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Golf Ball Aerodynamics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 June 2016

P W Bearman  and
J K Harvey
P W Bearman
Affiliation:
Imperial College of Science and Technology
J K Harvey
Affiliation:
Imperial College of Science and Technology
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Summary

A wind tunnel technique has been developed to measure the aerodynamic forces acting on golf balls over a wide range of Reynolds number and spin rate. Balls with round dimples and hexagonal dimples have been investigated. The dimples are found to induce a critical Reynolds number behaviour at a lower value of Reynolds number than that experienced by a smooth sphere and beyond this point, unlike the behaviour of a sand-roughened sphere, there is little dependence of the forces on further increases in Reynolds number. A hexagonally-dimpled ball has a higher lift coefficient and a slightly lower drag coefficient than a conventional round-dimpled ball. Trajectories are calculated using the aerodynamic data and the ranges are compared with data obtained from a driving machine on a golf course.

Type
Research Article
Information
Aeronautical Quarterly , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , May 1976 , pp. 112 - 122
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society. 1976

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References

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