Why do Golf Balls have Dimples?
Golf balls have come a long way since the days of the featherie, a smooth round ball made of goose feathers and leather. Today’s golf balls are engineered to maximize distance, accuracy, and performance on the course. One of the key features of modern golf balls is the dimple pattern on the surface. But why do golf balls have dimples?
Golf balls have dimples to improve lift and reduce drag, which results in increased distance and better flight. These dimples create turbulent airflow explained by the Bernoulli principle, around the ball which reduces drag and increases lift, thus giving the ball more distance.
In this article, we’ll explore the physics behind dimples and how they impact a golf ball’s flight and distance. From the Bernoulli principle to boundary layer turbulence, we’ll take a deep dive into the science of dimples and their role in the game of golf, and if you want to know how many dimples on a golf ball we can even answer this over here! just so you don’t try to count them!
Why Do Golf Balls Have Dimples: The Science!
When a Golf Ball, or anything else like the driver you just threw through the air in frustration, is in flight it is up against air resistance, more commonly known as drag. Drag, as the name suggests, drags the the ball in the opposite direction, the faster the object the higher the drag. by breaking the surface of the golf ball these tiny unassuming dimples actually help to mitigate and reduce the effects of drag as the golf ball flies.
The dimples on a golf ball do this by disrupting the airflow around the ball and creating a thin layer of rough or turbulent airflow around the ball as it is in flight. This reduces the effects of drag on it.
The science behind this comes from the Bernoulli Principle, Bernoulli was a Swiss mathematician and physicist so although we have linked the page to give you more information about Bernoulli principle don’t expect it to be easy reading. We will give our best layman’s attempt on what it means for a golf ball below.
What is the Bernoulli principle
The Bernoulli principle states that as the speed of a fluid (such as air) increases, its pressure decreases. This is the principle that explains how dimples on a golf ball work to increase distance. When a golf ball with dimples is in motion, the dimples create a region of low pressure around the ball, which results in a lifting force that helps the ball stay in the air longer.
This is because the air moving over the dimples has to move faster, which reduces the air pressure on the front of the ball, creating a lifting force that makes the ball fly farther. In layman’s terms, dimples on a golf ball use the Bernoulli principle to create an area of low pressure that helps the ball fly farther by decreasing the drag.
Golf Ball Dimples also help to reduce the effect of the Magnus force, (again not easy going!) which is caused by the spinning and rotation of the ball. This force can cause the ball to curve in the air, but the dimples reduce the Magnus force by creating turbulent airflow around the ball which makes the ball fly more stable and straighter.
Now take a moment to think how much you hook or slice the ball, and think how much worse it was 200 years or so ago ( when dimples made their first appearance) when these balls were spherical without dimples. We take a look at why dimples were introduced later on.
How Do Golf Ball Dimples Make the Ball Fly Further With More Accuracy?
The dimples on a golf ball work because of science, and fluid dynamics. The VERY brief description we gave of the Bernoulli principle and the Magnus force above explains that the dimples are designed to create the optimal flight for distance and accuracy.
- The Bernoulli principle reduces drag by creating a region of low pressure around the ball, which allows the ball to stay in the air longer and travel farther.
- This turbulent airflow caused by the dimples also helps to reduce the Magnus force, which can cause the ball to curve in the air. This results in a more stable and straighter flight for the ball depending on your skill of course.
Dimples work to keep the ball in the air for a longer period of time, which allows for more control over the ball’s trajectory. This, allegedly judging from my last few rounds, makes it easier for golfers to aim and hit their target with greater precision,
Yu can read how fast golf balls can go here on the site
Difference Between a Golf Ball with Dimples and without dimples.
Getting hold of a 200 year old golf ball is pretty tricky now and if you do have one we would think hitting it as hard as you can with a driver is not high on your list of things to do.
However, Titleist did an experiment with a research and development smooth dimpleless ball and asked professionals to give it a drive. You can see the results for yourself below.
Now this is a top level ball just without dimples so its manufacture, compression will all be modern. Then cast your mind back to how frustrating those rounds of golf must have been 200 years ago when your drives, and every other shot, was half as long. If you make a Par 5 you must have had arms like Popeye!
When Did Golf Balls Get Dimples?
Although golf, like most sports, has evolved over the 500 plus years it has been played ( thankfully) We no long have crazy trousers, huge hats, goose feather or dimpleless balls. there was a time when it was not just the attire that made you feel inadequate on a golf course. for 300 of those 500 year history of golf golfers were missing a trick.
Now, with golfers being nothing if not resourceful ( hence the largest of large rules books) it did not take 300 years to realise that old golf balls performed better than shiney new round ones.
