STEVE OTTO SET TO DEBUNK POPULAR GOLFING MYTHS
FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By MARTIN EVANS
A former NASA scientist is planning to debunk a whole series of popular golfing myths by explaining some of the science behind the game.
Dr Steve Otto, who is the director of research at the R&A in St Andrews, has suggested claims such as hitting the ball with top spin can make it go further, have no basis in physics.
By MARTIN EVANS
A former NASA scientist is planning to debunk a whole series of popular golfing myths by explaining some of the science behind the game.
Dr Steve Otto, who is the director of research at the R&A in St Andrews, has suggested claims such as hitting the ball with top spin can make it go further, have no basis in physics.
Using specially commissioned video evidence recorded at Muirfield, the venue
of this summer’s Open Championship, he will set out to prove that golf is a
simpler game than some might have us believe.
Explaining why one technique was not physically possible, Dr Otto said: “All too
often, unfortunately, you hear commentators say 'he's hit that one with top
spin'.
"I can hit a drive with top spin and it carries about an inch. If you hit a
ball with top spin, it falls out of the air.
"That's my favourite myth. A well-struck drive would never have top spin
because it simply won't fly.”
He will also argue that it is a myth that golfers today can hit the ball
further than ever before.
He said: “It's one of those things that people will rely on a single shot to
make a case, that I saw this player hit the ball 360 yards. They can do
that, but they don't do it all the time and they forget to mention there was
wind behind them.
"In fact, there are fewer players hitting the ball over 300 yards now then there was back in 2005.
Dr Otto will present his findings at the Edinburgh International Science Festival in a lecture entitled The Science of Golf from Tee to Green.
But he admitted: “It's one of those things that is probably better for golfers not to think too much about. If you were standing over a ball trying to think which law of physics you were going to apply, you're probably not going to hit a great drive".
"In fact, there are fewer players hitting the ball over 300 yards now then there was back in 2005.
Dr Otto will present his findings at the Edinburgh International Science Festival in a lecture entitled The Science of Golf from Tee to Green.
But he admitted: “It's one of those things that is probably better for golfers not to think too much about. If you were standing over a ball trying to think which law of physics you were going to apply, you're probably not going to hit a great drive".
Labels: Golf Development
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