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The relationship between the golf swing plane and ball impact characteristics using trajectory ellipse fitting
Andrew Morrison1,2, Denise McGrath3, Eric S Wallace1
1a Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Institute , Ulster University , Jordanstown , UK.
Journal of Sports Sciences
|March 16, 2017
Summary
High-skilled golfers exhibit greater ellipse eccentricity in their clubhead trajectory near impact. This finding helps define the relationship between plane orientation and clubhead characteristics during the golf swing.
Area of Science:
- Sports Biomechanics
- Golf Swing Analysis
Background:
- The clubhead's trajectory near impact is generally considered planar.
- The precise relationship between plane orientation and clubhead orientation at impact remains undefined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define the relationship between the delivery plane orientation and clubhead orientation characteristics at impact.
- To investigate the link between ellipse eccentricity and golfer skill level.
Main Methods:
- Fitting the clubhead's trajectory near impact to an ellipse for 52 male golfers (27 high-skilled, 25 intermediate-skilled).
- Analyzing the eccentricity of these fitted ellipses in relation to skill level.
- Calculating club path and angle of attack from the elliptical trajectory.
Main Results:
- The clubhead trajectory was successfully fitted to an ellipse with a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 1.2 mm.
- High-skilled golfers demonstrated greater ellipse eccentricity compared to intermediate-skilled golfers.
- Calculated club path and angle of attack showed a normalized bias-corrected RMSE of 2% and 3%, respectively.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully modeled the clubhead trajectory near impact as an ellipse.
- Ellipse eccentricity is a quantifiable metric linked to golfer skill level.
- Generated "rule of thumb" values can assist coaches in understanding club path, angle of attack, and delivery plane angle relationships.
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