Golfers do not respond to changes in shaft mass properties in a mechanically predictable way
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Golfers do not respond to changes in shaft mass properties in a mechanically predictable way Daniel F. B. Haeufle • Jay Worobets • Ian Wright • Jenny Haeufle • Darren Stefanyshyn
Published online: 17 October 2012 Ó International Sports Engineering Association 2012
Abstract A common belief in the golf community is that a lighter shaft allows the golfer to swing the club faster. From a mechanical point of view, reducing the mass of the shaft would result in a faster swing. However, a golfer is not a purely mechanical system, and so it is simplistic to assume that identical loads will be applied when swinging different clubs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that golfers behave similar to a mechanical model when swinging clubs of varying mass. A torque driven model estimated the effects caused by the addition of 22 g to the shaft. Twelve golfers hit balls with a standard driver as well as a driver fitted with the same 22 g increase in mass. Club kinematics were collected with a high-speed motion capture system. The model predicted a 1.7 % lower club head speed for the club with additional mass. One subject showed a similar reduction (1.4 %), but one subject showed an increase in club head speed by 3.0 %. Ten subjects did not show any significant differences. These results suggest that golfers do not respond to changes in club mass in a mechanically predictable way. Keywords Club head speed Double pendulum model Driver Golf Shaft mass
D. F. B. Haeufle (&) Institute for Sports and Exercise-Science, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 28, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany e-mail: [email protected] J. Worobets I. Wright D. Stefanyshyn Human Performance Lab, Faculty of Kinesiology, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N-1N4, Canada J. Haeufle Institute of Criminology, University of Cologne, Albertus-Magnus Platz, 50923 Cologne, Germany
1 Introduction To improve driving performance in golf two fundamentally different ways can be chosen. A golfer can either practice the swing or can buy ‘‘better’’ or custom-fitted clubs. Practicing could adapt the swing to the club, while club fitting could adapt the equipment to the swing. For an advanced golfer with a very consistent swing, it might be easier and more effective to change the physical properties of the clubs. In order to change these in a meaningful way, it is necessary to understand the physical effects of changes in the club properties and their effect on the golfer. The physical dynamics of the swing depend on the club head and shaft properties. With respect to the club head, the mass is likely to have the largest influence on the swing dynamics. Optimal club head mass was determined to be around 200 g in simulation studies [15, 17] and experiments [2]. Changing other club head properties such as clubface flexibility, roughness, or loft angle will influence the impact characteristics [13] but will only marginally influence the swing dynamics. For the shaft, the length [6, 15], the stiffness [18
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