The first scenario shows that a wet golf ball launches higher then a dry golf ball would. This is due to the fact that water on the golf ball reduces friction on the club face. Thus, allowing the golf ball to slide up the club face slightly producing higher launch, less spin, and higher overall height.
Full Answer
How does air density affect golf balls?
The key factors for air density are humidity, air pressure, and temperature. Let’s take a look at how each of them will affect how far your golf ball is flying. The conventional wisdom is that if it’s extremely humid the ball will not fly as far because the air feels heavier.
How does Dimple depth affect the flight of a golf ball?
For example the lift and drag forces on a golf ball are very sensitive to dimple depth. Some research has shown that a depth change of 0.001 inch can produce a radical change to the ball's trajectory and the overall distance it can fly.
Why do golf balls hit the ground faster in the wind?
Because the downwind was reducing the amount of drag the golf ball was experiencing, the ball was hitting the ground faster and at a flatter angle. The following is an example of a PGA and LPGA Tour 6-iron shot under different wind conditions.
Why do golf balls have dents in them?
However, golf balls have weird circular dents in them. There is very simple physics behind the reason golf balls are made this way. Back in the 1850s, golf balls were called gutties. Invented by Dr. Robert Adams Paterson, these balls were made by heating the sap from the Malaysian Sapodilla tree.
How does dew affect golf ball?
What happens on this particular shot is that the water on the golf ball causes the ball to slide up the club face more than normal. With this you have less energy transferred into the golf ball and your ball speed would drop slightly, which would cause the ball to come up short.
Does dew point affect golf ball distance?
With more humidity, this is what the ball flies through. A golf ball goes a bit farther when it's humid. “Air that is hot or humid is actually lighter than air that is cold or dry or both,” according to Steve Aoyama, a scientist at Titleist, in a story published by the PGA's website.
Does a golf ball go farther in high humidity?
Heat reduces the air's density by causing it to expand. Humidity also reduces density because water vapor is lighter than dry air, so the more water vapor in the mixture, the less dense the air. So forget how the air feels on a hot, humid day. It is actually lighter, and will allow the ball to fly farther."
How does humidity affect golf balls?
Humidity has minimal effect on your golf ball during flight. While humidity can decrease air density, which allows the ball to travel farther, the overall impact is negligible. Raising humidity from 10 percent to 90 percent will increase distance by barely one yard with both driver and 6-iron.
How do I make my golf ball fly farther?
5 Quick Tips to Hit the Ball FartherWatch Your Grip. First, try adjusting your left hand (for righties) a bit inward so that your knuckles are facing your target. ... Move Your Hips. Get your hips involved! ... Shift Your Weight. Transferring your weight is also very important. ... Keep that Lead Arm Straight. ... Turn Your Hands Over.
Do warm golf balls go further?
Generally, a warmer golf ball travels farther. The rubber materials used to make golf balls respond better if they are more resilient. Warmth enhances resiliency. A warmer ball will come off the clubface with more velocity and spin than a colder ball, encouraging loft.
Does a golf ball fly further in Arizona?
It usually takes two to three rounds to make these minor adjustments and feel confident about the shot. Because you are at a higher elevation above sea level, combined with the hard fairways and the dry air, the ball travels farther.
Do matte golf balls go further?
Regular Golf Balls Have A Higher Flight Path This is why it is important to use a regular golf ball instead of a matte finish ball when playing on the green. The matte finish ball has a higher flight path and will travel further than a regular golf ball.
Does temperature affect golf balls?
To begin with, cold air can affect the performance of a golf ball. Cold air is denser than warm air and creates additional drag on a ball. According to Trackman, the difference is approximately one yard of carry for every 10-degree change in temperature.
Does a golf ball go further at sea level?
First, figure that for about every 1,700 or 1,800 feet of elevation a ball will travel about 5 percent farther. That means that the ball will typically travel about 10 percent farther at this elevation than at sea level, give or take a few yards.
Do golf balls travel less in rain?
Rain increases air humidity creating thicker air which leads to more resistance to the golf ball in flight. The golf ball will therefore not travel as far in the rain and even more so in cold wet weather. It is estimated steady rain causes a negative effect on 'carry' distance of around 3-5 yards.
What affects golf ball flight?
When you hit a golf ball there's various things that can affect the flight of the ball.The speed of the ball.The launch angle.Azimuth.Side spin on the ball.Back spin.total spin.Spin-tilt axis.Peak height.More items...
Why does my golf ball fly farther?
You can feel humid air more, but water weighs less than the nitrogen and oxygen molecules that make up dry air. So, you're hitting into thinner air, which means the ball goes farther as though a golfer were playing at a higher altitude.
How far can a golf ball travel above sea level?
Altitude, or elevation, and wind have the greatest and most apparent effect on golf ball distance. Every 1,000 feet above sea level a golf course sits, a golfer can expect their ball to travel approximately 2 percent farther.
How far does a golf ball fly?
