Why Golf Balls Have Dimples
Description: Early golfers noticed that scarred gutta-percha balls flew farther than smooth ones. The dimples force the boundary layer to become turbulent, helping airflow stay attached longer and reducing the wake behind the ball. The historical shots and wind tunnel here are illustrations.
Sources: NPR, The Story of the Golf Ball: https://www.npr.org/2012/08/11/158579819/feathers-and-rubber-bands-the-story-of-the-golf-ball ; COMSOL, Why Do Golf Balls Have Dimples?: https://www.comsol.com/blogs/why-do-golf-balls-have-dimples ; Penn State, How Do Dimples Make Golf Balls Travel Farther?: https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/probing-question-how-do-dimples-make-golf-balls-travel-farther ; William Taylor, US patent 878254: https://patents.google.com/patent/US878254A/en
Visual credits: Microsoft Rocketbox character, MIT © Microsoft; Poly Haven and ambientCG assets, CC0. Close description
Sources: NPR, The Story of the Golf Ball: https://www.npr.org/2012/08/11/158579819/feathers-and-rubber-bands-the-story-of-the-golf-ball ; COMSOL, Why Do Golf Balls Have Dimples?: https://www.comsol.com/blogs/why-do-golf-balls-have-dimples ; Penn State, How Do Dimples Make Golf Balls Travel Farther?: https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/probing-question-how-do-dimples-make-golf-balls-travel-farther ; William Taylor, US patent 878254: https://patents.google.com/patent/US878254A/en
Visual credits: Microsoft Rocketbox character, MIT © Microsoft; Poly Haven and ambientCG assets, CC0. Close description