Starkville, MS (June 12, 2001) - You may love golf now, but did you ever think as a kid about a career designing golf courses or engineering better balls or clubs? Probably not, but a physics professor at Mississippi State University is trying to get kids to think about just those sorts of careers - and the kinds of science they need to work in them.

Professor Sandra Harpole runs a summer program funded by the United States Golf Association for 6th-8th graders called "Science on the Green." The program gives students who might not otherwise think of learning about golf a chance to consider it as both a sport and a career, as well as learn about the science of golf. "Many students don't know about their career options," says Harpole, "or about the academic requirements needed to pursue those careers."

This is the second year Harpole has directed the two week course, which ran from June 4th-15th. In the mornings, students learn how to play golf, about golf course design and management, and golf etiquette. In the afternoon they have class and laboratory experiences that incorporate science and mathematics. For one of their projects the lay out and eventually play a golf hole they design themselves using a GPS system, graphing and mapping skills.

Another lab involves the dimples on golf balls, which is a physics lesson about the coefficient of restitution (which influences how far the ball will go when hit by a club). Students try hitting balls with and without dimples - dimples create controlled turbulence as the ball files, which reduces the amount of drag on the ball allowing it to go further - showing them the affects of good golf ball engineering. "The students are just amazed," says Harpole, "at the difference the dimples make."

This year's class consists of 24 students, mostly minorities and girls. The students were selected for the program after being nominated by their principals and teachers as being interested in science, math and who would like to learn golf. "Besides," says Harpole, "the next Tiger Woods or Karrie Webb could be out there - just waiting for someone to teach them about golf."

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For more information:

Sandra Harpole
Professor of Physics
Mississippi State University
(662) 325-2922
sharpole@ra.msstate.edu