libgolf

A C++ library that simulates a golf ball’s full flight — aerial arc, bounce, and roll — from launch conditions. The in-air physics is built on Prof. Alan M. Nathan’s trajectory model (University of Illinois). Aerodynamics, bounce, and roll are each pluggable, so you can swap in your own physics without touching the simulator.

▶ Try the live 3D visualizer →

Quick Example

#include <libgolf.hpp>

const LaunchData ball{
    .ballSpeedMph = 160.0f,
    .launchAngleDeg = 11.0f,
    .directionDeg = 0.0f,
    .backspinRpm = 3000.0f,
    .sidespinRpm = 0.0f,
};
const AtmosphericData atmos{
    .temp = 70.0f,
    .elevation = 0.0f,
    .vWind = 0.0f,
    .phiWind = 0.0f,
    .hWind = 0.0f,
    .relHumidity = 50.0f,
    .pressure = 29.92f,
};
GroundSurface ground; // Default fairway

FlightSimulator sim(ball, atmos, ground);
sim.run();

LandingResult result = sim.getLandingResult();
printf("Distance: %.1f yards\n", result.distance);

Distance: 264.7 yards

For terrain with slopes or position-dependent surfaces, see the Terrain System.

Features

• Full trajectory simulation with automatic phase transitions (aerial → bounce → roll)
• Dynamic ground surfaces — fairways, roughs, greens, elevation changes
• 3D terrain system with slopes and varying surface normals
• Pluggable aerodynamic model — implement custom Cd/Cl/spin-decay behaviour
• Pluggable bounce model — replace COR/friction/spin physics on impact
• Pluggable roll model — replace friction law, integrator, and stop criterion
• Efficient step-by-step numerical integration

Requirements

• C++20 or later
• CMake 3.14+

Build

git clone https://github.com/gdifiore/libgolf.git
cd libgolf
chmod +x build.sh
./build.sh

Using libgolf in your project

After installing (cmake --install build), consume it from another CMake project with find_package:

find_package(golf REQUIRED)

add_executable(my_app main.cpp)
target_link_libraries(my_app PRIVATE golf::golf)

golf::golf carries its include paths, so #include <libgolf.hpp> works with no extra configuration. The same target name is available via add_subdirectory(libgolf) for in-tree builds.

Documentation

• Getting Started — Basic usage and examples
• Terrain System — Custom terrain with elevation, slopes, and varying surfaces
• Aerodynamic Models — Custom drag, lift, and spin-decay models
• Bounce Models — Custom ball-ground bounce physics
• Roll Models — Custom rolling friction and stopping criteria
• WebAssembly Build — Compile to wasm and use libgolf from JavaScript

Web Visualizer

The 3D ball-flight visualizer above is hosted on GitHub Pages at gdifiore.github.io/libgolf/demo/. Source: examples/web/index.html. To run locally, see docs/wasm.md.

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