Launch Angles, Crooked Sticks and Baseball Bats _ A Rant

[steve B]

Hitting a golf ball is easier?!

Maybe for some people.
For me, it's very hard.
I've played one game, and enjoyed it, but it wasn't at all easy.
I usually don't have any real idea how far or where the ball is actually going.
Typically it starts out straight and then goes well to the right. Even when I aim deliberately to the left, the ball ends up going to the right. Sometimes. If I could throw a ball like that I'd make millions.

Of course, that game I was getting some comments from the people I ended up playing with they asked to join my friend and I, which was cool. Told them I hadn't played and was expecting to be very bad. The first hole naturally curved to the right. Ended up behind a small shrub and figured on hitting the ball through it instead of relocating for a penalty. for some reason it worked! Ended up only +1 on the first hole. Second hole also bent right, no shrubs, Par 3 - made it Third hole - Par 5 some silly distance like 500 something. dead straight. Topped the ball and it went maybe 20 feet. "what will you do now" "Oh, I'll just rev up, hit it as hard as I can, and if I'm really lucky it'll turn right like always, hit a tree and bounce forward. (there was a wooded embankment all down the right side. )
That actually happened.
They weren't believing that I'd never played before.
Everything that happened after that showed them their suspicions had been wrong. I ended up at 200+ for 9 holes, Lost all the balls I'd brought and a few of my friends and a few of theirs.

[bn2cardz]

When I hear "launch angle" I always think of the scene in Major League.

Vaughn gives up a HR and the guys in the crowd says "its too high", and after it goes out his friend says to him "too high, what does that mean 'too high'?"



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_wc...utu.be&t=1m40s

[AGuinness]

There's some good info in this story, including interesting stuff from Ted Williams almost 50 years ago on launch angle:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graph...=.e0481a7f4b5b

[steve B]

Behind a paywall, like so much today.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by steve B

Behind a paywall, like so much today.

Steve, you need to increase your launch angle to clear the Paywall.

[AGuinness]

Originally Posted by steve B

Behind a paywall, like so much today.

The Washington Post story? I haven’t found a paywall on it...


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[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by AGuinness

The Washington Post story? I haven’t found a paywall on it...


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No paywall here and an interesting piece. Although not specifically about launch angles, Robert Adair’s book, The Physics of Baseball, is recommended for those interested in this sort of thing. The book has at least three editions each adding additional material. If interested, look for the third edition.

[AGuinness]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

No paywall here and an interesting piece. Although not specifically about launch angles, Robert Adair’s book, The Physics of Baseball, is recommended for those interested in this sort of thing. The book has at least three editions each adding additional material. If interested, look for the third edition.

Thanks for the tip, I’m adding that to my list!


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[Paul S]

Originally Posted by AGuinness

The Washington Post story? I haven’t found a paywall on it...


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You get a handful of views per month. Exceed that and your exit velocity is 86.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by Paul S

You get a handful of views per month. Exceed that and your exit velocity is 86.

Thank god they don’t publish a daily launch angle column..............yet.