Dimples are patterns of shallow indentations, typically spherical in shape that are applied to the surface of the golf ball cover. Golf ball scientists and engineers use dimples to optimize the aerodynamic forces of Lift and Drag.

Dimples. You obviously see them on your golf ball, but do you know the purpose they serve? It might be best to first consider how a golf ball would perform if it didn’t have any dimples.  Courtney Engle, Manager of Mechanical Engineering at Acushnet Company says, “That golf ball is going to fall out of the sky.”  She goes on to explain that it has to do with the very high drag force acting on the golf ball and slowing it down.

Mike Madson, VP of Golf Ball R&D at Acushnet Company, adds, “What golf ball dimples do is create a turbulent flow so that air hits the front edge of the golf ball and the dimples energize that air which reduces the drag force.

Dimples are what make the golf ball fly, and they come in a variety of depths, shapes, patterns and edge angles that engineers use to create different flight characteristics and optimize trajectory.

Dimples are what make the golf ball fly and they come in a variety of depths, shapes, patterns

So next time you’re holding a golf ball, take a closer look at the dimples and know that there’s an entire team at Titleist totally dedicated to designing them in a way that will make that golf ball perform exactly the way you expect it to when you hit it correctly.