Captivating Calculations: Golf Math

Golf has an extreme amount of math and science in it.

From the swing to the put to the designing of a golf course,

golfers use mathematics. Click the link below to read the

article The Science, Technology, Engineering and Math of Golf.

https://www.usga.org/content/dam/usga/pdf/science-of-golf/kidscoopstem.pdf

Great Golf Math

1. Jayce and Arianna are practicing their golf swings.

They bring 32 golf balls to the course. Jayce hits all 32 first, then retrieves all but one. Then it’s Arianna’s turn to hit all the remaining golf balls and retrieve them, but she also loses one. If this pattern continues, who will take the 12th turn, and how many golf balls will he or she hit? Find a way to solve the problem without counting each turn.

2. In golf, the average score a good player should be able to achieve is called “par.” Par for a whole course is calculated by adding up the par scores for each hole. Scores in golf are often expressed at some number either greater than or less than par. Ms. Floop is having a pretty good day at the Megalopolis City Golf Club. Her score so far after 15 holes is -3. If par for 15 holes is 63, what is her score?
3. A) 60
   B) 66
   C) 65
   D) 63
4. A golf store pays its wholesaler $40 for a certain club, and then sells it to a golfer for $75. What is the markup rate?
5. A golf ball manufacturer packs 3 golf balls into a single package. Three of these packages make a gift box. Three gift boxes make a value pack. The display shelf is high enough to stack 3 value packs one on top of the other. Three such columns of value packs make up a display front. Three display fronts can be packed in a single shipping box and shipped to various retail stores. How many golf balls are in a single shipping box?
6. Emmanuel is practicing golf as part of his school’s golf team. Each week he plays a full round of golf and records his total score. His scorecard after five weeks is below.

Use a calculator to find an equation for the median-fit line. Then estimate how many games Emmanuel will have to play to get a score of 86.

Answers

1. Jayce has the odd numbered turns and Arianna has the even numbered turns. Since 12 is an even number, Arianna has the 12th turn. By the 12th turn, only 11 (not 12) golf balls have gotten lost because the balls get lost at the end of the turn. So, Arianna hits 32 – 11 = 21 golf balls.
2. A
3. Cost price (C.P)  =  $40

Selling price (S.P)  =  $75

Mark up value  =  75 – 40  =  $35

Mark up rate  =  (35/40) ⋅ 100 %  =  87.5 %

The mark up rate is 87.5 %

4. 729 golfs balls on a single box.
5. y = -2.83x + 114.67; about 10 games