GOLF BALLS  -  View All Golf Balls

A golf ball is a ball designed to be used in the game of golf. A regulation golf ball weighs no more than 1.620 oz (45.93 grams), with a diameter over 1.680 in (42.67 mm), and is symmetrically spherical in shape. Like golf clubs, golf balls are subject to testing and approval by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and the United States Golf Association, and those that do not conform with regulations may not be used in competitions (Rule 5-1)

Choose Your Golf Ball Brand

Aerodynamics
When a golf ball is hit, the impact, which lasts less than a millisecond, determines the ball’s velocity, launch angle and spin rate, all of which influence its trajectory (and its behavior when it hits the ground).

A ball moving through air experiences two major aerodynamic forces, lift and drag. Dimpled balls fly farther than non-dimpled balls due to the combination of two effects:

Firstly, the dimples delay separation of the boundary layer from the ball. Early separation, as seen on a smooth sphere, causes significant wake turbulence, the principal cause of drag. The separation delay caused by the dimples therefore reduces this wake turbulence, and hence the drag.

Secondly, backspin generates lift by deforming the airflow around the ball, in a similar manner to an airplane wing. This is called the Magnus effect. Backspin is imparted in almost every shot due to the golf club's loft (i.e. angle between the clubface and a vertical plane). A backspinning ball experiences an upward lift force which makes it fly higher and longer than a ball without spin.[1] Sidespin occurs when the clubface is not aligned perpendicularly to the direction of swing, leading to a lift force that makes the ball curve to one side or the other. Unfortunately the dimples magnify this effect as well as the more desirable upward lift derived from pure backspin. (Some dimple designs are claimed to reduce sidespin effects.)

In order to keep the aerodynamics optimal, the ball needs to be clean. Golfers can wash their balls manually, but there are also mechanical ball washers available.

Used and refurbished golf balls

Used golf balls are golf balls that have been played, most likely hit into a water hazard, then retrieved, cleaned up and resold. Used golf balls comes in different gradings - one well-accepted standard is:

Refinished, sometimes called reconditioned or refurbished, golf balls are different than used. Refinished golf balls may look new, but do not meet the manufacturer's original requirements. In the processing procedure, the golf ball is stripped of its original surface paint and reprinted with the original markings, then a new clear/coat is applied.

Design
 
These two balls are disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,560,168 . These two balls are easily made with a two-piece mold. Since there is no dimple located on any of the slash-dotted circles (one is marked red), the mold can be two hemispheres.Dimples first became a feature of golf balls when a certain Taylor patented a dimple design in 1908. Other types of patterned covers were in use at about the same time, including one called a "mesh" and another named the "bramble", but the dimple became the dominant design due to "the superiority of the dimpled cover in flight".[4]

Most golf balls on sale today have about 250 – 450 dimples. There were a few balls having over 500 dimples before. The record holder was a ball with 1,070 dimples — 414 larger ones (in four different sizes) and 656 pinhead-sized ones. All brands of balls, except one, have even-numbered dimples. The only odd-numbered ball on the market is a ball with 333 dimples, called the Srixon AD333.

Officially sanctioned balls are designed to be as symmetrical as possible. This symmetry is the result of a dispute that stemmed from the Polara, a ball sold in the late 1970s that had six rows of normal dimples on its equator but very shallow dimples elsewhere. This asymmetrical design helped the ball self-adjust its spin-axis during the flight. The USGA refused to sanction it for tournament play and, in 1981, changed the rules to ban aerodynamic asymmetrical balls. Polara's producer sued the USGA and the association paid US$1.375 million in a 1985 out-of-court settlement.

Golf equipment maker Callaway has introduced a ball with hexagonal dimples to increase the dimpled area on a golf ball, as hexagons tesselate unlike circles.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office's patent database is a good source of past dimple designs. Most designs are based on Platonic solids such as icosahedron.

Golf balls are usually white, but are available in other high visibility colours , which helps with finding the ball when lost or when playing in frosty conditions. As well as bearing the makers name or logo, balls are usually printed with numbers or other symbols to help players identify their ball.

Some interesting facts about Golf Balls

Have you ever wondered what Tiger Woods found in Golf that he decided on pursuing it as his career? Like any other sports lover, you would answer, passion. Blending elegance with strength, you hit white golf balls with clubs and the balls fly and land in the hole, its destination.  There are many factors that determine how the ball will swing or will swing at all, or not. Physical elements like aerodynamics, pressure of air and structure of the surface are some of them. But another crucial factor that we often seem to ignore is the quality of golf balls.

Selection of wrong golf balls lead to missing a good swing that eventually leads you to miss a game too. Even if you are equipped with proper shoes, tees and clubs, they cannot help you recover from the damage that is made by the selection of improper golf balls. A golf ball must be in accordance with the circumstances; otherwise even the best shot will be a futile one.

Basically there are three types of golf balls. They are balata, a two-piece set and a blend of both these kinds. However, which one is going to suit you best depends on certain factors. First of all, you should be focused about your requirement. If you want your golf balls to have control as well as spin, you should go for balata. It is soft with even softer cover which gives extra spin to the balls. The stalwarts of the field use this expensive variation of golf balls.

If you want the ball to fly high and cover more distance, it is better if you opt for the two-piece set of golf balls. They are durable balls with tough outer layer to prevent backspin and when hit, goes farther. Often circumstances determine which kind of balls to play with. These may include terrain, weather and temperature. For example, on a rocky mountainous terrain with hard track, the balata is a better option as it would land softly and spin more. Similarly, on a wet deluged track hard covered golf balls serve a better purpose.

The structure of golf balls has a special purpose. The dimples on the surface cut down the drag of aerodynamics. Smooth surface hampers the flight of balls because the air-pocket created by them while sailing through is quite a huge one. This creates drag which retards the velocity of the ball. On the other hand, dimples reduce the pressure differential, which reduces the drag as well. The turbulence created by the ball grasps it more tightly. This way, air follows the distortion made by the ball. This reduces the drag enhancing the velocity and distance. According to Royal and Ancient Golf Club (R&A) regulations, standard number of dimples in a golf ball is 250 to 450.

Color of the golf balls is generally white. But again, depending on certain factors like climatic conditions and location they differ. As for example while playing in frosty climate or in poor visibility, bright colored balls are used so that they can be located easily.