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Why do golf balls fly?

Author

Noah Mitchell

Published Jan 14, 2026

When dimples are added to a golf ball, it creates a tiny layer of air around the golf ball that significantly cuts down drag. This forces the air to flow over a larger portion of the ball, which results in a much smoother ball flight.

How does a golf ball fly?

The more mass an object has, the stronger its gravitational pull. A force that lifts an object upward due to the difference between the air pressure above and below it. The air moving over the top of a golf ball travels faster than the air below it, causing the ball to move upward.

Why do the golf have dimples?

The dimples in golf balls create turbulence (that means mixed airflow!) which, if done right, reduces drag, making it go farther. The mixed airflow is of two types: laminar and turbulent.

Why do golf balls fly low?

A low ball flight with driver is commonly caused by: having the ball too far back in your stance; lack of clubhead speed; incorrect tilt at address; a downward attack angle; or swaying in front of the ball at impact. If any of these faults creep into your swing, it will hurt your ability to get height with driver.

How can I increase my golf ball flight?

To bring your ball flight up, make sure to tee the ball plenty high and stay behind it as you swing. Those who struggle to get the driver up in the air usually are sliding past the ball to the left (for a right-handed golfer) during the downswing.

20 related questions found

Why is my driver flight so low?

If you are fighting a golf driver ball trajectory too low at the moment, you are probably wasting your swing speed early in the downswing and not saving it up for impact. That leads to weak contact with the ball, and a shot that lacks the speed and spin to really get up into the air.

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.

Why is a golf ball heavier than a tennis ball?

A golf ball feels heavier than a table tennis ball because a golf ball is denser, that is, it has more mass in a similar volume.

Why do golf clubs have grooves?

Golf club grooves have the exact same function as the treads on a tire. They allow water and debris to move away from the ball's point of contact to provide cleaner contact with better control. Striking a ball from the rough can be unpredictable when there is a lot of debris between your club and the ball.

Why do dimpled golf balls fly farther?

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.

Why do golf ball dimples reduce drag?

Dimples on a golf ball decrease the separation point of fluid on the ball. This allows laminar flow to continue longer around the surface of the ball, and thus reduce the drag wake.

Did golf balls always have dimples?

When Did Golf Balls Get Dimples? The invention of golf ball dimples happened accidentally. In the mid-1800s, the most widely-used golf balls were known as gutties, which were first created by Robert Adams Paterson using molded tree sap.

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.

What is drag on a golf ball?

A golf ball usually moves at a speed that is sufficiently high to reduce its' drag to about half that of a smooth sphere. This favorable reduction in drag is caused by the dimples on the golf ball surface which trigger the boundary layer to transition from laminar to turbulent flow.

What is table tennis ball?

The table tennis balls, also regarded as ping pong balls, are spherical, lightweight and hollow balls made from plastic and celluloid materials. The balls have a 40 mm (1.57 inches) diameter and weigh 2.7 g. They are white or orange in colour with a matte finished outer surface.

Which is heavier ping pong ball or golf ball?

A golf ball feels heavier than a table tennis ball because a golf ball is denser, that is, it has more mass in a similar volume.

Why is a golf ball denser than a ping pong ball even though both balls are about the same size?

Figure 3 A golf ball is denser than a table-tennis ball because the golf ball contains more matter in a similar volume.

Has anyone ever shot an 18 in golf?

No man or woman on any significant professional golf tour has birdied all 18 holes—in other words, scored a 54—in a single round. (Jim Furyk holds the PGA Tour record with a 58.)

Why are there 18 holes in a game of golf?

In 1764, the golfers at St Andrews decided to combine the first four short holes into two, to produce a round of 18 holes, though it was still 10 holes of which 8 were played twice. Thus was born the 18-hole round, though it would be hundred years before there were eighteen holes and other courses followed suit.

What is the rarest shot in golf?

Scoring a condor is the rarest event in golf. This is normally a hole in one at a par five (a two at a par six would also count, but this has never been done). Only five condors have ever been recorded: The most recent was Kevin Pon, who made a 2 on a par 6 at Lake Chabot Golf Course on the 10th December 2020.

Why am I losing distance with my irons?

It can often be the result of casting, but when the clubhead passes the hands too early, you add too much loft to the club and lose distance as a result.

How do I stop hitting my golf shots low?

At our golf school we like to get your lead ear in line with your hands and the back of the golf ball. We also like to see the lead ear at the back of the ball at impact. If your head moves forward during your downswing you'll hit down on the ball too much resulting in a lower than optimal ball flight.

Why am I topping my drives?

Typically, a ball is topped because the club has not gone far enough down towards the ball or you catch the ball on the way up, instead of at the bottom point.