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A computational approach for predicting plant canopy induced wind effects on the trajectory of golf shots

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Abstract

Large-eddy simulation of atmospheric flow is combined with golf ball trajectory modeling that incorporates local plant canopy information to predict the trajectory of a golf shot at any hole on a golf course in a variety of wind conditions. The model is applied to examine golf shots on hole 12 of the Augusta National Golf Club, which is particularly well known for its wind-induced difficulty. The results indicate that the tree canopies around this hole play a significant role in golf ball trajectories and also induce a strong directional sensitivity on the landing spot of the ball for this hole.

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Author notes

  1. Neda Yaghoobian

    Present address: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Neda Yaghoobian & Rajat Mittal

Authors
  1. Neda Yaghoobian
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  2. Rajat Mittal
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Correspondence to Neda Yaghoobian.

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Yaghoobian, N., Mittal, R. A computational approach for predicting plant canopy induced wind effects on the trajectory of golf shots. Sports Eng 21, 1–10 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12283-017-0239-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12283-017-0239-9

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