Newton's 1st Law: Law of Inertia
The law of inertia states that objects will not change their state of motion unless acted on by an unbalanced external force. This means that if an object is at rest, it will tend to stay at rest, and an object that is in motion will stay in motion. The first way this is involved in golf is when the player hits the ball, the ball will keep going further unless an external force stops it like wind, a course object (like grass,trees and sand), and gravity. The ball will go further depending on the club, ie a driver hits the ball farther than a 7 iron. Another way this law is used in golf is when the club strikes the ball off the tee or ground. The ball on the tee or ground is the object that is at rest, while the player is the external force trying to hit the ball further. If the player and/or wind does not move the ball then the ball will stay at rest.
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Newton's 2nd Law: Law of Acceleration
Newton's second law is the law of acceleration which states that for linear movement, the acceleration a body makes experiences is directly proportional to the force causing it and takes place in the same direction as the force. In golf the club hitting the ball is an example of this law, the club being the force and the mass being the golf ball and the acceleration being the take off of the ball at impact. The heavier the club (driver and fairway woods) the further the ball will go and the lighter the club (irons and wedges) the less further it will go. This is what allows for PGA players to generate outrageous club head speeds and ball speeds. Now players can have a club head speed of almost 120 mph average and have a ball speed of 170 mph with a driver.
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Newton's third law: Action-Reaction
Newton's third and final law called action-reaction states that for every action there is an equal or opposite reaction, referring to how forces act against each other. In golf when the club's force hits the golf ball, that same opposite force will come towards the club by the ball. This force is measured in newtons, so say the club hits the ball at 7000N then that ball will apply that same and opposite 7000N towards the club. This law can also be seen when the ball impacts the putting green, if the ball is coming at the green with a certain spin and velocity the grass will give back with that force.
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Fluid Dynamics & Magnus Effect in Golf
Fluid dynamics in golf happens during the flight of the golf ball going towards your target. Golf balls have over 350 of these little dimples on them that act as small air turbulence pockets. This allows the air to flow tighter around the ball creating a smaller low pressure zone behind the ball, decreasing drag and wind resistance. If the ball does not have dimples on it then it will create a detached area flow causing a larger low pressure zone and more drag on the ball. A ball with dimples is proven to go twice as far then one without, the dimples on a ball range in size and shapes and there is no illegal amount to have as of yet.
When the ball takes off at a higher loft it will create backspin and when the ball, usually when you use high lofted clubs there will be more backspin. A 60 degree wedge creates more backspin than a 5 iron. Getting topspin on the ball is a bit harder because you have to hit the top part of the golf ball without topping the ball. When the top spin is successful the ball should release very quickly causing the ball to go further. They way the ball spins in the air all happen through the magnus effect.
When the ball takes off at a higher loft it will create backspin and when the ball, usually when you use high lofted clubs there will be more backspin. A 60 degree wedge creates more backspin than a 5 iron. Getting topspin on the ball is a bit harder because you have to hit the top part of the golf ball without topping the ball. When the top spin is successful the ball should release very quickly causing the ball to go further. They way the ball spins in the air all happen through the magnus effect.
Torque, Centripetal Force and Double Pendlum
Double Pendulm
The double pendulum effect is something that happens in your backswing and all the way through to impact. A pendulum is a linear movement at an arch and your arms are one pendulum and the club is the other one. Your arms are creating the pendulum by rotating along your body at an arch, with your shoulders acting as the pivot. The second pendulum created by your club that just trails with your arms with your wrist acting as that pivot for the club. This effect is what many players focus on to purly strike the ball.
Centripetal Force
Centripetal force which is the force that makes an object move in a curved motion. You create this force by arching your lower body and moving your wrist inward while the golf club swings outwards.This creates the vertical circular motion in your swing. The bigger the circle the less centripetal force is needed to rotate the golf club, allowing for much further and easier golf shots.
Torque
Torque is easily the biggest thing to help you generate all the power in your swing. Torque is a turning force that changes the rate of rotation of an object, meaning the more force, more distance. Now how do you create torque? You create it by rotating your shoulders, hips and torso in your backswing and uncoiling that force into your downswing and through impact. The more rotation you can gather and the faster your swing is the more distance you can create in your swing.
Upper Body Muscles Involed
- Pectoralis major and minor helps with shoulder rotation and flexion and getting the arms extended. Having these muscles loose and ready to engage will help create a smooth golf swing.
- Your spine is crucial in helping create a stable and flexible upper body throughout the golf swing. There is a lot of twisting, turning and leaning being put on your spine causing golfers to be sustainable to back injuries.
- Latissimus dorsi is another muscle that helps with that shoulder rotation and helps create power in the golf swing. They also help your spine by relieving some pressure from it.
- Your forearm muscle along with your hands and fingers help create a solid grip of the club and control of where the club is facing. These muscles help create an accurate shot. When you watch slow motion videos you can really see all those forearm muscles engaged. These are also the muscles that help give that drive in a golf swing giving players more power.
- External abdominal oblique muscles are another one of the muscles that help rotate your body and keep you balanced. This muscle helps you rotate and uncoil your torso while staying balanced. Strengthening and having this muscle flexible will create extra torque in your swing.
Lower Body Muscles Involed
- The biggest lower body muscle involved is both parts of your gluteus. Having solid glutes means you won’t lose your balance coming down through impact causing a miss direction. They also allow you to rotate your hips and thighs gaining more torque for your swing. Not having the glutes engaged will cause for a very sloppy swing
- The quads are another one of those stability muscles in your lower body. Your quads will help with bending and keeping the flexion in your knees to stay stable. Another muscle that acts similarly is your calves, they help stabilize your legs. When you activate the calves they give you extra power and help rotate your knees.
The Body Planes
The body moves along multiple planes in just a matter of seconds. When you're rotating your body in your backswing and through to your downswing this is happening along the transverse plane. As you are coming into your downswing and you are moving your hips to the side a bit to gain extra power, this happens along the Frontal plane. The last plane is the sagittal plane, when you're setting up in your stance, leaning forward and getting ready to hit the ball this happens in the sagittal plane.
Movement in your Joints
There are many joints in your body that show flexion and/or extension, in your lower body your knees are bent and flexing to help keep your stability. Your hips along with your knee also show flexion as you get into stance and extension into your follow through. Your feet show a very slight inversion going into your backswing and eversion in your lead foot in your follow through. Once you're in your follow through your back foot should plantar flex to help keep balance. In your upper body your elbows flex in your backswing and extend through your downswing. Your wrist shows flexion when you create your hinge into your backswing, once you make an impact your wrist extends in your follow through. The last bit of joint rotation in your upper body is supination through impact and into your follow through with your forearm.