Measuring Dynamic Response of a Golf Club During Swing and Impact

The University of Nottingham has been undertaking research into the dynamics of a golf club shaft during a swing for a number of years. The measurement of the deformation of the golf club as it is being swung has been undertaken by close range photogrammetry. The measurement system originally developed was based on the use of two 35 mm SLR cameras and the use of a direct linear transformation computation from measurements of the photographs made on a digitizing tablet. Recently, the system has been revised and enhanced, and the images are now scanned and measured digitally. This paper presents a background to the project, a description of the instrumentation and how it is used. The measurement and computational procedures are explained and results from trials will be discussed.