Golf Club

Newton's 1st Law:

An object at rest will remain at rest, and an object in motion will remain at motion, unless another force acts upon it. This means the ball will not move until it is struck with a golf club, and the ball will not stop moving until gravity, air reisistance, and wind acts upon it.

Newton's 2nd Law:

Force = Mass * Acceleration. The heavier the club weighs, and the faster the club is accelerating, the more force is put on the ball. The more force exerted on the ball, the farther and higher it goes. Professional golfers swing the club at 80-120 MPH, exerting a force of 3,000 pounds on the ball, and propelling it over 300 yards.

Newton's 3rd Law:

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The club head striking the ball is an action. Some of the club head's momentum is transferred to the ball, propelling the ball forward, which is the equal and opposite reaction.

Coefficient of Restitution:

A golf ball has a COR of .6, meaning it will bounce or rebound 6 feet after being dropped 10 feet. This is below a handball or even a tennis ball, which have .8 and .7, respectively. However, the COR of a golf ball does not decline as much when dropped from a greater distance. The COR of a golf ball is .58 when dropped from 50 feet, while a tennis ball's COR is .38 after being dropped 50 feet. This means that when the golf ball is hit with a greater force, the ball travels a greater distance, and does not absorb the additional energy. A tennis ball doesn't travel greater distances, even after more force is applied, when a certain limit is reached. There is no such limit with golf balls. There is no drop-off in distance.

Speed/Velocity/Acceleration:

The golf club is taken into a backswing to have the longest time to accelerate and gain the greatest speed, so the greatest amount of force may be exerted on the ball. The club shaft is made to "whip," or bend, so at the moment of impact, there is a greater exertion of force. All of this leads to the ball traveling higher and farther. Also, people with more mass can propel the ball farther because Momentum= Mass* Velocity. A person with more mass but an equal swing speed will have greater momentum, and greater force on the ball.

Friction:

The ball has "dimples" on it to produce greater friction between it and the club. The friction allows the ball to spin off the face of the club, instead of sliding off. This spin allows the ball to stay up longer in the air, and travel more distance. Sidespin can be put on the ball to make it curve, and backspin can make it stop when it hits the green. The grooves on the club also provide increased friction and control. The grooves prevent the ball from slipping and being miss-hit. However, long grass or water can make less friction, and this is why it is harder to play golf in the rain and harder to hit out of the rough.