connecting STEM and golf

S: Science

elements of golf

Even if you’ve never been to a golf course, you know that it’s mostly grass. To keep that grass ready for competition, the PGA TOUR® employs a team of agronomists. This job requires a college degree where you study a specified field of biology focused on soil and plant growth.

At the molecular level, there’s even more science to discover deep within the game. Explore the periodic table to learn more about the elements of golf:

explore the elements >

T: Technology

x-ray vision

In the golf section, you can learn more about different clubs and why golf balls are dimpled. To continually push the limits of golf, companies who create clubs and balls use new technologies and materials. Behind every innovation is a team of research and development experts, and not just in golf.

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E: Engineering

reaction test

In its simplest definition, engineering is simply applying math and science to solve real-world problems. On the golf course, you internally find solutions to highly complicated math problems that combine angles, force, speed, reaction time and more.

While golf is based on a lot more than reaction time, at the professional level, golfers must react to any changes on the course, like sudden wind shifts, to have the perfect swing.

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M: Math

gravity golf

Math is a key part of golfing, from analyzing the geometry and trigonometry of a putting green to doing the mental calculations of how hard you have to swing to get the ball where you want it.

All of that math is based on gravity, that’s what brings the ball back to the ground after each shot. If golf sounds like a challenge on Earth, imagine what it would be like to play on the moon like NASA Astronaut Alan Shepard did in 1971 – or other places in space.

golf in space >

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