#2: The effect of dimples on a golf ball
Golf balls have dimples to reduce drag and create lift. The dimples create a thin turbulent layer of air that clings to the ball's surface and travels further around the back of the ball, decreasing the wake and therefore the drag.
Golf balls have dimples to reduce drag and create lift. The dimples create a thin turbulent layer of air that clings to the ball's surface and travels further around the back of the ball, decreasing the wake and therefore the drag.
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A smooth golf ball hit by a professional golfer would travel only about half as far as a golf ball with dimples does.
Backspin imparted on the ball by the club generates lift but the dimples optimize the lift force. Some manufacturers claim dimple design can also help reduce sidespin to keep shots straighter.
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Most golf balls have 250-500 dimples, with an average depth of about 0.010 inch. A depth change of 0.0001 inch can produce a radical difference in the ball's trajectory and the overall distance it can fly.
"If the core is the engine of a golf ball, the dimples are the wings," says Nick Nardacci, Titleist's senior manager of product development - aerodynamics.
