There are a lot of things people do not know about golf balls. In fact, general consensus shows how people think there is only one kind of ball and the difference in prices lie in the brand behind the ball. This is far from true. There are different kinds of balls and there are even more concepts and trivia behind them.
Governing Rules of Golf
There are two ruling authorities in charge of all issues, standards, and final decisions of golf. There is the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews or R&A which is seen as the official authority over the world, except in United States and Mexico. In these two places, authority is held by the United States Golf Association, or USGA. They regularly revise the Rules of Golf. This is the standard set of all rules, regulations, and procedures of golf. This covers both professional and amateur golf.
In this Rules of Golf, there are standards imposed on the golf balls. One such rule is the uniformity of the golf balls. A golf ball should weigh not more than 1.620 oz. or 45.93 grams and should have a diameter of at least 1.680 inches or 42.67 mm.
There are also limitations set for the velocity, flight distance coverage, and design symmetry of the golf ball. In addition to symmetry, dimples of the golf ball also have certain rules regarding the depth and the radius. The golf ball would, therefore, have to go through an evaluation process carried out by the R&A and USGA to ensure that it conforms to the parameters imposed on it.
Golf ball creation uses a lot of scientific concepts and ideas. Physics, in truth, is the overarching science behind the golf balls. Common concepts involved in the creation of golf balls are maximum velocity, spin rate, and angle of launch. All these have an impact on the trajectory of the ball during flight, as well as on its performance upon hitting the ground. These, combined together, would provide the player a rough estimate on what kind of drives should be done.
The golf ball uses the concept of aerodynamics, determining the type of drives and approaches best for every turn. Specifically, the golf ball is influenced by two aerodynamics concepts – the lift and the drag. These two provide a better understanding on the behaviour of the golf ball.
To comprehend how lift affects golf ball behaviour, think of a player attempting a backspin. Upon hitting the ball, he would distort the airflow around the ball, resulting to a lift. This setup is called the Magnus effect. The ball would then move in an upwards lift force. The skyward lift would push the ball to fly longer and higher. This is compared to the behaviour of the ball without a backspin.
Drag is the concept that eventually led the ball to be covered in dimples. The dimples aid in converting the boundary layer of the ball from a laminar flow (something similar to a parallel flow) into a turbulent one (which is considered a chaotic flow). This is needed because the turbulent flow can “attach” itself to the surface of the ball longer than the laminar can. The attachment would then generate a tauter low pressure wake. The low pressure, in turn, would generate a drag with a low level or pressure. Finally, the compact pressure drag aids the ball to fly farther.
To optimize the effects of aerodynamics, it is best to keep the ball as clean as possible. Residues in the dimples distort the optimal drag of the ball. There are different kinds of balls and there are even more concepts behind them to know about that concept must visit www.rockbottomgolf.com.