After an input on maths and the outdoors, I started thinking about where maths might feature in sport. As my knowledge of sport is pretty limited I decided to look at the one I know a little about…golf.

My dad has played golf for as long I can remember so I have grown up around it, especially watching it on it on TV. I started to wonder if there was any maths involved in a game of golf. The answer is yes. Maths features quite heavily in golf actually.

Golf consists of playing on a course that has 18 holes. Each hole has a par which is the number of shots it should take to get the ball from the tee to the hole. This is usually between 3 and 5 shots. Golfers are required to complete a score card on their round. This involves mental calculations of the score from every hole to be totalled at the end. Golfers need to know the yardage from every tee to the hole in order to plan their game and choose the right clubs. Golf clubs also involve maths as the face of the clubs are at different angles in order to send the ball further. Angles feature quite a lot as golfers have to calculate at what angle the ball is from the hole when putting so they can decide on the right direction.

Golfers also need to take into consideration the conditions of the golf course. The greens and fairways may be designed on an angle or an incline or decline. This has to be taken into account when choosing which club to use and how powerful the swing. They need to be aware of the weather as that will affect their game. They need to have a rough idea of wind speed and direction. There is even maths involved in the design of golf balls.

Golf…who knew it was so mathematical.