This is a special #ScienceSunday post that will be more personal than science. My thoughts and emotions towards golf have been quite neutral. I don’t mind watching it on TV and haven’t really played it much in my life besides miniature golf. But yesterday, we celebrated Mother’s Day with my mommy and nana at TopGolf in Mount Laurel! We have had so much fun everytime we go so this was a perfect way to celebrate a day all about them!!
While we were at TopGolf I was trying to understand what makes the perfect golf swing. And by perfect I mean barely functional golf swing because I am not a professional whatsoever haha.
I’ll talk about the science stuff first and then we will go onto the amazing time we had at TopGolf.
Golf is more than just a popular sport around the world. It is a sport that requires so many theories of physics that it’s basically a science in itself. There is force and precision involved in how the ball moves and once it is moving there are aerodynamics, force, and motion involved.
Rotational motion is a concept in physics which defines how an object spins on an axis. When you swing the golf club towards the ball, your wrists should stay relaxed and loose when you make contact with the ball. This keeps from excessive rotational force being placed on the ball. By relaxing the wrists through the swing you get a harder hit on the ball causing it to potentially go further.
Once the ball has been hit, gravity, aerodynamic drag and lift are factors to consider in where it will land on the course. Aerodynamic drag is the force of air or wind resistance pushing against the motion of the object while aerodynamic lift is when a solid object disrupts air flow. These act freely on the ball along with gravity to keep the ball moving. If these forces did not exist the ball would move endlessly without stopping. To get the ball to go father, put more power into the entire swing while remaining relaxed the moment you strike the ball. Not as easy as it sounds!
Cool, you have mastered your swing up until now. So let’s work on the distance of the ball. This is where trajectory comes into play. Trajectory is the path of the ball moving through air when struck. This can all be accomplished by the position of your hands and the angle and height of clubface. For a lower trajectory, aim your hands ahead of the ball at impact. High trajectory is achieved when your hands are behind the ball and hitting the grass when you strike the ball to keep the clubface as flat as possible.
With that being said, I am not a golf pro but I had a heck of a time at TopGolf. My Uncle Jamie and Michael along with Joey and Dave were pretty awesome! My mom had reserved two bays for 7 of us which was perfect! On one side we played the game of hit it as far as you can to get points and the other side was hitting the ball into the targeted colored holes! We ordered drinks (sangria, mimosas, etc) and brunch for everyone! The tater tots were amazing!!! We played and hung out for two hours which was the perfect amount of time to play both games once through and then half again!
I am just glad that I got to spend time with my mom and nana! I am very grateful to have the support system I have in them. They have taught me to become the strong and empowered woman I am. Both of them are so accomplished and smart. I hope to become more and more like them as I get older.
Afterwards Michael and I went to Seaside, NJ to celebrate Mother’s Day with his mom! We went out to eat at Marruca’s and it was so so yummy! Pizza + wings = delicious!
Happy Mother’s Day to all the fabulous women out there, Moms, Grandmoms, Godmothers, Aunts, FurMoms, and everyone in between!!
Xox,
Z
