The idea is simple, right? A golf club with turbo jets behind it should be a lot of fun. In theory, yes. But in the real world, that idea is far more difficult to put into play. But that’s what Mark Rober is here for.
Rober is a successful content creator on YouTube, with more than six million followers. He’s a former NASA engineer who specializes in busting myths and using various engineering tricks to prove wacky hypothesis. In this case, he wanted to see what a rocket-powered golf club could do.
Rober sets out on a series of trial and error, working to mount a rocket-powered club in a position to smash a golf ball a really long way. In a quest that eventually reached a 150-mph swing, he realized the rig needs a few things:
1. A standard-shafted club would not do the trick. His team needed to reinforce it with metal and generous epoxy.
2. A standard clubhead was not big enough to hold the rockets. A rocket plate needed to be affixed to the club head.
3. A ball that would be pushed into place ONLY once the golf club reached maximum speed.
4. A golf club that was long enough, such that it wouldn’t escape the mount when twirled at high speeds.
Sounds simple enough. Rober pieced together plenty of slo-mo footage that you can watch below. The only tragedy in this was they couldn’t find the golf balls that were hit! Rober’s simple explanation of “I can hit it 280 and these went far beyond that,” doesn’t quite cut it for the golf crowd. Either way, enjoy the fun video.
