Golf Ball Dimples: Why Are They Necessary?

When someone says golf balls, you immediately picture a small, white ball with lots of markings on it. This feature is unique to golf balls and these recessed areas really help the golfer to control their ball in flight. We can rightly say that these indented markings offer better control to the player. These marks or indentations are also known as golf ball dimples.

Originally, the ball used for golf was smooth until a century ago. Dimples were used after many players noticed that dented, damaged, or bruised spheres seemed to travel faster and farther than smooth, new ones. In an attempt to mimic the dented state of a ball, manufacturers began making them in odd shapes, hoping to achieve the same effect. Then some brilliant guy spent a lot of his time studying various sphere shapes and their respective paths in flight and came up with the idea of ​​dimpling a golf ball. Golf ball dimples are a very common sight today.

There are two forces of aerodynamics that affect the path of a ball in flight, and they are drag and lift. Golf ball dimples allow for smooth airflow over the ball, encouraging minimal splitting. It also increases the lift effect and at the same time decreases the drag effect of the ball. With these dimples, the ball travels further and faster.

Generally, the notches on a ball used for golf are approximately 336, with most dimples ranging from 300 to 500 around the world. Most golf balls have an even number of dimples, with the exception of one manufacturer that makes balls with 333 dimples. Most professional players order a set of balls with a specific number of dimples, mainly because the depth of the dimples and their number greatly affect the ball in flight. The world record for the most dimples on a ball is 1,070. However, it’s important to note that the rules of golf allow the top of the ball to be up to 80 percent dimpled.