What’s been plaguing master golfers for years? It’s not the swing, the club or even the opponents: it’s the wind. Wind can easily turn the perfect shot into a complete disaster.
Making shots with added knowledge of expected wind conditions may help golfers triumph over Mother Nature. Engineers in Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering have developed a model that could do just that: analyze wind conditions to help golfers competing at the Masters tournaments in Augusta, Georgia.
Here’s a look at how it works:
Rajat Mittal, an aerodynamics expert and avid golfer, developed the system with Neda Yaghoobian, a postdoctoral scholar. The team’s work examines the effects of wind on golfing and reported that a model based on computational fluid dynamics and incorporating wind conditions and information on local tree canopies may predict the effect of the wind’s direction and speed on the accuracy of shots on specific holes. Spin and launch angle on the ball also played a part in the computer simulations.
They tested the 12th hole at Georgia's Augusta National Golf Club. Although this par-3 hole is the shortest on the course, unpredictable winds swirl over and around the tall tree canopies surrounding the hole. Water, sand and a small green add to its complexity.
Top golfers often misjudge wind conditions, which can end in a shot landing short in the water or sometimes even overshooting the green and landing on a different golf course next door.
Stripping Fear from Golfers
Combining local weather records and information about the hole and environment, the computer simulations showed that tall trees significantly impacted golf shot accuracy. Importantly, they also determined which directional winds cause the most problems for that hole.
"This level of analysis has not been available to golfers,” Mittal continued. “In our early work, we've been able to demonstrate proof-of-concept that it is possible to generate these kind of detailed predictions about a particular golf hole.”
A realistic and probable outcome for this application is to create an app for portable devices to advise golfers on the best strategies to use for a particular hole. Based on the hole’s weather conditions and environmental factors, golfers receive information such as which club to use and the best aim and force for each swing.
"We think that this prototype system is a promising first step toward an app or software program that could help golfers, course designers and even sports commentators," Mittal said.
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