Physics of the Dimples - The Story of a Golf Ball

In the physical world of air pressure, turbulence, and aerodynamics, surface structurestructure of the surface is a major design exercise. There are several historical events that have contributed the design and make-up of the golf ball. Eventually, after hundreds of years, the ultimate design and composition of the golf ball has been achieved, based on scientific understanding . The humble golf ball is a good example of the development of the history of aeronautical engineering.

When the game of golf began on the eastern coast of Scotland, nearly all of the players used antiquated equipment in order to play golf which was a more informal game than it is today. At that time, the first golf clubs and golf balls are made of wood.

In 1618 the feather golf ball was first introduced and made popular. This form of the golf ball became known as the "Featherie". This feather golf ball was a handcraftedhand made golf ball made with goose feathers securely pressed into a horse or cowhide sphere. The whole process was carried out while the ball was still wet. As the ball dried out, the the out skin would shrink and the feathers expanded to create a hardened golf ball.

Because these types of golf balls were specially handcrafted, they usually cost more than the golf clubs. It is not surprising that, only a few privileged people could afford to play the game of golf at this time.

The next type , to gain in popularity was the Guttie golf ball. This prehistoric type of golf ball was constructed from the rubber like sap from the Gutta Percha tree is grown in the tropics. These Guttie balls could be readily moulded into a sphere when hot. When they cooled, they kept their shape and could then be used as a golf ball. With its rubber nature, Guttie balls could be cheaply reproduced and could be easily re-cycled by reheating and re-moulding.

In a comparison between the two earliest forms of golf balls, the feather golf ball was known to travel a longer distance than than the rubber Guttie. The reason for this difference was eventually identified as being due to the difference in surfaces. The smooth surface of the Guttie reduces the capacity of the golf ball to travel over greater distance.

With this new scientific analysis, the manufacturers of golf balls eventually produced with balls with the "dimples" that are associated with modern golf balls in use today.

Dimples are put onto golf balls so as to get rid of the aerodynamic drag, which acts on the ball and is higher if the surface were totally smooth. The reason for this is because smooth balls, when sailing through the air, create a large pocket of low-pressure air in its wake so producing drag. The drag performs as a brake and the ball reduces in speed.

But in contrast, by placing dimples on golf balls, the pressure differential gets lowered and the drag is reduced. These dimples create turbulence in the air around the golf ball. This, in turn, makes the air cling to the golf ball more closely. By doing so, the air flows in to the wake created by the ball instead of flowing past it. The result is a smaller wake and less drag. Consequently the ball travels a longer distance.

Dimples also assist players to put backspin on a shot thereby making the golf ball break off on the putting green.

The concept of putting dimples on golf balls can be traced back to the Gutta Percha phase of development. It was Coburn Haskell who created the one-piece rubber cored ball encased in a Gutta Percha coating. It was during this time that players first observed how their shots became more and more predictable the longer that they played with the same ball. They noticed that the more the balls became scuffed the more accurate and further they could hit it.

When William Taylor applied the dimple pattern to a Haskell ball in 1905, golf balls finally took on their current form. So the dimples were born. From then on, dimpled golf balls were officially used in every golf tournament. In 1921, the dimpled golf balls took on a standard size and weight.

Nowadays, there is a large selection of golf balls suitable for different golf games and conditions. Some golf balls offer greater control, while some others provide greater distance. However else these golf balls vary, they all have one thing in common and that is the dimple. Golf balls are not just pieces of golf equipment; they are a paradigm of a concept in physics!