[Sleedyhex]

i played around with my dad yesterday when we started it was 15c sunny with a little cloud. My first shot was a 8 iron to a 134yd par 3 which i hit the green but left a 20ft putt. The flight of the ball was good and distance wasnt bad as the green was so wet the ball only bounced and stopped.

Next hole i pulled my driver hit it well and it travelled 240-245 yards and plugged. I drove really well all round hit all the fairways bar 1 but what i noticed as the weather went cold really cloudy and very damp although it wasnt raining and a heavy fog was forecast. My distance on every club dropped dramaticly my drives was 190-200 and my 8 iron 110yards made for a hard game judging distances.

So how does atmosphere effect the ball or was it more down to me?

[Seisyvose]

i notice the difference up this neck of the woods.on a really warm day the ball can fly for miles,makes it more interesting when having to judge what club to hit.it can certainly be as much as 1 or even 2 club differences on some shots.

[ARKLqAZ6]

When it gets colder, the ball does not travel as far. The colder it gets, the less the particles that make up the ball move, and that reduces elasticity of the ball. Because the elasticity of the ball goes down, the momentum transfer is not as perfect, so the ball does not get as much momentum, and since momentum is mass x velocity and the mass of the ball doesn't change, the velocity drops.

Also, the more moisture in the air, the more distance you will lose. As moisture in the air increases, the air becomes more dense because water molecules are bigger than any of the others in the air, and that increases air resistance as the ball flies through the air, reducing velocity more than normal.

High school science for the win.

[Sleedyhex]

I know cold air makes it travel less but it was a dramatic change during a round.

[rockboyzaza]

Nerd.


D-maik is exactly right though.

When it gets colder, the ball does not travel as far. The colder it gets, the less the particles that make up the ball move, and that reduces elasticity of the ball. Because the elasticity of the ball goes down, the momentum transfer is not as perfect, so the ball does not get as much momentum, and since momentum is mass x velocity and the mass of the ball doesn't change, the velocity drops.

Also, the more moisture in the air, the more distance you will lose. As moisture in the air increases, the air becomes more dense because water molecules are bigger than any of the others in the air, and that increases air resistance as the ball flies through the air, reducing velocity more than normal.

High school science for the win.

[ARKLqAZ6]

I know cold air makes it travel less but it was a dramatic change during a round.

Cold air doesn't necessarily affect distance, just temperature of the actual golf ball.

Actually I shouldn't say that. It affects it in the way of moisture in the air. Cold air can only handle so much water before it becomes saturated, and way less than warm air. That is why you can have 100% humidity in the winter and it doesn't feel nearly as bad as a 30% humidity in the summer. Because cold air can hold less water, it is generally more saturated, which makes it more dense. That makes air resistance greater than in the summer.

Sorry for the nerd mode lol.

[Misiotoagodia]

Also, the more moisture in the air, the more distance you will lose. As moisture in the air increases, the air becomes more dense because water molecules are bigger than any of the others in the air, and that increases air resistance as the ball flies through the air, reducing velocity more than normal.

Actually, this part is false. The warmer and more humid the air gets, the less dense it is (the water vapor molecules are less dense than the air molecules). It is even more so the higher you get above sea level.

I don't claim to know the answer to why in England you be shorter on shots when the weather turns colder. My guess would be the opposite but it is really just a guess. At a certain temperature the water vapor density increases above the air density, but again, that is just a guess.

This discussion comes up all the time in my neck of the woods and in doing some research, found the answer. I don't play much in the cold so I didn't bother to look that one up. All I can say is that when playing the same courses in the summer when it is 90 and humid, is a different experience than when you play them when it is 45 and humid.

[Obenuearema]

Actually, this part is false. The warmer and more humid the air gets, the less dense it is (the water vapor molecules are less dense than the air molecules). It is even more so the higher you get above sea level.

Absolutely. I always believe I can hit it further in hot AND humid weather, because humidity will make the air less dense. I believe temperature impacts distance more than humidity though. And, once rain and major fog appears, it messes with the equation. My yardages are based on 80 degree weather. I add/subtract 3 yards for every 10 degree change.

[Iphone]

The higher you go in elevation, the "thinner" the air becomes, and thus there is lower and lower gravitational effects. Now obviously on earth we don't feel that much of an effect to drastically change the ball distance/flight, but it undoubtedly does. This is why quarterbacks love playing in cities like Denver, as they can throw the football farther than normal. As far as the temperature, the higher the temperature goes the less dense the air is, there is less drag and less lift. Even though there is less lift, the reduction in drag makes up for it and actually makes the ball fly farther. It is just the opposite for cold weather.

Hope I answered your question...

BDG

[Optipitle]

I figure about 5 yards less distance for every 10 degrees below 70. I have never noticed a loss of distance when it is wet, in fact the ball seems to travel farther for me when it is wet or extremely humid. The biggest atmospheric effect is wind, if you figure what your ball speed is with a driver and then subtract whatever wind you are hitting into from that you will get a good idea of what distance to expect from a solid hit into the wind.

[Sleedyhex]

We have kinda lost what i was asking lol. At the start of the round my distances was fine but in 2-3 hours i lost substanial distances but the weather changed drastically during that time. i understand during the winter the ball doesnt fly as far but can the atmosphere change that quick and have such a huge effect?
Now was it me or the weather?

[TagBahthuff]

Sounds like the weather. A friend of mine plays a golf ball "Cold Fusion". They are designed for weather under 60 degrees. Maybe try a sleeve of these when you know the temperature will be dropping that much.

[tofRobbroolve]

I wonder if a big factor was you tightening up in the cold. I know I can swing better in warm weather.

As far as the other stuff, there is probably two parts to that equation. One is how temp affects ball compression and the other is how the atmospheric conditions affect ball flight. I have forgotten most of the physics I took so perhaps we should ask Bill Nye the Science Guy.

[Sheestgag]

The higher you go in elevation, the "thinner" the air becomes, and thus there is lower and lower gravitational effects. Now obviously on earth we don't feel that much of an effect to drastically change the ball distance/flight, but it undoubtedly does.

It took me almost an entire round of bombing drives 300+ in Blairsville, GA to figure out the sudden increase in skill and brute strength. Duh. Even Butters was bombing them out there.

[Iphone]

It took me almost an entire round of bombing drives 300+ in Blairsville, GA to figure out the sudden increase in skill and brute strength. Duh. Even Butters was bombing them out there.

Almost 2,000 feet in elevation I see.....yeah that might do it. My town is about 1100.....

[ClorrerVeks]

Almost 2,000 feet in elevation I see.....yeah that might do it. My town is about 1100.....

For me, the extremely elevated tees had more to do with 300 yd drives than did elevation in Blairsville.

On the original question: I would guess that the change was largely a result of losing swing speed because of your body reacting to atmospheric change. The atmospheric change effects on the ball flight was probably some part to blame as well.

[Iphone]

For me, the extremely elevated tees had more to do with 300 yd drives than did elevation in Blairsville.

That'll help too. We have a couple of those and if I hit a 300 yd drive you can be sure that either it was off of one of those or it hasn't rained in 3 weeks and I got 50 yards of roll (I don't hit the big stick real far...)