When were Dimples first used on golf balls?
The mesh, reverse mesh and Bramble designs gave way to the dimple pattern first used in 1908. Learn more about Golf Ball Dimples and the Dimple Effect. Exhaustive golf ball design testing has been done with a multitude of different cores. At one point, a small sac of water was substituted for the rubber core.
Who invented the golf ball?
The next major breakthrough in golf ball development came in 1898. Coburn Haskell of Cleveland, Ohio, had driven to nearby Akron, Ohio, for a golf date with Bertram Work, the superintendent of the B.F. Goodrich Company. While he waited in the plant for Work, Haskell picked up some rubber thread and wound it into a ball.
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 far does a dimpled golf ball travel?
A dimpled golf ball travels, on average, about 200m which is almost twice as much as a smooth ball. The physics behind this is simple. The golfer can control the ball’s velocity, direction, and spin only at the time of impact, which is about 0.0005 seconds.
When were dimples first put in golf balls?
This new breed of golf ball also featured a much larger variety of outer designs for improved airflow. The mesh, reverse mesh and Bramble designs gave way to the dimple pattern first used in 1908.
How did golf balls get dimples?
Golfers quickly noticed smooth gutta-perchas did not soar through the air as well as featheries. Over time, however, they began to notice that scuffed, scratched and dented gutta-perchas covered a greater distance than smooth ones. Like many inventions, the golf ball dimple was discovered accidentally.
Why do golf balls have 336 dimples?
“A golf ball has dimples to reduce wind resistance or aerodynamic drag, Quintavalla said in a USGA profile on golf ball dimples. “When you reduce it, you can make golf balls go a lot farther.”
What are the two main reasons golf balls have dimples?
The spin contributes to about half of the ball's lift, while the other half is produced by the dimples which optimize the lift so the ball can go even higher. Therefore, the game of golf that we know today wouldn't be possible without the dimples.
Why is a golf hole 4.25 inches?
Four-and-a-quarter inches in diameter. R&A ADOPTS 4.25-INCH HOLE SIZE That first hole-cutting implement utilized a cutting tool that was, you guessed it, 4.25 inches in diameter. The folks running the R&A apparently liked that size and so adopted it in their rules for 1891.
Who invented the golf tee?
In 1899, Boston dentist Dr. George Grant, frustrated with this tedious and messy process, invented a wooden golf tee. Dr. Grant was born to escaped slaves in 1846, eventually finding work as an assistant at a dentist's office.
How many dimples does a Titleist Pro V1 have?
388 dimpleNew Spherically-tiled Tetrahedral Dimple Designs– featuring a 388 dimple layout for Pro V1, and 348 for Pro V1x – are optimized to each model to maximize distance and flight consistency.
How many dimples does a Callaway golf ball have?
Typically though, there are 300-500 dimples on any branded golf ball. For example, TaylorMade has 322 while Callaway has 332 dimples. Then there's Titleist Pro V1, one of the best beginner golf balls, with 352 dimples.
Why do golf balls fly so far?
0:544:54Science of Golf: Why Golf Balls Have Dimples - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIn as a golf ball flies through the air the airflow interacts with the surface of the ball. And canMoreIn as a golf ball flies through the air the airflow interacts with the surface of the ball. And can greatly affect the amount of drag.
Why do dimpled golf balls fly farther?
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.
What are dimples on a golf ball called?
In most cases, golf ball dimples are simply referred to as dimples. However, there are some instances when they will be called indentations or more thoroughly referred to as the golf ball dimples pattern.
Why do dimpled golf balls have less drag?
Golf ball dimples reduce drag by creating a turbulent boundary layer flow around the ball. The boundary layer is defined as a thin layer of fluid dragged by the ball. By creating this turbulent boundary layer, the separation point decreases.
When did golf balls start having dimples?
The mesh, reverse mesh and Bramble designs gave way to the dimple pattern first used in 1908 . Learn more about Golf Ball Dimples and the Dimple Effect.
