Understanding the Golfer’s Curse
NPR’s Scott Simon converses with John Hogan, an applied mathematics professor at the University of Bristol, about his investigation into the phenomenon known as the “Golfer’s Curse,” where a golf ball seems on track to sink but instead rolls back onto the green.
The Experience of a Missed Putt
SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Everyone knows the feeling of a well-executed putt.
(SOUNDBITE OF GOLF CLUB HITTING GOLF BALL)
SIMON: The club strikes the ball perfectly; it glides toward the hole at the ideal pace. You can sense the crowd’s anticipation—oh no! The ball hits the rim, spins away, or worse, it drops into the hole only to bounce back out. This perplexing occurrence is known as the golfer’s curse or lip out. John Hogan, a professor of applied mathematics at the University of Bristol, co-authored a new article on this topic published in Royal Society Open Science. Welcome, John.
Why Study Golf Mechanics?
JOHN HOGAN: Happy to be here.
SIMON: Do you play golf yourself?
HOGAN: Not at all.
SIMON: Why was this research important for you to pursue?
HOGAN: Our study focuses on mechanics, which examines movement under forces. Mechanics is increasingly applied in sports to understand various phenomena—it’s utilized in technologies like Hawk-Eye in tennis. I initially looked into basketball and then discovered similarities with golf. Many overlook mechanics in favor of more glamorous areas of mathematics, but there’s still much to explore here, and it has been an enjoyable project.
Exploring the Curse’s Two Forms
SIMON: You examined two key aspects of the curse: rim lip out and hole lip out. Can you explain these concepts?
HOGAN: Certainly! When a golfer puts, the ball rolls on the green but begins to rotate differently when it touches the hole’s rim. This causes two rotations to occur simultaneously. The ball’s outcome hinges on the competition between these rotations. If they balance perfectly, it rolls along the rim at a consistent speed and leans into the hole at the right angle—what we refer to as “golf balls of death.”
The Mechanics at Play
HOGAN: If the rolling rotation prevails, the ball may circle the rim but ultimately veers off the green, which defines a rim lip out. Conversely, if the pitching rotation takes over, the ball might either sink successfully or experience a hole lip out, where it rolls inside the hole and then bounces back out, akin to a skateboarder navigating a half-pipe.
Advice for Amateur Golfers
SIMON: I’m more of a putt-putt golfer with my daughter. Will this research help me?
HOGAN: Well, my golfing friends often suggest that hitting the ball too hard leads to these misfortunes. So my first tip would be to putt gently. Additionally, standard golf holes measure 4 ¼ inches in diameter, and these issues are less likely if you approach the hole slowly and aim for the center.
A Curious Pursuit
SIMON: Was this really a problem that required a solution?
HOGAN: As an emeritus professor, I pursued this from a place of curiosity. Interestingly, golf is an economic activity worth around 100 billion a year in the U.S., with 40% of shots being putts. My aim was mainly to explore the topic out of curiosity, even if more people could benefit from the insights.
A Title to Remember
SIMON: John Hogan, thank you for sharing your fascinating research titled “Mechanics Of The Golf Lip Out.” It certainly rolls off the tongue!
HOGAN: Absolutely.
