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Golf Balls -- The Science Behind The Dimples
by Susan Chiang
The dynamics behind the flight of the golf ball offers a fascinating insight into the physical interworkings of air pressure, turbulence, and aerodynamics.
When golf was first played in Scotland, most players played using clumsy golf apparatus, with the first golf clubs and golf balls made of wood.
In 1618 the 'Featherie' was introduced. It was a golf ball made of feather. This feather golf ball was handcrafted from goose feathers tightly pressed into a horse or cowhide sphere while still wet. After drying, the leather shrank and the feathers expanded, creating a hardened golf ball.
As this type of golf ball was specially handcrafted, it was usually more expensive than golf clubs, so that only a few privileged people could afford to play golf back then.
After the Featherie golf ball came the Guttie golf ball. This type of golf ball was made from the rubber-like sap of the Gutta tree found in the tropics, and was shaped into a sphere when hot and eventually into a golf ball. As it was made of rubber, the Guttie golf ball could be cheaply produced and easily repaired by reheating and reshaping.
Comparing the two types of golf balls, the Featherie golf ball was said to travel farther than the Guttie golf ball because the Guttie golf balls smooth surface prevented it from covering more distance.
With this discovery, the developers of golf balls came up with the 'dimpled' golf balls that are so predominant in modern golf nowadays.
The dimples on the golf balls help reduce the aerodynamic drag. Aerodynamic drag normally affects smooth golf balls and slows them down, because when they sail through the air, they leave a pocket of low-pressure air in its stir thus creating a drag.
By applying dimples to the golf ball surface, the pressure differential goes down and the drag force is reduced. These dimples create turbulence in the air surrounding the golf ball, which, in turn, forces the air to clasp the golf ball more closely. By doing so, the air trails the warp created by the golf ball towards the back instead of flowing past it. This results in a smaller wake and lesser drag.
Dimples were first added onto golf ball surfaces back during the gutta percha phase. Coburn Haskell introduced the one-piece rubber cored golf ball encased in a gutta percha sphere. Then in 1905 William Taylor applied the dimple pattern to a Haskell golf ball, thus giving rise to the modern golf ball as we know it today.
After its beginning, dimpled golf balls were officially used in every golf tournament. In 1921, the golf ball took its current form with standard size and weight. Nowadays there is a wide range of golf balls to fit every style, game and condition, with some golf balls offering control, and other golf balls offering distance.
Though a common sight nowadays, the dimpled golf ball is not just a mere element of the sports arena; it is a showcase of physics at work.
For a more comprehensive look at golf and golf equipment, drop by Susans site Golf Ball City. Other informative sports related articles are available at Shopping Palace and Niche Weblog.
Tips About Golf
Prime Movers
Notice how my upper left arm and chest are connected. It's this connection that initiates the backswing and encourages the club to be moved by the pivot of the body and not the hands and arms moving independently. In addition to the left arm and chest, movement of the shoulders and back should also contribute to the finish of a powerfully coiled backswing. Don't ever begin your backswing by lifting your arms or rolling your wrists by themselves.
...Golf Tips magazine
When you want to get some extra distance out of your drives, it�s natural to think that your right or dominant hand (for right-handed golfers) should supply the power. In reality, however, maximum power is a result of a left-hand lead.
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Clone Golf Equipment
Take it easy! Many golfers hibernate for two or three months during the winter. Due to inactivity their muscles and tendons used in the golf swing lose much their tone and elasticity, so once you finally get to play make sure you stretch and loosen up before you tee off. Golfers with a history of back problems should be particularly cautious, otherwise they may ruin the new season before it even begins.
Get greater distance on your drives with great Top Flite golf balls from our store.
Headline News About Golf
CHAMPION'S CHOICE
Mon, 26 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Jay Haas Captures Second Senior PGA Championship in Three Years Trusting Titleist from Tee-to-Green
HAWAII 2-0
Tue, 31 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT
Loren Roberts Trusts Titleist for Second Straight Win on Champions Tour
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Golf Article Of The Month
Discover How Golfers Use This Simple golf swing eBook And Audio Course As Their Secret Training Tool In Their Quest For Lower Scores.
How To Determine If Your Golf Swing Is Too Fast
By: Gregg Hall
The whole point to practicing at getting a better golf swing is trying to make your swing faster. Most tips only show you how you should hold your club. Many people think that the harder you swing a golf club the further it will go. Yeah you can probably hit it far and hard but it will not be going to where you wanted the ball to go. If you are going to just hit the ball then you are not going to place it where you want it to go.
The way that you will make your swing all sloppy is by swinging too fast. There are many ways that one can find out how they swing and if they swing too fast. If your golf ball is going a certain way every time you hit it you are probably swinging too fast. If your ball is curving each time that you hit it then that is a sign that you are hitting the ball way too hard. If you loose grip of the club then that is another sign that you are swinging too fast and need to slow it down. If you lose balance then you are going to need to slow your swing down because that is another sign that you are swinging your club too fast.
If you don't know what the problem is then you cannot fix it so you need to watch and feel how you swing. After you have your swing under control you can start playing the game and start swinging the clubs. You can fix an over swing by counting and seeing how long it takes you to swing. There are many ways to see and fix ones swing but you can only fix it through practice and more practice. The more practice that you do the better you will get at swinging your clubs. You will just need to take your time remember you are golfing you have all the time in the world. You won't want to hit the ball as hard as you can because that again will be making you swing to fast.
