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Golf Balls -- The Science Behind The Dimples
by Susan Chiang
The dynamics behind the flight of the golf ball offers a fascinating insight into the physical interworkings of air pressure, turbulence, and aerodynamics.
When golf was first played in Scotland, most players played using clumsy golf apparatus, with the first golf clubs and golf balls made of wood.
In 1618 the "Featherie" was introduced. It was a golf ball made of feather. This feather golf ball was handcrafted from goose feathers tightly pressed into a horse or cowhide sphere while still wet. After drying, the leather shrank and the feathers expanded, creating a hardened golf ball.
As this type of golf ball was specially handcrafted, it was usually more expensive than golf clubs, so that only a few privileged people could afford to play golf back then.
After the Featherie golf ball came the Guttie golf ball. This type of golf ball was made from the rubber-like sap of the Gutta tree found in the tropics, and was shaped into a sphere when hot and eventually into a golf ball. As it was made of rubber, the Guttie golf ball could be cheaply produced and easily repaired by reheating and reshaping.
Comparing the two types of golf balls, the Featherie golf ball was said to travel farther than the Guttie golf ball because the Guttie golf ball's smooth surface prevented it from covering more distance.
With this discovery, the developers of golf balls came up with the "dimpled" golf balls that are so predominant in modern golf nowadays.
The dimples on the golf balls help reduce the aerodynamic drag. Aerodynamic drag normally affects smooth golf balls and slows them down, because when they sail through the air, they leave a pocket of low-pressure air in its stir thus creating a drag.
By applying dimples to the golf ball surface, the pressure differential goes down and the drag force is reduced. These dimples create turbulence in the air surrounding the golf ball, which, in turn, forces the air to clasp the golf ball more closely. By doing so, the air trails the warp created by the golf ball towards the back instead of flowing past it. This results in a smaller wake and lesser drag.
Dimples were first added onto golf ball surfaces back during the gutta percha phase. Coburn Haskell introduced the one-piece rubber cored golf ball encased in a gutta percha sphere. Then in 1905 William Taylor applied the dimple pattern to a Haskell golf ball, thus giving rise to the modern golf ball as we know it today.
After its beginning, dimpled golf balls were officially used in every golf tournament. In 1921, the golf ball took its current form with standard size and weight. Nowadays there is a wide range of golf balls to fit every style, game and condition, with some golf balls offering control, and other golf balls offering distance.
Though a common sight nowadays, the dimpled golf ball is not just a mere element of the sports arena; it is a showcase of physics at work.
For a more comprehensive look at golf and golf equipment, drop by Susans site Golf Ball City. Other informative sports related articles are available at Shopping Palace and Niche Weblog.
Golf Snippets
Stick to your routine
More than anything you need to have your routine. Next time you watch Tiger or Ernie look at their routine. That's their way of feeling comfortable. I walk up to a shot and look where I want it to go. Next I take a practice swing. Then I cock my club back, once looking at the target, then two more times. It's then that I'm relaxed and ready to hit the shot.
...BBC golf
We do play our serious golf during the serious-golf-season from spring to early fall, and during late fall and winter we should relax and play for the fun of it - particularly since we only get to play once every so often. Once the warm days of spring come back we get serious again�
...PGA Tour
When starting the downswing the shoulders should be passive, allowing the forward motion of the legs to pull the right shoulder down and forward, squaring the shoulders to the target line at impact. If the shoulders have moved into an open position (facing to the left of the target) prior to impact, the clubhead will travel outside-to-inside of the target line. This brings the clubhead over the ball promoting an over the top move.
...US Open
Assuming the texture of the sand is similar, and the ball is not plugged, the technique for hitting out of a greenside bunker remains the same for shots up to 30 yards (27m). The key to making this shot is hitting the sand about 1 to 2 inches behind the ball, throwing the sand forward with the ball. For longer shots the only thing that changes is the swing's length. Rhythm and tempo remain the same.
...PGA Tour
Today's Golf News
Direct from the Tour: Tour Championship, Round 3
Sat, 05 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Titleist players discuss the new 755 irons
Tue, 05 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT
Tour players, including Ben Crane, Tom Pernice, Jr., Arron Oberholser and Steve Stricker discuss the new 755 irons, a high performance mid-size cavity back iron featuring outstanding looks, feel and forgiveness.
This is the secret you've been searching for...get the
Golf Swing Secret...today!
