Golf Ball Technology
In this article you will learn about a number of factors which go into making a modern ball. We will include such things as aerodynamics and dimple technology as well as giving you a simple guide to understanding what compression means. Aerodynamics is a very interesting subject and is an ever changing part of golf product technology in the modern era. So much so that golf's governing bodies, the USGA and the R&A have now demanded that the major golf ball manaufacturers produce prototypes that are made to fly shorter distances. This is not to say that we will see these balls come into production, but the option is there if it becomes necessary later on down the line. You may not be aware that even in the last couple of years, great courses like Augusta National and St Andrews have had to be lengthened from the championship tees because the combination of the skills of today’s professional golfers and in part the advancement of the latest equipment has made certain golf courses redundant as championship quality venues. So how does ball technology help you the golfer? One of the elements that goes into the fact of what makes a ball aerodynamic is the dimple pattern. Are these just part of the construction or do they serve a purpose? These components all add up to create todays modern golf ball. Golf Ball Aerodynamics Ball manufacturers these days invest a huge amount of money, time and resource to undertake research into new ways in which they can improve the performance and distance of our everyday ball and one of the ways in which they do this is by looking at aerodynamics. This topic is effected mainly by lift ,drag and humidity. Lift is created by the amount of spin that is exerted on the ball at impact. Drag is created by the airflow that travels around the ball as it moves from being hit to it's final landing spot. Drag is a very important factor and depends on the shape of the object as well as the shape and smoothness of the surface. Humidity has a very distinct effect on distance, if the climate you play in is wamer then this means the golf ball is compressed to a higher degree leading to more spring from the clubface. The technical term for this is “moment of inertia” If you are playing in cooler weather conditions then the opposite is true and the ball will not compress as much leading to shorter distance when teeing off. If you look at a picture of a golf ball as it is hit, it becomes compressed (loses it's shape). Take the example of your driver travelling at 110 mph (Miles per hour) The actual contact with the ball only lasts for a very short time maybe 1/2000th of a second and in scientific or physics terms the force of one ton is exerted on the ball. When the ball is struck with a golf club it compresses and travels or sticks to the club for about half an inch before the materials within the ball send it off the face of the club. Golf Ball Dimples The design of balls continues to improve and one of the reasons for this and an area where manufacturers focus the most is on dimple technology. With any object that can be affected by wind drag it is a case of making the surface as smooth as possible to eliminate friction. Golf Ball Compression If you do not understand golf ball compression then I will try to make it a simple explanation. On your own golf balls you will more than likely see two numbers, the first of which is usually either 1, 2, 3, or 4. Now these numbers have no significance, they are just there for identification purposes. However, other numbers which you see on the golf ball such as 80, 90, or 100 do have a very important bearing on your own golf game. An 80 compression ball has been designed for people with slower swing speeds. This is a softer ball and therefore is a good golf ball for elderly golfers to use. This is because the ball is compressed (squashed) easily even with a short or slower golf swing, yet it still allows to achieve reasonable distance. A 90 compression ball has been designed for the majority of golfers that have neither a very slow or very fast swing. The 100 compression ball however is best used by players that have very powerful and fast golf swings. You will need this type of swing to compress (squash) the ball enough at impact to make it take advantage of potential for hitting the golfball long distances. The next section of our site is dedicated to golf clubs where you can read a series of articles and stories about old club equipment and the more modern clubs which we all use today. If you have any comments about the site please feel free to contact us with your suggestions and what you would like to see and what you would like to larn about golf. Visit us again soon because we will be adding new articles and information on a weekly basis.
|
|