakespeare's King Lear btw?