So you just want to take it nice and easy for a few swings until you get the swinging process down. After you have the swing down then you can go golf with friends or just go to the driven range and just practice on swinging. You should get your swing down by the first day you start playing the sport. If you hadn't its not like it's the end of the world you can still play golf just keep practicing. You just need to go to the driving range every once and a while and hit a few balls to get your swing down and make sure that you keep it like that for awhile.
Gregg Hall is an author living with his 18 year old son in Jensen Beach, Florida. Find more about golfing as well as golf equipment at www.nsearch.com
Quick Golf Ideas
Golf Instruction
To develop a simple, comfortable and effective grip. Your grip is the foundation of your golf swing. Make sure your grip is comfortable. It is important to develop a neutral grip that requires no compensations during the swing. The orthodox position with the V.s of both hands (formed by the forefinger and the thumb) pointing between the chin and right shoulder is a good place to start. Very few good players have grips with the V.s pointing very far from this position. If you want a little stronger grip move the left hand over to the right a little.
To learn more go to golf
Golf Instruction
The reason for good extension in the follow through is to keep the clubface accelerating at impact! The reason that the slice is so common is that many players try to keep the clubface angle square to the target throught and after impact. This actually opens the face,resulting in a left to right spin to the ball (Slice).
For more information go to golf trainings aids
Golf Related News
Bernhard Langer outlasts Jay Haas in Toshiba Classic playoff
Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:45:00 -0400
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Bernhard Langer outlasted Jay Haas in the Toshiba Classic on Sunday, birdieing the final hole of regulation to force a playoff and winning with a birdie when Haas missed a four-foot putt on the seventh extra hole.
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Our Featured Golf Article
This is the secret you've been searching for. The
Golf Swing Secret...get it today!
How To Play Bunkers And Sand Traps
By Lee MacRae
Getting out of a bunker or sand trap in one shot can do wonders for your confidence and your golf game. Follow along as we lay out some tips, tricks and hints to help you with your sand play and watch the improvement in your next round of golf.
Hitting from a buried lie in the bunker [otherwise known as a "fried egg"] isn't as difficult as most golfers think. In fact, a shot that gets the ball out is closer to a normal golf shot than a conventional bunker shot is. That's because you play the shot with your clubface closed. Remember that the flange of a sand wedge is designed to prevent you from digging into the sand. But with a buried lie, digging in is exactly what you want to do. Close the face of your wedge, hit down into the sand and inch or two behind your ball. This is one of the few sand shots in which a follow-through isn't just important, it shouldn't exist at all! Some golfers have even been known to let the club go at impact. Note; this shot can also be played with a pitching wedge, which is almost guaranteed to dig in.
When your ball is sitting up in sand on a rise that is caused by someone's footprints, don't be fooled into thinking this is an easy shot. Players tend to try to get the ball off the surface of the sand, or take too much sand in an effort not to hit it too far. Do the former and you may blade the ball. Do the latter and you may hit it fat. This is an instance where you want to hit not under the ball, but down and through it. Take your spot, about two inches behind the ball and slightly below it [because of the rise] and swing as you would for a normal chip shot. If you're still worried about getting it too far, move your weight back to your right foot. This will force you to swing more with your arms and will take some power out of the shot.
Simply because the technique is similar to that used for a level lie from a bunker the sidehill lie is not that tough. While you take into account the affect the slope will have on the flight of the ball, you do not alter the steepness of your swing. A ball above your feet will want to go left. A ball that is below your feet it will tend to go to the right. Just adjust your stance accordto the circumstances and swing along the slope. To make this easier, flex your knees more and stand closer to the ball when it lies below your feet; stand straighter and farther from the ball when it lies above.
And no matter what you do, even for sand play, always imagine the shot before you take it. And imagine the shot being succesfull! Not much sense in defeating yourself before you even start. Imagine yourself being successful throughout your golf game and watch your game flourish.
About the author
Lee MacRae runs several online stores where you can find a great golf swing aid or a great putter today!
More Golf News
Golf Club Reviews
If you can�t seem to find the time to spend at the driving range and your backyard is too small to practice your golf swing, all hope is not lost thanks to virtual golf. Of course, this is not quite as satisfying as feeling the club strike the ball, but it may be a good solution between trips to the course. As the name suggests, you place a ball on the tee just like you would otherwise, but the ball will not travel outside a certain area. Or, you can opt for a net in which you can hit the ball except you will, obviously, have to hit the net each and every time.
For more information go to golf trainings aids
Beginners Golf Training Aids
Learning how to aim is vital if your to have success in scoring. The clubface is the only thing that will make contact with the ball, therefore the clubface should be aimed towards the target with the shoulders paralleling the target line. Do not take the stance first. The feet do not hit the ball, so line up the clubface first, and then take your stance.
To learn more go to golf trainings aids
All The Latest News From The Golfing World
Direct from the Tour: The Presidents Cup - Final Day
Sun, 25 Sep 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Direct from the Tour: The Presidents Cup - Final Day. Watch Chris DiMarco, Davis Love III and Kenny Perry.
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