Now it is too much to go into the full history of the golf ball here, though we will do that in due course, and it is suffice to say that the first manufactured dimpled golf balls were patented in 1905 by William Taylor. He discovered than indents greatly helped the distance and accuracy of golf balls, and by 1908 this was was what was commonly used.
Quite a step up from a wooden ball, or a bucket of goose feathers to make one. As an aside in those early days the ball could cost more than a golf club!
Not all dimples are the same.
Constantly evolving is a major feature of golf and those early dimple days did not stop the innovation. Over the years patterns of dimples were tried and experimented with, including golf balls with different sized dimples, and some over 1000 on that tiny white ball. ( most nowadays are between 250 and 500)
We have an article here and linked below on how many dimples are on a golf ball.
While dimples now are spherical, there have been experiments with hexagons however currently this hasn’t stuck, and the experiments continue.
Why do dimples help reduce hooking and slicing -edit
Dimples on a golf ball help reduce hooking and slicing by providing a more stable and consistent flight.
Hooking occurs when the ball curves to the left (for right-handed players) and slicing is when the ball curves to the right. Both of these issues are caused by the Magnus force which is created by the rotation of the ball. The turbulent airflow caused by the dimples on the ball reduces the Magnus force, which helps to keep the ball on a straighter flight path.
Additionally, dimples also help to reduce the spin on the ball which also helps to reduce hooking and slicing. High spin on the ball can cause the ball to curve in the air and lose distance, but dimples help to reduce the spin and provide a more consistent ball flight. This allows for better control over the ball’s trajectory, making it easier for golfers to aim and hit their target with greater accuracy and less chance of hooking or slicing.
How Many Dimples On A Golf Ball?
this requires an article on its own, and we have one here, but we will do a bullet point answer for you seeign as you are here!
While the rule of thumb is that more dimples is better, there is an aspect of diminishing returns here. There have been golf balls made with upwards of 1000 dimples ( some pinprick sized among the large ones) but the current average, which is heavily dependant on manufacturer is around 250 to 500. With most hitting a sweet spot of 3-350, you can check out more on the link above if you need to .
What Else Effect’s a Golf Balls Performance
Although we are all about those dimple shere on this page, there is more to how far you are hitting that ball than dimples, and for 400 years golf was played without dimples on a golf ball. The table below highlights other factors in play that affect a golf balls performance.
Table 1: Factors that Effect a Golf Balls Performance.
| Factors that Effect Golf Ball Performance | Reason for Performance Effect |
| Compression | The compression of a golf ball refers to how much it compresses when struck by a club. A golf ball with a lower compression will compress more, which can result in a softer feel and more spin. A golf ball with a higher compression will compress less, which can result in a firmer feel and less spin. |
| Material | The material of a golf ball can affect its weight, durability, and performance. The most common materials used to make golf balls are Surlyn, Balata, and Urethane. Each material has its own unique properties that can affect the ball’s performance. |
| Construction | The construction of a golf ball can affect its performance in several ways. For example, a golf ball with multiple layers can provide more control and spin, while a golf ball with a single layer can provide more distance and a softer feel. |
| Spin | Spin on a golf ball can affect its trajectory and the amount of backspin or sidespin it generates. The spin rate of a ball will affect the distance and direction of the shot, and also affects how the ball behaves on the green. |
| Velocity | The velocity of a golf ball is the speed of the ball as it leaves the clubface, and this can affect the distance the ball travels. The velocity of a golf ball is determined by the clubhead speed, the clubface angle, and the ball’s compression. |
| Dimple Pattern | As we discussed before, the dimple pattern on a golf ball can affect its lift, drag, and flight characteristics, which can affect the distance, accuracy, and stability of the ball. |
These are some of the main factors that can affect a golf ball’s performance, but it’s worth noting that other factors such as temperature and humidity can also have an impact on the ball’s performance
We have a range of articles on golf balls that should answer the most common questions. Feel few to dive in.
- How do you know where the ball lands.
- How many dimples on a golf ball
- How far can a golf ball travel
- How fast is a golf ball
- why does my golf ball curve right
- Can you keep golf balls you find
- Why are golf balls white?
- Can you use colored golf balls
- Can you wash golf balls in a dishwasher
Conclusion
In summary, dimples on a golf ball work to reduce drag and increase lift, which allows the ball to stay in the air longer and travel farther. It’s a small but important feature that has a big impact on a golf ball’s performance and one considering what came before we should all be very grateful for indeed!
References
- https://www.foundgolfballs.com/pages/history-of-the-golf-ball
- https://www.glenmuir.com/news/golf-ball-dimples
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-dimples-in-golf-ba/#:~:text=Dimples%20on%20a%20golf%20ball,the%20size%20of%20the%20wake.
- https://www.childrensmuseum.org/blog/why-does-golf-ball-have-dimples