Golf Balls -- The Science Behind The Dimples
by Susan Chiang
The dynamics behind the flight of the golf ball offers a fascinating insight into the physical interworkings of air pressure, turbulence, and aerodynamics.
When golf was first played in Scotland, most players played using clumsy golf apparatus, with the first golf clubs and golf balls made of wood.
In 1618 the "Featherie" was introduced. It was a golf ball made of feather. This feather golf ball was handcrafted from goose feathers tightly pressed into a horse or cowhide sphere while still wet. After drying, the leather shrank and the feathers expanded, creating a hardened golf ball.
As this type of golf ball was specially handcrafted, it was usually more expensive than golf clubs, so that only a few privileged people could afford to play golf back then.
After the Featherie golf ball came the Guttie golf ball. This type of golf ball was made from the rubber-like sap of the Gutta tree found in the tropics, and was shaped into a sphere when hot and eventually into a golf ball. As it was made of rubber, the Guttie golf ball could be cheaply produced and easily repaired by reheating and reshaping.
Comparing the two types of golf balls, the Featherie golf ball was said to travel farther than the Guttie golf ball because the Guttie golf ball's smooth surface prevented it from covering more distance.
With this discovery, the developers of golf balls came up with the "dimpled" golf balls that are so predominant in modern golf nowadays.
The dimples on the golf balls help reduce the aerodynamic drag. Aerodynamic drag normally affects smooth golf balls and slows them down, because when they sail through the air, they leave a pocket of low-pressure air in its stir thus creating a drag.
By applying dimples to the golf ball surface, the pressure differential goes down and the drag force is reduced. These dimples create turbulence in the air surrounding the golf ball, which, in turn, forces the air to clasp the golf ball more closely. By doing so, the air trails the warp created by the golf ball towards the back instead of flowing past it. This results in a smaller wake and lesser drag.
Dimples were first added onto golf ball surfaces back during the gutta percha phase. Coburn Haskell introduced the one-piece rubber cored golf ball encased in a gutta percha sphere. Then in 1905 William Taylor applied the dimple pattern to a Haskell golf ball, thus giving rise to the modern golf ball as we know it today.
After its beginning, dimpled golf balls were officially used in every golf tournament. In 1921, the golf ball took its current form with standard size and weight. Nowadays there is a wide range of golf balls to fit every style, game and condition, with some golf balls offering control, and other golf balls offering distance.
Though a common sight nowadays, the dimpled golf ball is not just a mere element of the sports arena; it is a showcase of physics at work.
For a more comprehensive look at golf and golf equipment, drop by Susans site Golf Ball City. Other informative sports related articles are available at Shopping Palace and Niche Weblog.
Golf Snippets
Stick to your routine
More than anything you need to have your routine. Next time you watch Tiger or Ernie look at their routine. That's their way of feeling comfortable. I walk up to a shot and look where I want it to go. Next I take a practice swing. Then I cock my club back, once looking at the target, then two more times. It's then that I'm relaxed and ready to hit the shot.
...BBC golf
We do play our serious golf during the serious-golf-season from spring to early fall, and during late fall and winter we should relax and play for the fun of it - particularly since we only get to play once every so often. Once the warm days of spring come back we get serious again�
...PGA Tour
When starting the downswing the shoulders should be passive, allowing the forward motion of the legs to pull the right shoulder down and forward, squaring the shoulders to the target line at impact. If the shoulders have moved into an open position (facing to the left of the target) prior to impact, the clubhead will travel outside-to-inside of the target line. This brings the clubhead over the ball promoting an over the top move.
...US Open
Assuming the texture of the sand is similar, and the ball is not plugged, the technique for hitting out of a greenside bunker remains the same for shots up to 30 yards (27m). The key to making this shot is hitting the sand about 1 to 2 inches behind the ball, throwing the sand forward with the ball. For longer shots the only thing that changes is the swing's length. Rhythm and tempo remain the same.
...PGA Tour
Today's Golf News
Direct from the Tour: Tour Championship, Round 3
Sat, 05 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Titleist players discuss the new 755 irons
Tue, 05 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT
Tour players, including Ben Crane, Tom Pernice, Jr., Arron Oberholser and Steve Stricker discuss the new 755 irons, a high performance mid-size cavity back iron featuring outstanding looks, feel and forgiveness.
Labels: golf | golf clubs | golf equipment
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