The Science of the Perfect Swing

Book excerpt: The Science of the Perfect Swing appeals to those who are seeking a clear explanation of the inner workings of golf. It allows golfers to visualize the underlying physics of their sport, and so enjoy a deeper appreciation of good shot making. With numerous charts, tables, and drawings, Peter Dewhurst walks the reader through every scientific aspect of the game--including factors that many readers aren't even aware affect their game at all! Each chapter is concerned with the findings and consequences of the science on actual shot making; rather than with the science itself. The science is relegated to the back of each chapter as optional reading. The intention of the work is to foster improved technique in the light of a broader fundamental understanding of the game. The majority of case studies in the book are taken from PGA and LPGA Tour players. With this engaging treatment of the science of golf, the seeming impossibility of the achievements of the world's best players becomes all the more incredible. To drive a tiny ball hundreds of yards using a selection of equipment, to loft it over and around obstacles, to stop it on a green that it impacts at high speed, and then roll it over slopes and surface imperfections into a hole which can seem barely bigger than the golf ball itself, seems to defy, rather than illustrate, the laws of physics! Perhaps because of this, golf has remained wildly, and widely, popular for the last half-millennium. Peter Dewhurst helps clear up any confusion about the fundamentals of golf by examining all of the details from the one-second generation of speed in the swing, to the 0.0005-second explosive transfer of energy into the ball, through the dimple-powered flight, to the final elements of finesse leading to capture in the hole. Dewhurst combines expertise, from decades of award-winning engineering research and effective teaching, to make his writing engaging and educational for all readers.