How many dimples on a regulation golf ball

These "gutta-percha" balls were completely smooth and could travel much farther than the leather pouch golf ball. However, golfers quickly realized that the ball handled better and traveled even farther after it had been used, and thus dented and scuffed, a few times.

In , a patent was issued for a golf ball with indentations, providing the first proof of early experimentation. Dimpled balls continued to gain traction throughout the first two decades of the 20th century. David Stanley Froy was an early pioneer of the dimpled ball, using one at the British Open. By , dimpled golf balls had achieved a standard weight and size and had become required equipment in major tournaments.

During the s, the use of dimpled golf balls became standard and the outside of golf balls has changed very little since then. GolfLink Equipment. By Nick Heidelberger.

How Many Dimples on a Golf Ball If dimples are good for a golf ball, the next question becomes, is too much of a good thing bad? It's believed that at first hard wooden golf balls were used, before being replaced with hand-sewn leather pouches that were stuffed with feathers, aptly named "featherie" golf balls.

Featherie Golf Balls. Following the featherie, the gutta-percha often referred to as a "guttie" or "gutty" was invented by Dr. Adams Paterson in as a cheaper to produce golf ball. Dried sap was molded into a sphere to create the guttie. Over time, golfers realized that as these golf balls started to become dented from use, they performed better and more consistently than smooth balls.

This led to golf ball makers purposely creating protrusions on the surface of balls to give them textured surfaces.

Dimples were first introduced in the early s when it was found that indentations provided even more distance, control, and backspin than protrusions. Manufacturers soon began making golf balls with various dimpled designs that have continuously been improved upon since. Golf balls must have a diameter of at least 1. The USGA also requires golf balls and their dimples to be symmetrical, though there is no limit to the number of dimples.

Golf Terms Golf Scoring. Why Do Balls Have Dimples? In this guide, we'll answer these questions related to golf ball dimples and the golf ball in general, including: How many dimples are on a golf ball?

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