libgolf

libgolf is a C++ library designed to simulate golf ball trajectories based on initial conditions like velocity, atmospheric data, and more. It provides easy-to-use functions to visualize or calculate the ball's flight path and landing point (now including bounces, rolling, and dynamic ground surfaces!).

The in-air math here is based on work done by Prof. Alan M. Nathan at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Build

git clone https://github.com/gdifiore/libgolf.git

cd libgolf

chmod +x build.sh

./build.sh

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
• Efficient step-by-step numerical integration

Documentation

• Getting Started - Basic usage and examples
• Ground Providers - Dynamic ground surfaces (fairways, roughs, greens)
• Terrain System - 3D terrain with elevation and slopes

Quick Example

#include <libgolf.hpp>

// Basic simulation with single ground type
const golfBall ball{0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 160.0, 11.0, 0.0, 3000.0, 0.0};
const atmosphericData atmos{70.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 50.0, 29.92};
GroundSurface ground;  // Default fairway (or use constructor for custom values)

GolfBallPhysicsVariables physVars(ball, atmos);
FlightSimulator sim(physVars, ball, atmos, ground);

// Initialize and run
sim.initialize(initialState);
while (!sim.isComplete()) {
    sim.step(0.01f);
}

For dynamic ground surfaces (fairway/rough/green), see the Ground Providers Guide.