Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

My name is Danny and I am testing the affect of mass on a golf putter to how how accurate the putt is.

1. In your opinion, if you were trying to hit a ball to a select spot, would a higher or lower mass object get you a more accurate shot?

2. Do you believe that there are certain advantages to having a lower mass object for hitting a ball?

3. For my experiment, I am testing if having a golf putter with more mass gets you a more accurate shot: could you recommend a way to build an apparatus for this?

4. Do you think that the data will be better with the putter that has a higher mass or lower mass?

Thanks

Hi
I am a 2 handicap golfer and currently play on my hughschool golf team.
I like light-weight clubs.
However for this experiment I think you should consider this.
force=mass * distance
When you say accurate, what exactly do u mean? The only difference beetween the two clubs is the force that needs to be applied in order for the ball to get in the hole.

Hello chilibeano,

I'm no good at golf at all, but I know a bit of physics.

I think your project is difficult because when a human swings a golf club, the result depends on so many circumstances of the moment.

I think that the reason some people like heavy putters is that a heavy object is less subject to being disturbed by small effects like the exact grip or small muscle twinges.

In any case, if you want to study putter mass only, you need to build a mechanical device to swing it so that human factors are removed from the experiment. The device can be simple: just something to hold the handle of the putter so it can swing and a measuring device so that you can swing it the same way on each trial.

Another experiment would be to enlist several golfers to swing a light putter and a heavy putter under controlled conditions and determine if they do better or worse with the heavy one.

Good luck, WW