Why is there a difference between a golf club needing to be light as possible so you can swing harder, but if you make a ball lighter you can’t necessarily throw it further than a baseball/cricket ball?

Question

Why is there a difference between a golf club needing to be light as possible so you can swing harder, but if you make a ball lighter you can’t necessarily throw it further than a baseball/cricket ball?

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Answer 1

So I think it’s because they are different energy transfers. Golf club hitting is an inelastic collisions so the energy of the club gets transferred to the ball, and with a lighter ball the energy creates more speed (E=1/2 mv^2).

Throwing something is moving the ball at the same speed as your hand until release. I imagine that your arm is able to move at about the same speed with a baseball as a goofball, weight of the ball isn’t the limiting factor until like 3 or 4 pounds.