If you have ever looked at a golf ball up close, you may notice that they are covered in small dimples. But what do these dimples do? Golf ball dimples are designed to allow the ball to cut through the air and reduce the amount of drag on the ball. The dimples collect small air pockets to help maximize its distance and trajectory. If a golf ball without any dimples were hit at the same force as a golf ball with dimples, it would only travel about half of the distance. So it’s a good thing they are on there!
How many dimples are there on a golf ball and how they can help?
Golf ball manufacturers try and stick between 300-500 dimples depending on the ball design and the target customer they are trying to present to. The reason why there is quite a bit of variance in the number of dimples on a golf ball is that the amount dimples can alter the spin rate, flight apex, and total distance traveled of a golf shot. This is why golf ball companies have many different product lines that are geared towards golfers who have a beginning, intermediate or advanced skill sets.
What does your golf skill have anything to do with golf balls?
- Golf balls for beginning golfers- Golf balls designed for beginning golfers are made to maximize distance and loft. This usually means that golf balls made for beginners tend to have a higher dimple amount to try and utilize as much surface area possible on the ball. ‘The sweet spot is right around 400-425 dimples. The reason being that beginners usually have slower swing speeds, and the addition of more dimples will help boost the total distance of the ball as opposed to a golf ball with fewer dimples. Beginners usually have swing speeds of 50-75 mph with the driver
- Golf balls for intermediate golfers- Golf balls for intermediate golfers are also geared towards maximizing the distance and loft of a golf shot. However, intermediate golfers usually have faster clubhead speeds, so the design of these golf balls is also aimed towards reducing the amount of total spin on the ball to cause straighter, more accurate golf shots. Intermediate golfers usually have swing speeds of 75-95 mph with the driver.
- Golf balls for advanced golfers- Advanced golfers generally have the fastest swing speeds when making contact with the golf ball. So to prevent a high spin rate, these golf balls usually have fewer dimples to increase accuracy around the course. Advanced golfers have generally swing speeds of 95mph or more with the driver.
What golf balls are best?
Which brand or style is best for your game? This is a loaded question because as we talked about above, golf ball companies create golf balls intended for specific golf skill sets. So, unfortunately, no ONE golf ball works for everyone.
Related Questions
How deep are golf ball dimples? – Golf ball dimples are an average of a .010 inch in depth
What type of golf ball do golf professionals use?- Golf professionals have very fast swing speeds and require the use of a multi-layered ball to compress the golf ball and maximize distance. The most common balls on tour are Titleist Pro V1, Taylormade TP5, Callaway Chrome Soft, and Srixon Z Star. The golf balls are all are made to reduce the spin rate of fast club speeds and travel the furthest through the air.
How much further do better golf balls travel?- Correctly striking a golf ball using the correct golf ball for a golfer’s swing will go 5-10 yards further than a golf ball that is not designed for a golfers’ swing.
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