“What a shot by Happy Gilmore! <aside> Who the hell is Happy Gilmore?” -Announcer, from Happy Gilmore
After some intense physics earlier this week, it's time to get on to the important stuff: the physics of taking a running start and trying to beat the daylights out of a golf ball.
Image credit: Harold “Doc” Edgerton, of golfer Denny Shute in 1938.
Sure, it's the fun stuff that slapstick hollywood movies are made for, but does it actually work? The physics will inform you, but the practical results will amaze you!
Image credit: Universal Pictures, Frank Coraci, and Adam Sandler et al.
Come learn the physics of Happy Gilmore today.
- Log in to post comments
More like this
"What a shot by Happy Gilmore! <aside> Who the hell is Happy Gilmore?" -Announcer, from Happy Gilmore
As I prepare to write this, it occurs to me that some of you may not have seen the greatest* movie of all time, Happy Gilmore. The movie begins with a montage of Happy's disastrous and…
“The heart can get really cold if all you've known is winter.” -Benjamin Alire Sáenz
If you didn't read everything this week on Starts With A Bang, it's hard to blame you. Each week, on practically a daily basis, we've got new pieces coming at you, sharing the wonders of the Universe in our own…
"The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work." -Oprah
And 2016 is here! So begins another great year for Starts With A Bang, and I'm so pleased you're still here as well. Yes, I know there are some frustrations with Forbes'…
"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before." -Edgar Allen Poe
Earlier this week, the Nobel Prize in Physics was announced for the discovery that the Universe is not only expanding,
but that this expansion…
I am old enough to remember when Adam Sandler was funny
david,
I don't think he's any less funny now. It's just that we've seen the same schtick for 20+ years now, and it's not new any more.
This is definitely fun to try, but Padraig who, in addition to his incredible golf skills, also trained as a dancer when younger, makes it look a lot easier than it is. Even long drive competitors don't use the technique, because it's near impossible to master consistently and they still have to keep the ball in a target grid used to determine legal attempts. For regular play it just doesn't add anything useful. Closer is always better than further.
He was funny? I must have missed that day.
Yeah, I would guess "consistently" is the real barrier here. We're probably seeing Padraig's best try out of who knows how many, but in a game, the first try that contacts the ball is your official shot. Even if you can hit it well 80% of the time, I doubt you get any net advantage in # of strokes over the course of the game because the fails are going to cost you more strokes than the extra 10% long drives get you.
Still, my corporation runs a "best ball" team competition each year. In a game like that, who cares if they shank the ball or hit over the top 20-40% of the time, they're still someone good to have on the team. :)
#4 Dean Happy Gilmore was quite funny,Jack and Jill was beyond Cruel and unusual punishment!