Mickelson's Dimpled Spheroids

The art of chasing dimpled spheroids around the green grass and eventually getting them into a small hole has made Phil Mickelson a wealthy champion. Phil is a local boy who went on to raise majors in successive years in a decade; a feat only Tiger Woods and with his recent victory Mickelson share. Yet behind the glory of winning a major and the accompanying hefty paycheck is an army of engineers who brilliantly design golf balls, clubs, and courses. If you ever stop to think about what goes into a golf ball you will discover a million-dollar industry that sells over 850 million balls selectively designed for women, men, 0-10 handicappers, 11-20 handicappers, and more annually. The balls can be injection molded, with different core densities, various hardness/softness, designed for professionals and amateurs alike, all aimed at improved distance, control, and feel. The outer material must have a combination of properties that offer superior cut resistance, be highly resilient and soft at the same time. Each ball must be a minimum size of 1.680 inches in diameter; have a maximum weight of 1.62 ounces; reach a maximum distance (when hit with Iron Byron) of 296.8 yards; and stay within a maximum initial velocity of 255 feet per second. An engineer seeking to design a perfect golf ball must understand fluid dynamics which deals with how air passes over the ball and aerodynamics. A boundary layer forms around the ball, producing drag as it travels through the air. Between 350 and 500 dimples or small pits are designed into each ball to create turbulence, which increases kinetic energy and decreases drag, so the ball will travel further. The science of dimples is amazing, giving the ball lift at slower speeds and reducing drag at higher speeds. If a ball has dimples that are too deep the ball will travel a long way but wont allow the golfer any control using spin. Dimples too shallow make the ball fly high killing distance. Dimples can effect putting in a big way shedding a new light on the saying, “Drive for show, putt for dough.” Go Phil!! La Jolla loves ya!