Free Golf Tip | Sponsored by GreatGolfGizmos.com - Click Here to Shop for Great Golf Gizmos | Article List

Why A Golf Ball Actually Flies Through The Air


Not accounting for weather conditions there are a few things that influence how high and far a golf ball will fly.

The first thing is the spin of the ball.

A ball must spin to be able to fly through the air. The spin rate is measured in "rpm" or revolutions per minute.

A driver, because of it's lower degree of angle on it's face will produce less spin than a wedge which has a a higher lofted face. A driver may have a 10 degree loft while a wedge may have a 60 degree loft. The wedge will produce much more spin on a ball than a driver will. This is why the ball gets in the air much quicker with a wedge than with a driver.

As the balls spins faster it creates less pressure on top of the ball than under it. This creates lift. As the balls slows down the lift is decreased until the ball eventuallly looses lift and height and gravity takes over. Just like an airplane wing.

The spin of the ball has to be clockwise. If struck properly, the ball actually spins towards you as it flies through the air. If you top the ball, and produce a counter clockwsie spin, or the ball spins away from you, the normal result is that the ball falls to the ground much quicker.

Another factor are the dimples on the ball.

The dimples on a golf ball have everything to do with the areodynamics of the ball. The dimples create a restless boundry of air around the ball, technically called lift. Larger dimples creates more turbulance which produces less lift. Flatter dimples create a smoother flow of air over the ball and thus more lift.

For example the Maxfli 432 dimple pattern is made up of 12 pentagons and 20 triangles based on a icosidodecahedron. Six circles define the pattern and generally this pattern stands for distance and control in a ball.

The Maxfli 408 dimple pattern consists of 6 squares and 8 hexagons based on a octahedron. This is a "crossover" dimple pattern and some of the patterns have the contour of a ball while others have the contour of a saucer. This dimple size, contours and allocation on the ball, contribute to a good distance ball.

The Maxfli 402 dimple pattern (Noodle), has 20 triangles, 30 squares, and 12 pentagons based on a rhombicosidodecahedron. This pattern provides excellent flight qualities. Many weekend golfers use the Noodle because it gives them a better trajectory, better lift!

Read more articles by this author, about this and other subjects, here.

About The Author

Bob Power has been an Internet entrepreneur for longer than he would like to remember. He is currently on a voyage of learning, thanks to his readers, who have asked him to answer questions about topics they want more information on. You can see some of the surprising, and at times exciting results, and variety of topics and paths this has taken him on, or to contact Bob Power please click here.

These articles may be reproduced exactly as shown above. No revisions or changes are permitted.


MORE RESOURCES:

BBC Sport

Storms on the Horizon for the Golf Industry
New York Times, United States - Nov 18, 2008
Behind the massive hedges that surround the lush tropical setting of Trump International Golf Club here, the top 32 golfers from the 2008 season on the LPGA ...
Stymied by economy, LPGA cuts events, cash USA Today
2009 LPGA Valley event seeks sponsor, site Arizona Republic
Golf-Three fewer events on 2009 LPGA Tour schedule Reuters.uk
Boston Herald - About - News & Issues
all 388 news articles


GolfDigest.com

Still at Top of Her Game, Sorenstam Is Content to Step Away
New York Times, United States - 5 hours ago
Annika Sorenstam’s graceful exit from the LPGA golf stage she has dominated for so long will end this weekend. The unique format for the season-ending ADT ...
Sorenstam set for LPGA farewell this weekend The Associated Press
Sorenstam ready for final LPGA bow, but she's not retiring USA Today
GOLF CHANNEL to air first three Rounds of ADT Championship ... WorldGolf.com
Bloomberg - CharlotteObserver.com
all 137 news articles


Conference to look at golf's economic impact in Hawaii
Bizjournals.com, NC - 9 hours ago
The economic impact of golf is the major topic of a Hawaii Golf Industry conference set for early December. The conference will also address the major ...


Team Lubahn Eliminated from GOLF CHANNEL's Big Break X: Michigan
WorldGolf.com, AZ - 46 minutes ago
They each played golf at Michigan State University and, until recently, he was an assistant golf coach for the Spartans. “This is like home. ...


Colorado Golf Club selected as site of 2010 Senior PGA Championship
PGA.com - 5 hours ago
Colorado Golf Club, which opened for play in 2007 as one of the premier new courses in America, has been selected as the site of the 71st Senior PGA ...
Club Car Chairman Tralies named recipient of 2008 PGA Sabayrac Award PGA.com
all 2 news articles


Bleacher Report

JP Hayes is golf
Austin American-Statesman, TX - 13 hours ago
Bobby Jones said decades ago that thanking someone for governing himself by the rules of golf is like thanking someone for not robbing a bank. ...
Golfer disqualifies himself from qualifying tournament Chicago Tribune
Barbara Barker Newsday
Come To Think Of It...What We've Learned From The Integrity Of JP ... Bleacher Report
ESPN - Examiner.com
all 27 news articles


Disc golf gets the boot
Chico News & Review, CA - 1 hour ago
The two councilmembers then returned to participate in council discussion of the disc golf issue. City Attorney Lori Barker had determined they had no ...
Editorial: Citizens tossed from city park Enterprise-Record
Palm Desert City Council to vote on ridgeline rule revision The Desert Sun
all 3 news articles


Golf course raises ire at council
Baldwin City Signal, KS - 2 hours ago
By Jeff Myrick A heated discussion once again took place as the Baldwin City Council had its annual review of the lease for the Baldwin City Municipal Golf ...


Cape Coral takeover of golf course carries risk
The News-Press, FL - 4 hours ago
By Brian Liberatore • bliberatore@news-press.com • November 20, 2008 The last group that tried to run the The Golf Club in Cape Coral lost $3 million in ...
Cape Coral residents cheer new plan for Golf Club The News-Press
all 2 news articles


Golf notebook
Hilton Head Island Packet, SC - 4 hours ago
Beaufort's Mark Anderson was one of 13 amateur golfers chosen to represent the South Carolina Golf Association team in this year's Palmetto Cup on Sunday ...

Golf - Google News

home | site map | Sponsored by GreatGolfGizmos.com - Click Here to Shop for Great Golf Gizmos
© 2006