Ways to measure the speed of a golf ball?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around methods to measure the speed of a golf ball in a putt-putt golf setting, with a focus on real-time display options for a PC. Participants explore various approaches, including hardware and software solutions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests using a baseball speed radar gun but is open to other methods.
  • Another participant proposes using standard photointerrupters, recommending placing two emitter/detector pairs along the ball's path to measure speed.
  • A different participant mentions the use of cheap HD video cameras that can record at 30 or 60 frames per second, suggesting frame-by-frame analysis with a stopwatch for speed measurement.
  • Another contribution notes the existence of apps like speedClock that may help in measuring speed, although there is concern about the suitability of such apps for academic assignments.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present multiple competing views on how to measure the speed of a golf ball, with no consensus reached on the best method.

Contextual Notes

Some methods discussed may depend on specific setups, such as the distance between photointerrupters or the capabilities of video software, which are not fully detailed.

stuckpipe
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Help, I need to find a cheap way to measure the speed of a golf ball in a putt putt type of golf hole and view it in real-time on a PC display? Got any ideas? I thought about using a baseball speed radar gun but thought there must be other good way? Any ideas or have you seen something like this?
 
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stuckpipe said:
Help, I need to find a cheap way to measure the speed of a golf ball in a putt putt type of golf hole and view it in real-time on a PC display? Got any ideas? I thought about using a baseball speed radar gun but thought there must be other good way? Any ideas or have you seen something like this?

Welcome to the PF.

Can you just use standard photointerrupters? Two emitter/detector interruptors placed a foot or two apart along the path of the ball, like where there is a chute only a few feet wide...
 
There are cheap HD video cameras out there, one I use for fishing has a 30 and 60 frams per second record rate. You might check if some of the PC video software can do a frame by frame view. If you set the interval at 30 frames per second, film a stop watch and check. then set up a tripod and film away. You might want to put down some graduation
marks to measure with.
 
Apparently there are apps out there that will do this, like speedClock

Dunno if this will suit your purposes, but there may be others out there that do.

oh, this likely defeats the purpose of any assignment that may be associted with the request. Please ignore if that is the case.
 
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