C
Clarity News Hub

What are the dots on a golf ball called?

Author

William Rodriguez

Published Jan 07, 2026

Most often, the number of dimples per golf ball falls between 300 and 500. For example, the 2017/18 model of the popular Titleist Pro V1 has 352 dimples on it, while Titleist's other flagship ball from the same year, the Pro V1x, has 328 dimples.

What are the spots on a golf ball called?

Most have 300 to 500 dimples. The most common number of dimples is 392. It was once thought that the more dimples a ball had, the further it would travel.

What are the small indentations on golf balls called?

In most cases, golf ball dimples are simply referred to as dimples. However, there are some instances when they will be called indentations or more thoroughly referred to as the golf ball dimples pattern.

What are dimples on golf balls for?

Dimples on a golf ball create a thin turbulent boundary layer of air that clings to the ball's surface. This allows the smoothly flowing air to follow the ball's surface a little farther around the back side of the ball, thereby decreasing the size of the wake.

Why do planes not have dimples in golf balls?

About 90% of the drag of a smooth sphere shape is pressure drag and the rest is friction drag. Putting dimples on surface will increase the friction drag but will reduce the pressure drag by having the turbulent boundary layer attached farther before separation.

18 related questions found

When did golf ball get dimples?

In the early 1900s, another inventor found that indentations in golf balls performed far better than raised protrusions. In 1905, an English manufacturer named William Taylor registered a patent for a golf ball dimple design. Before long, all golf balls featured dimples that would be more or less recognizable today.

Are more dimples on a golf ball better?

More dimples being on a golf ball are not necessarily better. The number of dimples that are on a golf ball is less important than the dimensions of the dimples themselves. Too many dimples mean more drag, and too few dimples mean an unpredictable flight trajectory.

How many dimples are on a professional golf ball?

Generally, the number is anywhere between 300 and 500 dimples. American golf balls, more often than not, come with 336 dimples. While how many dimples on a British golf ball, they have 330 dimples. As for the highest number of dimples, that would be Ultra 500 Series Golf Balls (500 dimples).

How many dimples are on the PGA golf ball?

On American golf balls, there are usually 336 dimples, while there are 330 on a British ball. However these numbers can vary widely. Golf balls have anywhere from 300-500 dimples.

What makes a golf ball Illegal?

Legal golf balls can't be smaller than 1.68 inches in diameter. The Polara balls have a diameter of 1.68 inches (the same size as normal). If you have a smaller ball, you'll have less drag and that should give you more distance. You'll also notice that illegal balls are slightly heavier.

How many golf balls are on the moon?

There are two golf balls on the moon. They were taken there by Alan Shepard in 1971, during the Apollo 14 mission. Shepard was the first American into space, and the fifth person to ever walk on the moon… but most impressively, he was the first (and only) person to ever play golf outside of the earth's atmosphere!

Who invented the dimples on a golf ball?

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.

Which sports ball generally has 336 dimples?

The dimples are usually the same size as one another, but some golf balls have several different sizes of dimple on the same ball. Any number between 300 and 500 dimples is reasonable, and 336 is a common number.

Why is a golf hole 4.25 inches?

Four-and-a-quarter inches in diameter. R&A ADOPTS 4.25-INCH HOLE SIZE That first hole-cutting implement utilized a cutting tool that was, you guessed it, 4.25 inches in diameter. The folks running the R&A apparently liked that size and so adopted it in their rules for 1891.

Do golf ball dimples affect putting?

With no significant associations identified with human participants, dimple error is unlikely to have any implications on putting performance. This is also apparent with side spin where only 20% of variance was accountable for one putter-ball combination.

How far would a golf ball go without dimples?

According to Frank Thomas, Golf Digest's chief technical advisor and former technical director of the USGA, a smooth golf ball with no dimples would travel about 130 yards when hit with a modern driver by a tour-caliber player.

What is the best shot in golf called?

An ace, commonly known as a hole-in-one, is the best score out there. When you get an ace, that means you get to write a “1” on the scorecard.

What golf ball goes the farthest?

Analyzing the individual ball statistics we can see that the Titleist Pro V1x averaged the farthest distance as well at 266.7 yards. Meanwhile, the Callaway Chrome Soft X averaged the shortest distance at only 259.3 yards. This results in a difference between the average maximum and minimum of only 7.4 yards.

What do numbers on a golf ball mean?

One-Digit Number on a Golf Ball

The truth is that they do not mean anything. The main purpose is for the identification of the ball and to differentiate it from other players. Even if you and your friend are playing using the same brand of a golf ball, you will start the game with balls of different numbers.

What is the liquid inside a golf ball?

Contrary to golf folklore, the liquid cores aren't dangerous. Titleist, for example, has used a salt water and corn syrup blend. Today's core is generally made from synthetic rubber -- which may be mixed with bits of metal, such as tungsten or titanium -- or a plastic-like material such as acrylate.

What is a gutty golf ball?

The Gutty golf ball was created from the dried sap of the Sapodilla tree. It had a rubber-like feel and was formed into ball shapes by heating it up and shaping it while hot. The arrival of the gutta percha ball or "gutty", as it was called, revolutionized the game of golf and allowed its spread to the masses.

How many golf courses are in the world?

The world is home to almost 40,000 golf courses, check out how many each country has... How Many Golf Courses Are There In The World? With the release of Golf Around the World 2019 by R&A, we discovered the countries that have the most golf courses.

How many golf courses are in the world in the United States?

The quick answer to “how many golf courses are in the US?” is around 15,500. This number is always changing due to renovations, closings, and new golf courses that are coming onto the scene.

What were golf balls made of before plastic?

During the early “featherie era”, the best balls were made by the Dutch and their featheries were extremely popular in Scotland as well. Until the mid-19th century, the featherie was the standard golf ball. It was made of cow or horsehide which was stuffed with feathers; most often goose feather.

How many golf balls fit in a 747 answer?

At three cubic inches per ball, a 747 could hold 10,368,000 balls. However, spheres do not fit perfectly together.