ABSTRACT
The intent of this study was to analyze the kinematics and kinetics of the shoe-ground interaction in golf. The shoe-ground interaction was quantified as ground reaction forces and centers of pressure using the MIT TRACK system, an active marker system used in conjunction with a Kistler force plate. The system applies a stereophotogrammetric technique to measure the kinematics of human movement causing the kinetics generated at the force plate. The kinematic data was used to monitor shoe movement in order to quantify shoe kinematics in relation to ground reaction forces and the center of pressure migration. The experiment involved fourteen subjects, divided into three handicap groups (low: 0–7, mid: 8– 14, high: 15 +). Subjects wore conventional spiked shoes on an artificial turf platform, and struck golf balls into a golf cage using three different clubs (driver, 3-iron, 7-iron). A normalization routine was developed to characterize the data set of an individual, as well as to compare individuals and handicap groups. An algorithm was also developed to study data in the moving local reference frame of the shoe, in contrast to studying data in the conventional reference frame of the shoe at initiation of the swing. Results include differences between the left and right feet, as well as clear differences between handicap groups and individuals. The forces and centers of pressure for different clubs were shown to vary at specific 47phases of the swing, due primarily to inertial effects, but generally followed similar patterns. Also, the moving reference frame of the shoe demonstrated that the migrations of center of pressure on the shoes were more centralized to the shoe than with respect to the reference frame of the shoe at initiation. Furthermore, in contrast to common wisdom, statistical analysis revealed that the swings of low handicap players are not any more consistent than those of high handicap players.
