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Golf and Wind pp 1–14Cite as

Introduction

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Abstract

Golf, one of the most high-speed ball sports, is popularly referred to as the “Gentleman’s Game”. The objective of the game is simple: the players need to start from the tee (which lies in the teeing box) and deliver the ball into the hole (which lies in the putting green) by hitting a series of shots using a club. A golf course consists of several holes each having a unique layout design. Once all the competing golfers successfully play all the holes, the player who played the least number of shots wins the game. Despite its simple objective, golf is one of the most difficult ball sports due to the challenges it poses on the players. Apart from the teeing box and the hole, a golf course contains several other features that make up its architecture. These include hills, valleys, trees, sand bunkers and water bodies like lakes, ponds and sometimes even seas and ocean (see Fig. 1.1). While these features provide an aesthetic touch to the golf course, their primary role is to act as obstacles for the golfer during a game. In order to gain a competitive edge, the golfers need to minimise the number of shots they play. Hence, they need to properly plan their route taking into account the distance to be covered, as well the obstacle and hazards, that may come in the way. If a poorly planned (or poorly delivered) shot lands the ball in any of the hazards, it yields additional shots to the player which, in turn, manifests as a competitive disadvantage.

I get to play golf for a living. What more can you ask for, getting paid for doing what you love.

—Tiger Woods

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  1. Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India

    Shantanu Malik & Sandeep Saha

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Malik, S., Saha, S. (2021). Introduction. In: Golf and Wind. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9720-6_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9720-6_1

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