What is the evolution of the golf ball?
The evolution of the golf ball highlights the major changes in the game of golf and depicts important golf landmarks during the long evolution of the game. The development of the golf club, the golf course, and the rules of the game were affected by the evolution of the golf ball itself. The balance (and debate) between technology ...
What was the most popular design of the Gutta Percha era golf ball?
Golf truly became the sport for the masses. "The Bramble" design, with its minute bulges resembling a Brambleberry, became the most popular design of the Gutta Percha era golf ball.
What is a feathery golf ball?
Basically, the feathery was a leather sack filled with boiled goose feathers, then stitched up and painted.
How were feathery golf balls made?
The feathery golf balls were manufactured while the leather and feathers were still wet, and as the leather shrunk while drying, the feathers expanded to create a hardened, compact ball. The Feathery was then painted and sold, often for more than the price of a golf club.
When did rubber core golf balls replace gutty golf balls?
The more modern rubber core golf ball replaced the gutty in 1899. However, the rubber core golf ball of the day did not meet with immediate success. Golfers complained that while the rubber cored golf balls were longer off of the tee they were far too lively on and around the greens.
When was the Brambleberry golf ball invented?
The advent of the rubber core golf ball changed the face of the game of golf as we knew it. This new design was invented in 1898 by Coburn Haskell in association with the BF Goodrich Company.
When was golf invented?
By many accounts it is presumed that the earliest games of golf were played with a wooden ball in the 14th century. It’s been refuted that wooden balls were never used in links golf in Scotland, but instead they were used in early games that were similar to golf.
Where did the hairy golf ball come from?
Hairy Golf Balls. From 1486 through 1618, the Scottish received and used the hairy golf ball imported from the Netherlands. The hairy golf ball was a hand-sewn round leather ball filled with cows’ hair or straw. In 1554 the hairy golf ball was being produced in Scotland by the “cordiners and gouff ball makers of North Leith.”.
What sap is used to make Haskel golf balls?
Thus bringing the modern look of the golf ball that we’ve become accustom to. The balata sap initially used to make Haskel golf balls had a tendency to get indents on it as it was relatively soft.
Why is a featherie golf ball harder to fly?
Since the featherie golf ball was filled with feathers it was able to be stuffed more full than the hairy, making it harder thus able to fly farther. To make a featherie, the feathers and leather would be shaped while wet. Upon drying the leather shrank and feathers expanded creating the desired hardness for the ball.
How many stages of evolution are there in golf?
The modern golf ball has undergone a few transformations to get to where it is today. The origins of the golf ball can be traced to five distinct stages of evolution. From a wooden ball in the 14th century to the modern rubber core balls, discover the history behind the golf ball.
Who invented the Gutta Percha ball?
In 1848 Dr. Robert Adams Paterson invented the Gutta-Percha ball, or Guttie. The guttie was made by using dried sap from the Malaysian Sapodilla tree. The sap had a rubber-like quality to it and upon heating could be formed into a sphere.
Who was the first golfer?
Golf’s first professional, Allan Robertson, was considered the premier ball and club maker of his time, in the early 1800s. In 1835, at age 14, Tom Morris (later known as Old Tom Morris & the Grandfather of Golf) began working under Robertson at St. Andrews.
Who made the first golf ball?
In the mid-1800s, a guy named Robert Adams Paterson made the first molded ball. He discovered that the sap from a sapodilla tree, native to Malaysia, could be heated up, placed into a round mold and would then dry hard. Called the guttie, these were the first golf balls with mass-manufacturability, and with the added bonus ...
What were the first golf balls made of?
The first golf balls from the 14th Century were made out of wood, specifically beech, by carpenters using hand tools. They weren't perfectly round and it's safe to assume that they sucked. The 17th Century saw the slight design improvement of the featherie, a leather ball stuffed with bird feathers and stitched shut.
Who was the guy that wound rubber bands into a ball shape?
