Video player not working?0:000:000:00SettingsQualityAutoAudioSpeed1×CaptionsOffScience Of Happy GilmoreDula TVFunny videos since 2008Thumbs up0Thumbs down0 Share1.4K views May 2009A golf experiment tests the Happy Gilmore running swing, as pro golfer Padraig Harrington hits drives about 30 yards farther but sacrifices accuracy. Show transcript0:09In the movie Happy Gilmore, Happy converts his hockey swing into a golf swing to get insane distance off the tee,0:20pummeling his drives over 400 yards. But does this actually work?0:27Is it a Hollywood trick, or could someone actually get extra distance off the tee, hitting like Happy Gilmore?0:37To find out, we brought in the only person who was willing to try such a bizarre swing.0:45A golfer who also happens to be the 2008, this Irishman won 2 majors, the British Open and the PGA Championship.1:07Like Podrick, every professional golfer on the planet hits a tee shot the same way, standing still.1:16But surprisingly, there's nothing in the rules that prohibits a golfer from running up to the ball.1:22It's perfectly legal to use the Happy Gilmore swing on the golf course.1:26There's, there's nothing stopping you running up.1:28But hitting a driver is hard enough when you're standing still.1:32Even pro golfers only hit the fairway 60% of the time. You're trying to make a square inch sweet spot at the end of a 4 foot long stick traveling 100 miles an hour make contact with a target smaller than a dime.1:50So that kind of precision on the run is actually next to impossible.1:59Hodrick's not exactly short off the tee.2:04His normal drives average 296 yards, but the idea of getting extra distance off the tee, like Happy, is tempting, even for a pro like Patrick Harrington.2:18The bigger a hitter you are, it is an advantage. The best player in the world always tends to be the longest hitter in the world, or, or close to it.2:25He always has a length advantage.2:28So, could a successful Happy Gilmore swing generate more distance off the tee2:36and help a pro like Podrick win more tournaments? And if so, shouldn't golfers around the world rethink the way they hit golf shots?2:45It's time to take the shackles off of golf2:49and see if Podrick can hit a golf ball2:54while running. Running.3:31Are you kidding?3:34Podrick totally smokes his Happy Gilmore dry, and he doesn't just take a step into the ball like Happy.3:42He gets a full-on running start.3:49Well, I noticed that both my feet left the ground at one point, so I was airborne.3:58At first glance, the two driving styles look radically different, but a side-by-side comparison on the Phantom high-speed footage is mind-blowing.4:09Incredibly, even with a running start, Podrick's club position at the top of the backswing and at impact are virtually identical.4:23So it looks amazing, but did Podrick's unconventional swing actually crank out longer drives?4:31In fact, using a Happy Gilmore swing,4:36Podrick actually does drive the ball much farther, on average 30 yards farther.4:46Our motion capture technology reveals exactly how Podrick gets happy.4:58Podrick attacks the ball at 4 miles an hour.5:03This forward momentum helps increase clubhead speed from his normal 107 up to 114 miles an hour.5:14More importantly, his run-up enables him to make a huge shoulder turn, and this is one key to extra distance.5:24Pros call it the X factor.5:29That's how much you stretch your hip away from your shoulder in the downswing, and because I plant a little bit like a javelin thrower in my Happy Gilmore, I get a much better stretch,5:39and then my left hip stops much quicker so that I get that acceleration.5:43Podrick's increased shoulder turn means that he can hit his Happy Gilmore drives a full 10% farther than his normal drives, and those extra yards off the tee can mean a big difference on the next shot.5:59If you're approaching the green from 30 yards closer, you're hitting less club, and you've got a better chance of sticking that ball near the hole.6:10So why doesn't Podrick use this crazy swing on the golf course?6:17It comes down to consistency and accuracy.6:21I don't believe I'd be as accurate, eh, and would the gain of, you know, 20, 30 yards be be worth it?6:27Because added distance6:30can also mean added distance the wrong way.6:35At impact, a club face that is twisted only 1 degree offline or makes contact a couple of millimeters away from the sweet spot can result in a drive that travels 20 yards offline.6:51I'd like to do it on the golf course, but I'm too cautious for that.6:56Ultimately, in a sport where millions of dollars could come down to 1 or 2 strokes, the risk isn't worth the reward.7:05But for the rest of us, since we all pretty much stink anyway, even Padraic recommends we try it.7:12If you're going to try the Happy Gilmore, and I think you should try it, don't think too much about it and just give it a good hit.
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