Aerodynamics

Aerodynamics is the study of the properties of moving air and the interaction between the air and solid bodies moving through it.

In golf ball engineering, aerodynamics is the art and science of designing a golf ball cover to optimize flight. In our aerodynamics department, we consider and design arrangement, depth, count and edge angle of dimples. And we pair aerodynamics with speed and spin to optimize flight and ultimately, performance. 

In golf ball design, the objective is to transform the motion of the ball through the air from ballistic flight, where the flight is governed primarily by gravity and the ball's weight (think of the arc of a cannonball shot) to aerodynamic flight, where the forces of lift and drag are manipulated in a way that allows the golf ball to briefly overcome the downward pull of gravity. A golf ball with aerodynamic flight rises upward after launch, traveling significantly higher and farther downrange than a ball with ballistic flight. For golfers, aerodynamic flight impacts the overall effect of air on the flight of the golf ball making it a positive. For example, a shot that flies 230 yards in the normal atmosphere would only fly about 160 yards in a vacuum.    

In golf ball design, aerodynamic flight is achieved through spin. All golf shots feature backspin. This means that as the ball flies towards the target, the top of the golf ball is rotating away from the target as the bottom of the ball is rotating towards the target. This airflow pattern results in an upward force known as Lift.  And drag can be thought of as wind resistance. It is the force that air exerts on an object, directly opposite to the motion of the object, slowing it down.