Tiger Woods Another Einstein?

So just what is Tiger Woods's secret? Simple. It's Vc = 2D(1/T)(P1lk)(1-Pt2) to the power of (1/k-1). That, according to British and French researchers, is the equation determining whether you hole a putt rather than leave it short, overrun the cup or lip out.

The formula, published in the British scientific weekly 'Nature', was calculated from observations made of 10 good golfers, each with a handicap of less than five.

The key factors in successful putting are balancing Vc (the clubhead velocity just before impact) with D (the amplitude of the forward swing), T (the duration of the overall swing) and P (the duration before the ball is hit as a proportion of the overall swing).

These factors depend on a golfer's assessment of such things as the speed and slope of the green, which could affect the ball's path.

Cathy Craig, a researcher from County Antrim, Northern Ireland who lectures at France's University of the Mediterranean in Marseilles, said the key to implementing all these factors lies in the nervous system. She explained that it was a "timing mechanism" in which the brain visualises the movements that have to be made and assesses the time that is needed to perform them.

Rather as someone who is listening to music can predict the next beat, this mechanism determines the amount of time needed to close the gap between putter and ball (the backswing) and the time needed for the follow-through. Similar timing processes are used when people have to catch a ball or play tennis.

The golfers were tested in laboratory conditions, putting on Astroturf towards lines drawn one, two, three and four metres away. In an age when the coefficient of restitution determines the legality of metal drivers, the time will shortly come when golfers will need log tables in their bags as well as a copy of the Rules of Golf.