Author(s)

Peter E. Jenkins^*, Joseph Arellano, Mark Ross, Matthew Snell

Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Colorado, Denver, USA.

Drag across a golf ball can affect distance traveled when hitting a ball. An average golf ball will have a drag coefficient of, 0.24 < C_D < 0.7, in a Reynolds number range of 30,000 < Re_D < 108,000. This paper investigates the effect of dimple patterns on the boundary layer around a ball. Changing the depth of the dimple will cause a change to the drag coefficient. A deeper dimple pattern will cause a larger drag coefficient at higher velocities, u > 35 m/s. This research found that a significantly deeper dimple pattern will greatly affect the boundary layer, thus changing the drag coefficient and boundary layer.

Drag Coefficient, Golf Balls, Flow Simulation

Jenkins, P. , Arellano, J. , Ross, M. and Snell, M. (2018) Drag Coefficients of Golf Balls. World Journal of Mechanics, 8, 236-241. doi: 10.4236/wjm.2018.86019.