A golfer wants to hit a ball as far as he can down the fairway. He wants to put his golf ball into the hole with very few strokes (hits). Then he can win the game. A golfer can drive (hit) a ball very far. How is this possible? Is it because the golfer is strong? Or, is it because of the dimples on the ball? First, let's look at the history of the golf ball.

History of the Golf Ball

The first golf balls were known as "featheries". They were made from leather and goose feathers. Feathers were put into a leather pouch and dried. The ball became very hard. The ball was painted white. People thought a smooth ball would go farther. A golfer could hit this ball from 150 to 175 yards. If this ball became wet it was thrown away.

Later, a new ball was made. It was different than the featherie. It was still smooth, but it could get wet and still work. But, it did not go as far as the featherie. And when the golfer hit the ball it would sometimes knock off a chip. A professor (teacher) at a college noticed that the chipped balls flew farther, when hit with a golf club.

People started trying different "chip" designs. Finally, today's dimpled golf ball was made. Look at a golf ball. Feel the dimples. This "new" golf ball could travel much farther. It could go 180 to 250 yards. Let's see why dimples are important.

The Dimples

As any object moves through the air it forces the air to "separate". A smooth sphere (ball) has a "laminar flow" (not rough) as it moves through the air. This causes "pressure drag", which slows the ball. A rough or dimpled surface causes a turbulent (bumpy) flow. Flow separation is then less. The pressure drag is, therefore, less. The dimpled ball flies farther.

The pictures above show golf balls with round and hexagonal (six sided) dimples. Hexagonal dimples cause more turbulence, therefore less pressure drag. They fly farther ! But, today, all golf balls have round dimples. Maybe in the future golf balls will change to hexagonal dimples!

Spin

They way a ball spins can cause a ball to do many things! If the ball spins "backwards" it will go straight and even have lift. If the ball spins to the right it will go to the right (slice). If the ball spins to the left it will go left (hook). If there is little or no spin the ball will not go as far. As drag slows the ball, gravity takes over and the ball will fall to the ground.

Wind Tunnel

The picture above is of a golf ball inside a "wind tunnel". This is a special machine where wind (from a fan) is blown across objects, like golf balls or airplane wings. A little smoke is added to see what the wind is doing around the ball. Pictures are taken and scientists study them.