According to the folks at TrackMan, for every 10 degrees of increase in temperature, the golf ball flies approximately 1.33 to 1.66 yards farther, depending on the club being used. This is because the temperature changes air density, which is ultimately the factor determining how well the golf ball can fly through the air with minimal drag ...
Do weather factors have more effect than a whole club?
All told, these kinds of common weather factors will never have more effect than a whole club.
Does the golf ball fly farther in the summer?
However, the effect heat has on the distance the golf ball travels isn't as much as most golfers, including many professionals, think. If playback doesn 't begin shortly, try ...
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…
Who wrote the aerodynamic model of golf balls?
A.J. Smits and D.R. Smith, “A new aerodynamic model of a golf ball in flight”, Science and Golf II, Taylor & Francis, pp. 433–442, 2002.
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 Reynolds number of a golf ball?
Comparison of the turbulent wake behind a golf ball and a smooth sphere. The Reynolds number is around 1e5.
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:
Does the drag coefficient depend on the spin rate?
1 ). They also observed that the drag coefficient should also depend on the rotation (the curve from the first figure is valid for one specific spin rate). For a more general description, a nondimensional spin factor , the ratio between the peripheral speed and the flow speed, is introduced:
How does wind affect golf ball bounce?
A great example of how wind affects bounce and roll was seen at the World Long Drive Championship a few years ago. The wind was blowing from behind the players and they were hitting drives that were going 450 yards or more. Yes, they were seeing more carry due to the wind, but they were also seeing a lot of bounce and roll. When I looked at the data, I noticed that not only was the landing angle of the ball shallower, but the landing speed of the ball was significantly higher. A normal drive will typically land at around 65-70 mph, but some of these shots were landing at nearly 100 mph. Because the downwind was reducing the amount of drag the golf ball was experiencing, the ball was hitting the ground faster and at a flatter angle.
How fast does a golf ball hit?
A normal drive will typically land at around 65-70 mph, but some of these shots were landing at nearly 100 mph. Because the downwind was reducing the amount of drag the golf ball was experiencing, the ball was hitting the ground faster and at a flatter angle.
Do you need a trackman to play golf?
The good news is that you don’t need to play with a professional golfer to fully understand the effects of wind on the golf ball. Chances are that there’s a Trackman somewhere near you, and it measures the entire ball flight to help golfers understand what wind does to their shots.
Does wind affect shot?
Since there isn’t a hard rule for how wind affects all shots, I would encourage you to find a certified TrackMan professional and play around on a windy day. He or she will be able to use the normalization feature in TrackMan to show you how far the ball would have carried under calm conditions, as well as show you real-time data of what the ball did in the conditions that day.
Does a headwind hurt more than a tailwind?
A headwind hurts more than a tailwind helps. In fact, at higher wind speeds, a headwind will hurt more than twice as much as a tailwind helps. Headwinds and tailwinds can significantly impact how much bounce and roll you see, and must be taken into account when picking your landing spot.
What happens when you drive a golf ball?
When you drive a golf ball, dimpled or otherwise; it has backspin. This backspin results in the top of the golf ball moving slower relative to the air around it since they’re both traveling in the same direction. As such, there is less drag on the air that goes over the ball, creating an area of low pressure above it.
How does the golf ball curve after driving?
Depending on conditions, this effect can be demonstrated clearly in the moments immediately after driving a golf ball, where you can see the trajectory of the ball curve upwards due to the lift generated .
Why do golf balls have dimples?
Why Golf Balls Have Dimples. Golf balls have dimples because the turbulent flow of air they create increases Magnus lift, a lifting force which affects rotating objects while traveling through the air. It’s the same force that makes a soccer ball swerve when sliced, or a tennis ball dip during a chip shot.
Why did golfers put dimples on their golf balls?
However, until the 1900s, it was widely believed that the protrusions were the reason behind the improved range and stability.
What happens to the air that goes over the ball?
As such, there is less drag on the air that goes over the ball, creating an area of low pressure above it. Air passing over this area stays hugged tight to the ball longer, following the curve of the ball and separating later. The opposite is happening on the underside of the ball.
What does it mean when air is being pushed under a ball?
Air passing over this area separates from the curve of the ball much earlier than the air flowing above the ball. The combination of these different pressure zones and resulting drag means that more air is being pushed under the ball than above it; pushing the ball up. The ball is using drag to its advantage.
What would happen if the ball didn't have dimples?
Without the dimples, the ball would travel in a much more parabolic trajectory. It would rise to its maximum height sooner and come back down to the green.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Why do dimples reduce drag?
When a ball is rough (has etchings or dimples) the airflow along the boundary of the ball is turbulent, causing a buffer of turbulent air between the ball and the smooth air causing the drag. This turbulent layer clings to the surface of the dimpled ball and allows the smooth flowing air to wrap around the ball better, hence significantly decreasing the size of the wake. Hence, dimples manage to reduce drag by half as compared to a smooth ball.
How do dimples affect lift?
The lower region is of higher pressure compared to the upper, which leads to an upward force. The dimples, increase this imbalance, increasing the lift force.