A guy named Coburn Haskell had a golf date with Bertram Work, a Goodrich superintendent, and while Haskell was waiting for his buddy in the factory, he idly wound a bunch of rubber bands into a ball shape—and by bouncing it, discovered it contained a high amount of potential energy.
What is a dimple on a golf ball?
Like many other great inventions in history, dimples on a golf ball were discovered accidentally. Throughout history, golf balls took on many different designs. At one point, they were even constructed with feathers inside them. As golf grew, people started to realize that a golf ball with cuts and scratches in it would fly further ...
Why do golf balls have dimples?
Very simply stated, if a golf ball were smooth, the air would flow quickly over the top and create quite a bit of turbulence behind the ball.
When did golf balls start to have bumps?
Golf balls began to be produced with raised bumps on them until the very early 1900s.
Who is Nick Lomas?
Nick Lomas is the founder of GolfSpan, an avid golfer, not quite a pro but has over 15-years of experience playing and coaching golfers from all over the world. His mission is to bring the golfing community a better experience then it comes to choosing the right golf gear, and finding the right set up for your game.
Do golf balls perform well?
Although golf ball design and features will vary within the acceptable limits, most golf balls will perform equally well over an extended period of time. That being said, choosing the right golf ball for you can be related to feel, swing speed, and personal preference.
Overview
History
It is commonly believed that hard wooden, round balls were the first balls used for golf between the 14th through the 17th centuries. Though they were no doubt used for other similar contemporary stick and ball games, made from hardwoods such as beech and box trees, there is no definite evidence that they were used in golf in Scotland. It is equally, if not more likely, that leather balls filled with cows' hair were used, imported from the Netherlands from at least 1486 o…
Regulations
The Rules of Golf, jointly governed by the R&A and the USGA, state in Appendix III that the diameter of a "conforming" golf ball cannot be any smaller than 1.680 inches (42.67 mm), and the weight of the ball may not exceed 1.620 ounces (45.93 g). The ball must also have the basic properties of a spherically symmetrical ball, generally meaning that the ball itself must be spherical and must have a symmetrical arrangement of dimples on its surface. While the ball's dimples must be sy…
Aerodynamics
When a golf ball is hit, the impact, which lasts less than a millisecond, determines the ball's velocity, launch angle and spin rate, all of which influence its trajectory and its behavior when it hits the ground.
A ball moving through air experiences two major aerodynamic forces, lift and drag. Dimpled balls fly farther than non-dimpled balls due to the combination of these two effects.
Design
Dimples first became a feature of golf balls when English engineer and manufacturer William Taylor, co-founder of the Taylor-Hobson company, registered a patent for a dimple design in 1905. William Taylor had realized that golf players were trying to make irregularities on their balls, noticing that used balls were going further than new ones. Hence he decided to make systematic tests to determine what surface formation would give the best flight. He then developed a patter…
Behavior
Today, golf balls are manufactured using a variety of different materials, offering a range of playing characteristics to suit the player's abilities and desired flight and landing behaviours.
A key consideration is "compression", typically determined by the hardness of the ball's core layers. A harder "high-compression" ball will fly further because of the more efficient transfer of energy into the ball, but will also transmit more of a shock through the club to the player's hands …
Selection
There are many types of golf balls on the market, and customers often face a difficult decision. Golf balls are divided into two categories: recreational and advanced balls. Recreational balls are oriented toward the ordinary golfer, who generally have low swing speeds (80 miles per hour (130 km/h) or lower) and lose golf balls on the course easily. These balls are made of two layers, with the cover firmer than the core. Their low compression and side spin reduction characteristics su…
Marking and personalization
Golfers need to distinguish their ball from other players' to ensure that they do not play the wrong ball. This is often done by making a mark on the ball using a permanent marker pen such as a Sharpie. A wide number of markings are used; a majority of players either simply write their initial in a particular color, or color in a particular arrangement of the dimples on the ball. Many players make multiple markings so that at least one can be seen without having to lift the ball. Marking t…