Happy Gilmore has a unique way of swinging a golf club, having the least said. Many people know about that kind of swing, and it has even been compared with Charles Barkley’s. However, the question in many peoples’ minds is how Happy manages to make such a perfect swing and he ultimately will make the ball move further than any other player. The point is there is nothing complicated regarding the same but just the way Happy approaches the ball.
When playing golf, one tends to stand with their feet facing the point they opt to hit the ball from. The ball stands at the stance of the player and on a tee, which is a bit far in position middle of player’s club face. However, Happy Gilmore is a golfer with a difference. He makes a strange approach, having the run-up, which ultimately gives him greater force than the normal estimated force that any other player puts into the ball. Newton’s Second Law of motion F=ma (Force=mass x acceleration) best explains Gilmore’s approach. Most golfers depend on acceleration they acquire while standing, but Happy adds more momentum from the running start which gives him extra few miles-per-hour onto the club head speed—this adds the distance.
Previously Happy was a hockey player, and he has had one thing going for him, this guy had one cool, powerful slap shot. It is the same slap shot that had him apply more power to the golf ball, and this was mostly during his drives. Essentially, he exerts the principles of Newton which makes him a good performer. The following are an explanation of the principles which makes his golf performance exceptional.
Having a swung golf club collide with a stationary golf ball, three significant things impact on how fast the ball will come off the head of the club. One of them is the speed at which the club head moves, and it is relative to the stationary ball. Take for example having a golfer whose club head moves at a speed of 100 miles-per-hour and compare them with another whose club head moves at a speed of around 90 miles-per-hour. The first golfer is of course advantaged over the second golfer. The second determinant is, having the ball hit in the sweet spot of the club head. It is obvious that a golfer wants to transfer as much as possible energy from the club to the ball.
If one hits the ball away from the sweet spot, or even more theoretically the center of hitting, oscillatory vibrations are going to be created by the club. The effect is felt in the hands. This can be compared with the pain that one feels after swinging a baseball bat and hence making a lousy contact. In this case, the energy gets to the shaft rather than being transferred to the ball; this automatically hurts the ball’s distance. So the essence is, to make a perfect hit. The club head ought to be swung as fast as possible, while aiming for the sweet spot. Using the heaviest club head possible also enhances the drive.
Another aspect is that there exists a trade-off between mass and the speed of a club head. There is a limit of how one can swing a club head that has been positioned maybe at the end of a long rod. The point is, the faster and heavier one can go; the more likely we can have the golf ball deformed and still the faster the speed at which the ball leaves the club head. The amount of time that a golf ball contacts the club causes the object/golf ball speeds up or slows down.
Momentum is calculated as mass time’s velocity. Change in momentum is called Impulse which is calculated as force times time. For example, in the scene where Happy Gilmore hits the golf ball further than anyone else involves some physics which determine the ability of the distance involved after the ball is hit. Accordingly, Gilmore runs and hits the ball which goes further than anyone can. This results to his being considered the best golf player. Here is an explanation of how that is possible.
A golf ball averagely weighs 45g and a club head 200g. Consider the club is swung and moving at a speed of 136 m/s and relative to the ball. For a normal golf hit, there no added acceleration like the one Gilmore can generate. For him, he exerts more force on the ball when he approaches it with a run up. For the other golfers, less force is generated or put into the ball since the golfers mainly stand still while hitting the ball. As per the second law of Newton, F=mass * acceleration. With the added acceleration, he transfers more energy into the golf ball thereby giving it a longer drive.
That is; 200g x 136m/s = 45g x j; where j is the speed attained by the golf ball after collision.
F=ma whereby F also stands for momentum gained after collision;
However; momentum = m (kg) x v (m/s)
Therefore; 200g x 136 m/s = 45g x j
1000 1000
27.2 = 0.045j
Hence; j = 604.44 m/s
If it never happens that the golf ball gets deformed, the same energy would be used to make the ball move at a very high speed as compared to the golf club head’s speed.
However, this can never be as spectacular as alleged 150 m/s collision between 45g ball against a 50-pound steel plate. There is quite a big difference. Having the 50- pound steel plate comes along with the fact that we have an object of virtually infinite mass when compared to the ball it has to collide with as opposed to an object that outweighs it, that is, the club head, by a factor of 4 or 3. For a perfectly elastic collision, when a small mass object (golf ball) is hit with an object with a larger mass (club head) the small object moves off at a speed which is twice the initial speed.
The ball and club technology; despite being improved, are not perfectly elastic yet. For a perfectly elastic collision, when the golf ball is stricken with a larger massed club head, the ball moves at twice the initial speed. The club head’s mass is approximately four times the mass of the ball. If a club head is swung at 100 miles-per hour, the ball could realistically move at 150 miles per hour. It could get to 180 miles-per hour if the collision is much more elastic. With the running that Gilmore does, he gets an extra few miles-per-hour. The initial speed of the ball with the case of Gilmore is thus an extra 5 miles-per-hour. This run could however result to his missing the sweet spot.
Calculation of how Gilmore’s ball manages to accelerate further than his counterparts:
NB: Gilmore gets extra 5 miles per hour form the run he makes before hitting the ball. 0.2 secs is the approximate time it takes from when the ball is hit to when it touches ground.
Average acceleration equals to change in velocity divide by change in time.
For the regular golfers:
15m/s-0m/s/0.2 secs=75m/s2
For Gilmore:
46.9ms-0m/s/0.2 seconds =234.5m/s2
Realistic physics has it that there is extra 10% longer off the tee and this can be termed to be a little bit shabby! As a matter of fact, making a decent hit of a golf ball is not that easy not to mention hitting the ball after having started with running. It is more likely that one would miss the sweet spot or just miss the entire ball. At the end of the entire experience with Happy Gilmore, one comes into a term with the fact that golfers can, for real, do incredible things with a golf ball. I hence resolute Harpy’s golf game was reasonable. The reason is as simple as a running start and making a perfect swing makes a golfer get closer to the hole as compared to one that makes a stationary swing.