14 - G.H. Hardy's Golfing Adventure

Summary

Abstract

A little-known paper by G.H. Hardy addresses a basic question in golf: which of two golfers of equal ability has the advantage, the more consistent golfer or the more erratic golfer? Hardy models golf as a sequence of independent shots, each of which can be normal, excellent or bad. In this paper, the distributions of hole scores for simulated golfers using Hardy's rules are computed. The distributions enable us to explore Hardy's basic question in different golfing contests.

There are very few sentences in print that contain both the word “golf” and the name G.H. Hardy. Hardy (1877–1947) was one of the most prolific and influential mathematicians of the early twentieth century. His book A Mathematician's Apology [1] makes the case for mathematics as a pure discipline of austere beauty and uncompromising standards. He wrote, “The mathematician's patterns, like those of the painter's or the poet's, must be beautiful, the ideas, like the colours or the words, must fit together in a harmonious way. There is no permanent place in the world for ugly mathematics.” He found little beauty in applied mathematics. The assumptions made by applied mathematicians, tied to the laws of physics and other mundane concerns, are not always motivated by mathematical curiosity and the results are often more pragmatic than inspirational.

Given his background as a pure mathematician par excellence, his publication in the December 1945 issue of The Mathematical Gazette is singular.