Golf-FAQ.com

2. why are golf balls dimpled

by Al Douglas Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Dimples on a golf ball create a thin turbulent boundary layer of air that clings to the ball's surface. This allows the smoothly flowing air to follow the ball's surface a little farther around the back side of the ball, thereby decreasing the size of the wake.Sep 19, 2005

What is the reason behind golf balls being dimpled?

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Why are golf ball dimples make it go further?

Why Golf Ball Dimples Make It Go Further: Less Air Resistance Due to Less Pressure Drag

  • Introduction. ...
  • A Bit of Golf Ball History. ...
  • Friction Drag and Pressure Drag. ...
  • Fluid Flow Around and Air Resistance on a Sphere (Ball) For flow around a ball (or a ball moving through a fluid), the air resistance will be due to both ...
  • Summary. ...

Why does golf ball have dimples on its surface?

Their design (i.e., size, shape and pattern on the surface of the ball) will help dictate the ball’s trajectory. Discovery of the Dimple. Some 600 years ago, someone observed that an older, used ball with a roughened surface performed better than a new, smooth one – hence the origin of “dimples.”.

Why do golf balls fly further than tennis balls?

Anything that moves through air faces a number of forces; the flight of a golf ball involves two principal forces – lift and drag. While drag is a resistive force that slows the ball down as it moves, lift provides an upward force on the ball, making it go higher.

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How many dimples are on a golf ball?

Anywhere from 300 to 500.

Why are there dimples on a golf ball?

Originally, golf balls were smooth; but golfers noticed that older balls that were beat up with nicks, bumps and slices in the cover seemed to fly...

What golf ball dimples do?

The dimples on a golf ball are simply a formal, symmetrical way of creating the same turbulence in the boundary layer that nicks and cuts do.

Have golf balls always had dimples?

No, golf balls were originally smooth.

Is it better to have dimples on a golf ball?

Yes. The nicks and cuts were acting as "turbulators" — they induce turbulence in the layer of air next to the ball. In some situations, a turbulent...

Why do golf balls have dimples?

A golf ball’s dimples allow for a smooth, controllable flight and also give the ball lift by impacting the way the air flows around the ball. There is science behind the design, and the dimples are not just for show.

How do dimples affect golf ball lift?

A golf ball’s lift comes from its spin. The spinning motion of a golf ball causes the pressure beneath the ball to be greater than the pressure above, which causes lift. The dimples optimize the spinning effect by cutting down drag and increasing the ball’s lift.

Are All Golf Ball Dimples the Same?

After learning how vital dimples are to a golf ball’s success, you may be surprised to learn that golf ball dimples are not regulated. They can have different shapes, different depths and appear in varying amounts on balls.

Why are dimples important in golf?

Aerodynamics is all about altering the lift and drag on an object, and this is the purpose of the dimples on a golf ball. Aerodynamics is extremely important in the game of golf.

How does a golf ball travel?

To get your ball to travel, you also need lift, and golf ball dimples are key in this aspect as well. About half of the lift you get on a golf ball is caused by the spin on the ball, but the other half is due to how well the dimples optimize this spinning.

How deep is a golf ball dimple?

The average depth of a golf ball dimple is 0.010 inches, but this too can vary slightly.

What happens when air flows over a ball?

The air flowing over the ball thus sticks closer to the ball’s surface and flows off the ball further back.

What is a dimple in golf?

The dimples on a golf ball are simply a formal, symmetrical way of creating the same turbulence in the boundary layer that nicks and cuts do. What is the history of golf?

What is the effect of nicks and cuts on the ball?

At some point, an aerodynamicist must have looked at this problem and realized that the nicks and cuts were acting as " turbulators " -- they induce turbulence in the layer of air next to the ball (the "boundary layer"). In some situations, a turbulent boundary layer reduces drag, making the golf ball go further.

Why are dimples important in golf?

