Aerodynamic Analysis of a Golf Club Driver Head

As a member of the team, I helped to investigate the aerodynamic properties of a high-end golf club driver head (Callaway XR 16) and a low-end club (Tour Jr). We measured drag and lift forces using a wind tunnel to quantify the performance differences.

Fall 2024 Semester

Fluid Dynamics · Experimental Methods · Data Acquisition and Analysis · Aerodynamic Testing · Engineering Report Writing

ELD Model 402B Wind Tunnel · Dynamometer · LVDT· NI USB-6341 Data Acquisition System · MATLAB · Microsoft Excel

The primary objective was to compare the aerodynamic performance of a high-end golf club to a low-end alternative. Our goal was to measure and analyze the drag and lift forces to determine if the design differences between the two clubs justified the significant cost disparity. We wanted to see if the advanced design of the high-end club offered a measurable performance advantage.

Our team used a low-speed wind tunnel to test both the high-end Callaway XR 16 Driver Head and the low-end Tour Jr. Driver Head. We mounted each club head to a custom fixture connected to a dynamometer and a Linear Variable Differential Transformer (LVDT) to accurately measure drag and lift forces. We collected data at various wind speeds and in different orientations to see how the aerodynamic properties of each club behaved under different conditions. This allowed us to calculate the drag (Cd​) and lift (Cl​) coefficients to make a quantitative comparison.

Our findings challenged the initial assumption that the high-end club would have superior performance. The low-end Tour Jr. Driver consistently exhibited a lower drag coefficient across all tested wind speeds. However, the high-end Callaway driver demonstrated more stable aerodynamic characteristics, which would be beneficial for the average golfer by providing more predictable performance. The results highlighted a trade-off between pure aerodynamic efficiency and performance reliability. This project provided valuable insights into the fluid dynamics of sports equipment and the importance of controlled testing to validate product claims.