In the golf ball design world of air pressure, turbulence, and aerodynamics, surface structurestructure of the surface is a major design exercise. There are several historical events that have contributed the design and make-up of the golf ball. Over a period of hundreds of years, the optimum design and make up of the golf ball has been achieved, based on scientific understanding . The humble golf ball is a good example of the evolution of the history of aeronautical engineering.

When the game of golf was first played on the eastern coast of Scotland, most players used ancient golf clubs and balls in order to play golf which was a more informal game than it is today. In these early days, the first golf clubs and golf balls are made of wood.

In 1618 the feather golf ball was first introduced and made popular. This form of the golf ball was commonly known as the "Featherie". This feather golf ball was a handcraftedhand made golf ball made with goose feathers securely pressed into a horse or cowhide sphere. The whole process was carried out while the ball was still wet. As the ball dried out, the leather shrank and the feathers expanded to create a hardened golf ball.

Because these types of golf balls were specially handcrafted, they usually cost more than the golf clubs. As a result, only a few privileged people had the money to play the game of golf at this time.

The next type , to become popular was the Guttie golf ball. This ancient form of golf ball was made from the rubber like sap from the Gutta Percha tree is grown in the tropics. These Guttie balls could be readily moulded into a sphere when hot. as they cooled, they kept their shape and could then be used as a golf ball. With its rubber nature, Guttie balls could be manufactured at a low cost and could be easily repaired by reheating and re-moulding.

In a comparison between the two earliest forms of golf balls, the feather golf ball was said to travel a longer distance than than the rubber Guttie. The answer to this puzzle was eventually confirmed as being due to the difference in surfaces. The smooth surface of the Guttie reduces the ability of the golf ball to travel over greater distance.

With this scientific understanding, the manufacturers of golf balls finally came up with balls with the "dimples" that are found on modern golf balls in use today.

Dimples are crafted onto golf balls so as to get rid of the aerodynamic drag, which acts on the ball and is increased if the surface were totally smooth. The cause of this is because smooth balls, when sailing through the air, create a large pocket of low-pressure air in its wake so creating drag. The drag acts as a brake and the ball slows down.

Alternatively, by placing dimples on golf balls, the pressure differential gets lowered and the drag is reduced. These dimples create turbulence in the air around the golf ball. This, in turn, forces the air to flow around the golf ball more closely. By doing so, the air flows in to the wake created by the ball instead of flowing past it. The result is a smaller wake and less drag. As a result the ball travels further.

Dimples also assist players to put backspin on a shot so making the golf ball break off on the putting green.

The idea of placing dimples on golf balls can be traced back to the Gutta Percha phase of development. It was Coburn Haskell who created the one-piece rubber cored ball encased in a Gutta Percha sphere. It was during this time that players bacame aware of how their shots became more and more predictable the more they used the same ball. They noticed that the rougher the balls became the more accurate and further they could hit it.

When William Taylor applied the dimple pattern to a Haskell ball in 1905, golf balls finally took on their current shape. So the dimples came into being. From then on, dimpled golf balls were officially used in every golf tournament. In 1921, the dimpled golf balls took on a standard size and weight.

Today, there is a large choice of golf balls suitable for different golf games and conditions. Some golf balls offer greater control, while some others offer greater length. However else these golf balls vary, they all have one thing in common and that is the dimple. Golf balls are not just pieces of golf equipment; they are a paradigm of a concept in physics!

Roger Titley is a successful webmaster who manages http://www.newgolfputter.com which is dedicated to all aspects of golf