Dimples are famously crucial for the aerodynamic properties of a golf ball: They generate a turbulent flow that reduces the ball’s drag. However, doesn’t this sound counterintuitive? In general, smooth objects are more aerodynamic than rough ones. In today’s blog post, we will dig into the details of this apparent paradox; learn how to use this knowledge to model the trajectory of a golf ball with the COMSOL Multiphysics® software; and, finally, find the best angle to hit the ball. Keep reading for a hole in one…

What determines the drag of a smooth ball?

Consequently, the pressure distribution around the sphere will determine its total drag.

Why does the Reynolds number decrease when the ball reaches its maximum height?

The explanation comes from the fact that the drag force, acting against the motion of the ball, is much smaller for the golf ball (for a reason addressed at the beginning) throughout the flight. When the ball reaches its maximum height, the potential energy, which is proportional to the height, is also at its maximum. This energy transfer is done in detriment of kinetic energy; the ball goes slower. Hence, the Reynolds number decreases (or equivalently, the spin factor increases) and the drag increases as a consequence.

What is the best angle of attack for a golf ball?

From this figure, it would seem that the best angle of attack is around 20°. However, PGA golfers (who, in theory, should on average approach the optimized angle) are shooting on average at an angle of 16°. What is going on here? Our hypothesis of a constant spin rate is wrong: Hitting the ball at a larger launch angle means that the club face needs to be “more horizontal” when hitting the ball. Just like when the ball is “sliced” in tennis, the golf ball spins faster due to higher friction, but goes slower.

Where does the wake of a golf ball come from?

Comparison of the turbulent wake behind a dimpled golf ball (top), which originates from a turbulent boundary layer separation, and a smooth ball ( bottom), which originates from a laminar boundary layer separation. Note that the separation point for the dimpled ball is located much further downstream and the wake is smaller.

Is the drag coefficient smaller for a golf ball?

Note also that the golf ball’s drag coefficient is only smaller for a limited range of Reynolds values.

Which law is used to determine the acceleration of a ball of mass?

Using Newton’s second law on the ball of mass , noting its acceleration and the gravity force:

The Science Behind Golf Ball Dimples

Did you know that, when you impact a golf ball with your club, this contact takes no more than 1/2000 of a second?

What Happens If You Take The Dimples Away?

While they might look like simple pieces of equipment to the untrained eye, golf balls are manufactured in such a way that they are perfect for their use.

Conclusion

Golf balls need to have dimples in order to improve their flight, so they do not slice or hook.

Why do golf balls have dimples?

A golf ball has dimples not to make it look cute. But for the sake of its better performance. So when this difference was seen between a smooth and dimpled ball, it was made sure to change the ball’s structure entirely.

Why are dimples important in golf?

Dimples on a golf ball create turbulence. Allowing them to travel farther than the smooth one. Dimples play an important role in the drag and lift of the ball.

How many dimples are there in a golf ball?

But still, the answer to how many dimples on a golf ball will be, An average golf ball has 300 to 500 dimples.

Why do we need dimples?

Dimples ensure two things about the ball. Its lift and the distance it travels . As a result, when a ball is hit, it is exposed in the open air. Allowing the air to have complete turbulence and force on the ball. So that the ball can travel smoothly for longer distances, alter the depth of a dimple, and you can see the difference.

What happens when a golfer hits the ball with his clubface?

When a golfer hits the ball with his clubface, the ball moves forward. Spins around in the air and hits the spot. It all happens in seconds. But when you study the impact of this action. Many things come to knowledge about the ball’s velocity, stability, and trajectory.

What happens if you alter the depth of a golf ball?

If you alter this depth even by half an inch. This will cause a change in the golf ball’s performance. It will have a negative impact on the flight of the golf ball.

Does the ball travel with its smooth turbulence?

It will have a negative impact on the ball’s performance. The ball travels half with its smooth turbulence. The other half depends entirely on the dimples.

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