How Science and Golf Converge on the Green

From the flight of a golf ball to the friction and path of that same ball rolling along a green towards its destination, science and golf are naturally connected. If we pay more attention to the physics of the sport, we may just improve our game!

Short game instructor, Dave Pelz may very well agree with the above analysis. A former senior NASA physicist, Pelz has applied his own technical logic to his Putting Bible after leaving the Goddard Space Flight Center, from aim line to actual path of the golf ball. 

Mr. Pelz has also helped research and test a SYNLawn golf green which he says reacts and performs as if it were real grass. The SYNLawn Precision Putting Green, for example, comes complete with heat-block and UV stabilization and offers the same level of performance expected from a professional golf course.

It is one thing to look like a golf green…It’s quite another to actually perform like one. 

Mr. Pelz’ teaching philosophy? “If we can't test it or prove it or show it, we don't teach it.” So science and golf do converge on the green!

A few of Dave Pelz’ scientific putting tips include:

1. “Years of experiments have shown us that the optimum speed for making putts is one that would, if the hole were covered or missed, roll the ball seventeen inches past the back edge.” - minimizes the chance of the dreaded three-putt coming back. from Dave Pelz Putting Bible

2. Let Face Angle Be Your Guide - Research data shows that where the face angle of your putter is aimed at impact determines where the ball travels. 

Study the two factors of a solidly struck putt and you'll discover that face angle determines eighty-three percent of the starting line while putter path direction determines seventeen percent. In other words, a square face angle is five times more important to starting putts on line than putter path. – taken from Golf.com Article – “All My Secrets”

3. “Almost every golfer I know could improve simply by remembering this one rule: All putts are speed putts.”

Why not try Pelz' 20-Foot Putting Game for practicing a reference 20-foot putt.

Dave Pelz on SYNLawn Golf Green showing 20-foot putting game.

What about those golfers who seem to take a more haphazard approach to putting?

If trusting your instinct is all you feel that you need when standing over a long or short putt, think again. 

“Putting is pretty much what your eye sees and then the signals the eyes give your body, nerves…and then it finally translates out to the club,” Suzann Pettersen says in The Science of Golf Video presented by NBC Learn and the United States Golf Association. 



If you cannot see above video, here is the link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB36sW-iYBY

Although LPGA Tour golfer Pettersen may not be thinking of the science behind the putts that she takes during a golf tournament, know that the physics principles of “work, energy and power” are always operating behind the scenes.

That being said, no need to have to drive to a green; you can now hone these scientific principles with the accuracy of a professional golf green in your own backyard!

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Photo credits: SYNLawnGolf.com, DailyMail.UK

Why Tiger Woods withdrew from the Players Championship in 2011

With Tiger Woods' astonishing withdrawal from The 2011 Players Championship, could Woods' departure from golf be close at hand?

The Twitter world was all abuzz today after Tiger Woods hobbled off the exacting TPC Sawgrass golf course playing a six-over 42 through nine holes. On May 5th Tiger Woods' opted out of the Wells Fargo but, in a Terminator-esque video statement declared , "I'll be ready!" for the 2011 U.S. Open.

Should Woods have decided in advance to pull out of The Players Championship focusing his sights on the Open?

In 2010, Tiger withdrew from the Players Championship before the final nine holes on Sunday declaring a sore neck in spite of a respectable three-round tally of 70, 71, 71. Giving Woods the benefit of the doubt, even with a bum knee Woods managed to win against Rocco Mediate in the final round of the 2008 U.S. Open.

Is Woods deciding to take a hypochondriac approach to golf, bailing out of regular-season events in order to focus on the Majors? The desire to overtake Jack Nicklaus is strong and, with only about a month to the U.S. Open, nursing Tiger Woods' wounds should surely take presedence.

Tiger said he felt pain from the opening shot, “The knee acted up, and then the Achilles’ followed after that, and then the calf started cramping up,” adding "I'm having a hard time walking."

One unfortunate bi-product of his hasty exit from the Players is that it distracts from the Championship. More people will talk about Tiger Woods this weekend than about the great golf to be played.

Although Tiger Woods certainly was in no way ready to play golf at the Players Championship this week, could it be, as @sports_business‎ recently declared on Twitter, "Years from now, we will just look back at this and call it Elin's curse...right?"

Let the Twitter barrage begin!

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Good Ol' Southern Boy Bubba Watson Hits The Masters Big Time - Why Me?

Golf for Beginners blog loves to hear the opinions of our readers and followers, so when this article by Spencer Blohm was submitted, we just had to print it! Thanks again for sending in your blog. If you want to submit an opinionated blog to Golf for Beginners, email Stacy at golfforbeginners@aol.com or DM on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

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For the second time in three years, Bubba Watson, the thirty-five year old from Florida, has won The Masters, making him the fastest golfer to win two green jackets. His score of three-under-par 69 put him on top of twenty-year-old phenom Jordan Spieth and Jonas Blixt, who tied for second after a close race for most of the tournament. Watson’s triumphant victory has earned him the praise of many celebrities and golf fans, as you can see in these Tweets compiled by ViralHeat.

What a superb performance @bubbawatson. Happy to see you to you win your second Green Jacket at a tournament that we all love @The_Masters.
— Gary Player (@garyplayer) April 14, 2014

What are you gonna do with 2 Green Jackets, @bubbawatson??? Congrats Bubba!!! :D
— Jordin Sparks (@JordinSparks) April 14, 2014

.@bubbawatson What a great player you have turned out to be but also, what a great guy! Congratulations on another fantastic Masters win.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 14, 2014

            Despite his win, it wasn’t a perfect game for Bubba Watson, with many of his shots being called questionable. 

His first birdie putt missed the mark on the second hole, putting Spieth in the lead, but they were tied when Spieth also pissed his birdie putt on the eighth hole. By the 13th hole, Spieth was tied with Blixt for second, with Watson leading the group three-up with another four to play. However, on the 15th it looked like it might be over for Watson as his ball landed dangerously close to the water. But the 16th, 17th, and 18th all went off without a hitch and Watson emerged the victor. 

After his final putt, Watson’s 2-year-old son Caleb rushed onto the green for a Kodak moment you couldn’t plan if you wanted to.

            After his professional debut in 2003, Watson was a largely overlooked player during the late 00’s with his highest finish in that period being a 5th place slot at the 2007 U.S. Open, his first professional championship tournament. However, with the new decade came a renewed game and his first PGA Tour win at the 2010 Travelers Championship. That same year he came in second at the PGA Championship. He progressively improved in 2011 with second and third PGA Tour wins at the Farmers Insurance Open and the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

It was 2012 that proved to be Watson’s year. The golfer, who boasts to have never taken a golf lesson, dramatically improved his game, jumping from 38th in the Masters in 2011 to the winner in 2012. In fact, his two Masters wins are the only two wins Watson has out of his twenty-five total entries in the big four golf championships. He himself cannot believe his own success telling the L.A. Times, “Why me? Why Bubba Watson from Bagdad, Florida? Why is he winning? So I just always ask the question, why, why me?"

            It’s a triumphant moment for a golfer who has played most of his career in the shadow of Tiger Woods. He’s a sort of anti-Woods in fact, when it comes to public persona. His down home, Southern family man personality is a stark contrast to Woods’ flashy lifestyle. Despite the enormous boost to his profile, and bank account, that these recent wins have brought him, he’s still stayed true to his roots through this sudden success. In fact, to celebrate his 2012 win, he bought the original General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard and restored it. It would appear that even after all this success, Bubba Watson is still just a good ‘ol Southern boy.