This is on the coast path from Allonby to Maryport. Golf balls have dimples to make them go further. A smooth ball does not disturb the flow of air over its surface. The air stays in fixed layers - called laminar flow. These are like onion skins of air and give the ball a larger surface area. The dimples mess up the flow of air making it turbulent. The turbulent air sticks closer to the ball reducing the surface area it presents and thus reducing drag. Some years ago I revised Reynold's Number for the laminar/turbulent transition. I need to look up how this relates to golf balls.
