The Physics of Golf: What's the Ideal Loft to Hit the Ball Farthest?

[Herman Erlichson was a physicist and a historian of science (he had Ph.D.s in both). He was also an avid golfer - and my uncle. He passed away just over a year ago, and I've been wanting to write this column ever since. We corresponded frequently when I was a teenager, in a time when hand-written letters were still common. Here is a small anecdote.]Everyone who plays golf knows that the driver hits the ball the farthest of any club. It also has the lowest launch angle, or "loft." Loft is the am...