I like to practice slinging with floating golfballs and noticed they usually curve hard left when skipping them slinging right handed. It is a bit counter intuitive with the way it spins so I assume there is some sort of magnus effect but couldn't find any info online. The info online was usually about skipping flat stones and back/front spin like the dam buster.  Stones usually go straight or bounce erratically. Anyone have any ideas or successes curving stone skips?

do they skip left or skip and then curve left?
there is the reverse magnus effect but I dont know the situation and if it applies.

Wow, I love slinging at skips as the mighty "Kerlangggg" when the stone or ball hits is its own reward.
As to the effort of floating a skip out as a target ...... reeeessspppeeeeeecttt.
😁👍

   I've never tried skipping golf balls but if they're curving then I would guess that your backspin, or front spin if you're slinging them Underarm, isn't quite perfect. 

https://youtu.be/EoP_bsdeotI?si=drCQsLrB5H6yBKdf
I tried filming some of my throws with different spin axis to see what is going on; it's hard to tell with my phone camera, but I have some ideas. I think with side spin the golf ball curves the same as it would in air just with greater effect. With gyro spin I think the ball is "sinking" into the water and the spin helps it climb out of the water (which might be why faster throws dont curve as much? They would skip normally?).With a relatively slow throw you can get one or two skips perpendicular to the throw. Backspin helps skips and frontspin stops skips, I assume it is the magnus effect in the water but could be something else. If the ball is not completely submerged would there be a magnus for force?

This is odd. When I sling tennis balls for distance, when they hit the ground they bounce hard to the right. This makes sense because they are spinning clockwise.  I'm failing to understand how a clockwise spin results in a leftward skip. Even if the axis is tipped forward or back. I'll have to think about it more. But it is definitely related to the projectile spin and water surface interaction.

Maybe the flinging and  ejection of water off the top of the ball is giving it momentum to the left. That's my best guess.

You have a nice easy slinging style.

good luck figuring this out. there is probably torque from the water impacts and precession. some shots had sidespin and magnus drift before impact. it simply could be something like magnus for water on every impact

For a number of the throws, they look pretty straight through the skips.  If you follow the release point, to the first water impact, and to the third, they line up more or less.  But then there are some that most certainly head left after the initial impact.  That's weird...but cool!



IronGoober wrote on Feb 21^st, 2024 at 2:13pm:

You have a nice easy slinging style.

Agreed.  Not exactly the same, but it reminds me of Sarosh's style.