The dreaded lip out in golf isn't bad luck - it's good mechanics in action

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-11-05 11:01

International

Photo by Jason Abrams on Unsplash

Ever hit a perfect hole-in-one only to have the ball pop back out? International researchers have investigated the mechanics behind the golf lip out, where a golf ball enters the hole, only to pop back out. The team identified two different kinds of lip outs: the "rim lip out" and the "hole lip out". In the case of the rim lip out, the ball's velocity takes it around the rim of the hole, and it will either lip out onto the green or fall into the hole. In the case of the hole lip out, if the ball's spin is rotating perpendicular to the wall of the hole, the ball can roll along the wall and be launched back out onto the green. The authors say that spin and trajectory are the key factors in determining if a ball will lip out.

Media release

From: The Royal Society

Breaking the curse - Researchers have identified the cause of the ‘golfer’s curse’, or lip out, where the ball enters the hole just to come straight back out again. Through mechanical analysis, they have found that a hole lip out occurs when the ball spins on an axis perpendicular to the wall of the hole. Causing the ball to roll along the wall, converting all its energy to spin and being launched back out. Royal Society Open Science

Mechanics of the golf lip out
Royal Society Open Science
Golf's Greatest Mystery Unveiled: A team of researchers has finally cracked the mystery behind the frustrating golf phenomenon known as the "lip out." When a golf ball appears to enter the hole, only to pop back out, it's not mere luck—it's physics at work. Using advanced mechanics, the team identifies two distinct types of lip outs: the "rim lip out" and the "hole lip out". Their breakthrough reveals that the ball's spin and trajectory are key factors in determining the outcome. Golfers now have a scientific explanation for one of the sport's most baffling, and frustrating, occurrences

Journal/
conference: Royal Society Open Science

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Bristol, UK

Funder: The research of the second author M.A. was supported by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office under grant no. NKFI‑150659.

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