Ever wondered how you manage to hit the golf ball far? Swing mechanics or the best golf clubs do play a significant role in delivering the golf ball but people tend to overlook the science behind the design of a golf ball. Ever wonder why golf balls have dimples? The dimple on a golf ball is a key factor that allows the ball to travel further.
Dimples on Golf Balls
According to Scientific American, when a professional golfer hits a smooth ball, it will travel half as far as a golf ball with dimples. Golfers are able to control and manipulate everything up until the split-second impact between the golf club and the ball. After that, the ball's trajectory is controlled by gravity and aerodynamics. The advancement of dimple design is critical in helping golf ball manufacturers optimize aerodynamics. In other words, the dimples on a golf ball make it travel much faster!
How Many Dimples in a Golf Ball
The idea is that the more dimples on the ball, the higher it will go. However, having too many dimples causes the balls to go too high therefore losing distance. Presently, golf ball manufacturers have about 300-500 dimples on their golf balls with an average depth of about 0.010 inches. Dimples on a golf ball are commonly spherical. However, in 2002, an article in Newscientist suggests that different shapes such as hexagonal and pentagonal dimples allow the golf ball to travel more aerodynamically. Callaway HX balls used hexagonal dimples.
How Dimples Affect Ball Flight
Let us dive into the nitty-gritty explanation of what dimples provide to a golf ball. When an object travels through air, it exerts a force on it. You can experience this feeling when you are riding against the wind like when you stick your head out the sunroof of your car. The aerodynamics of this can be broken down into two factors; lift and drag. Lift is a perpendicular force that lifts the ball into the air whereas drag is the force that opposes motion through the air. In order to have the golf balls travel further, there needs to be an increase in lift and decrease in drag and that is where dimples come into play.
The dimples allow air to flow tightly around the golf ball as they act as tiny pockets of turbulence. By doing so, it minimizes the low-pressure zone and the overall drag. In general, ball spin contributes to half of a golf ball's lift. The backspin on a golf ball redirects air downwards toward the back of the ball as it moves through it, which produces force upwards. With dimples, the lift force is optimized.
Structure of the Golf Ball
Cover
The cover of a golf ball is typically made from Urethane or a material called Surlyn®. This is where the dimples of the golf balls are located at. Surlyn is a durable material and it does not damage easily. It being hard allowed it to travel further hence the so-called "distance balls". However, Surlyn balls do not provide the backspin or feel that low handicap players and professionals demand. On the other hand, Urethane is softer and it delivers higher spin rates which suits players who demand maximum feel and control for a more precise game. Because of the high clubhead speed generated by better golfers, they only sacrifice little amount of distance compared to Surlyn balls.
In a nutshell, Surlyn balls are slightly more durable, provides a little more distance, and are generally cheaper than Urethane balls but do not provide the spin needed to stop quickly on and around the greens. Deciding factors when deciding which ball to buy usually are economical; durability and price.
Layers
There are multiple types of golf balls such as two-piece, three-piece, and multi-layer. The least commonly used as a playing ball is the one-piece ball, they are mostly used on driving ranges. Typically made from Surlyn with dimples embedded in it, it is cheaper and very durable.
The more commonly used ones are the two-piece and three-piece balls. A two-piece ball has a small core and a shell around it. This sturdy golf balls fly straighter with less spin is designed for a higher handicap or beginner golfer looking for distance as opposed to feeling. They are also the cheapest option available. Moreover, looking at the three-piece golf ball, it has an increase in feel and spin compared to the two-piece yet still offers plenty of distance. It is slightly more expensive but the difference in price will be worth it for the performance you get from it.
Lastly, the multi-layer golf balls are the fancy ones with an expensive price tag. If you ever see golfers spending absurd amounts of time looking for their ball, they probably are looking for these. Lose a couple of these on the golf course and it will cost you just as much as your round of golf. These multi-layered golf balls are the newer form of the three-piece golf ball which provides maximum feel and control.
Size & Weight
The standard golf ball size legal in tournament play and sold in golf shops is 1.68 inches in diameter. Prior to 1980, the size used was 1.62 inches. Additionally, the standard weight of a golf ball is 1.620 ounces or 45 grams.
Frequently Asked Questions About Golf Ball Dimples
1. How many dimples are on a golf ball?
On average, most golf balls have 300 to 500 dimples.
2. Why do golf balls have dimples?
Aerodynamics. The dimples help to create lift and add a greater amount of distance than an otherwise smooth golf ball. In other words, the dimples are the wings of an airplane.
3. What is the most common number of dimples on a golf ball?
Depends. On American golf balls, there are about 336 dimples, while British balls have 330. But then again, these numbers can vary widely based on how companies choose to manufacture them.
4. What are golf balls made of?
Surlyn. Most golf balls are covered with a material called Surlyn, adding durability to the balls.
5. What is the diameter of a golf ball?
The standard diameter for a golf ball today is no less than 1.68 inches (42.7 mm). Anything below the number is considered illegal to be used in any tournaments though it wasn't until the 1980s when they implemented the change.
6. How big is a golf ball?
The minimum width of a golf ball used today is 1.68 inches or 42.7 mm. This is the only acceptable size for a golf ball based on the rules of golf.
Summary
Everything that happens after impact is controlled by gravity and aerodynamics. Dimples on the golf ball play a significant role in allowing the ball to travel further. In making a decision for a golf ball the factors that you would want to consider is your ability level and the type of ball to optimize your play. Check out our 7 Best Golf Balls if you need a guide on which balls to purchase!
On the contrary, if you are looking for golf drivers to send the ball even further, do take a look at our article on the 5 Best Golf Drivers. Have all the best equipment to play the game but no one to share that experience with? Deemples Golf App can solve that problem for you by connecting you with other golfers around you! This way, you would never golf alone! All you need to do is download the Deemples Golf App and create or join a game. It's that easy!
