Dimples are the indentations that are made on the surface of a golf ball. The golf balls were made of gutta percha, a packing material, and the players discovered that the scratches and nicks helped the ball to fly more favourably. The gutta was therefore hammered at regular intervals to increase the consistency of the ball’s play. Soon afterwards, the Balata ball was discovered, which essentially wrapped a rubber sheath on a rubber core of the ball. The manufacturers used a mold to produce dimples on the surface. A typical dimple on a golf ball is 2-5 mm in diameter and about 0.2 mm deep. Modern golf balls have 300-450 dimples of varying sizes.
Dimples on golf balls – Breakers or Speed Enhancers?
