Temperature, humidity, elevation & ball flight . . .

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

rsully

New
Can someone tell me the impact on carry distance for the enviromental factors such and temperature & humidity?

This week I was at the driving range and the ball was carrying noticalbe less than normal for me. The temperature was in the low 40's with heavy humidity.

I was wondering if my swing was slow, my mechanics messed up, or could I attribute it to the weather? BTW, I live in Seattle (sea level).

Just curious, is there a way to quantify the impact of enviromental factors on ball flight?'

thanks

Ron
 
G

GPM1985

New
These things all have to do with air density. When the air is less dense, the ball moves through the air faster. Dry air is less dense than humid air. Air at elevation is less dense than air at sea level. Hot air is less dense than the same air at a lower temperature.

If you think about the different states of water, and how hard it would be to move a ball through each one, you see what I'm talking about.

One thing that puzzles me is how low my driver ballflight was when I played in Colorado a few years back. The ball was going deep, but much lower. I'm not sure if this is an isolated incident or not, and I'm also not sure that it wasn't just something swing-related as the low ball flight occurred in the same round I broke 90 for the first time. I wudn't very good back then, at least not good enough to be making sweeping generalizations about ball flight based on my swing.
 
R

rsully

New
The first time I played in Arizona I was 1-2 clubs longer than Seattle, until I got caught up in the "distance game" and started trying to hit the ball further than ever, which led to many ugly swings and short distances -
 
TROYNYGOLFER

TROYNYGOLFER

New
GPM1985 said:
These things all have to do with air density. When the air is less dense, the ball moves through the air faster. Dry air is less dense than humid air. Air at elevation is less dense than air at sea level. Hot air is less dense than the same air at a lower temperature.

If you think about the different states of water, and how hard it would be to move a ball through each one, you see what I'm talking about.
Click to expand...



Golfie said:
Actually, Humid air is less dense than dry air.
Click to expand...

While GPM as corrected by Golfie is accurate regarding the effect of air density, another culprit is the modulus of elasticity of the material in the golf ball. As the temperature decreases, the modulus of elasticity decreases which lowers the Coefficient of Restitution (COR) of the ball material. I believe the decline in modulus is linear (or close), but the decline in COR is geometric. Add the two impacts together and distance decreases of 10-15% are not unusual.

Since range balls sit for a long time in the cooler temperature, you will see a greater impact at the range than on the course, where you can keep the ball warm simply by alternating balls every couple of holes and keep them warm in your pocket.
 
J

Jim Kobylinski

Super Moderator
All else being equal:

When it's humid and warm, ball goes further
When it's not humid and cold, ball goes shorter

When you are way above sea level, ball goes further
When you are way below sea level, ball goes shorter
 
Shot Limit

Shot Limit

New
Jim Kobylinski said:
All else being equal:

When it's humid and warm, ball goes further
When it's not humid and cold, ball goes shorter

When you are way above sea level, ball goes further
When you are way below sea level, ball goes shorter
Click to expand...

So that's my problem.:D

and yes Jim, your scooter is bad ass.
 
N

niblick1

New
GPM1985 said:
Indeed it is, thanks for pointing that out. So, basically, the water molecules kick the air molecules out to keep the given volume's pressure and temperature constant? That's cool.
Click to expand...

it took a pilot to explain to me that why a ball goes further in humid vs. dry air. It is counter-intuitive, isn't it?

Denver in humid conditions would be ideal for longer ballflight.
 
J

Jim Kobylinski

Super Moderator
niblick1 said:
it took a pilot to explain to me that why a ball goes further in humid vs. dry air. It is counter-intuitive, isn't it?

Denver in humid conditions would be ideal for longer ballflight.
Click to expand...

It's the same idea with engines, the air is less dense because there is less oxygen in it. that is how i understand it. Thats why race cars run better in cooler non humid temps.
 
P

puttmad

New
Just on temperature alone, the ball will travel 1 yard less for each drop of two degrees using a baseline of 25 degrees....
 
P

puttmad

New
...

Jim Kobylinski said:
It's the same idea with engines, the air is less dense because there is less oxygen in it. that is how i understand it. Thats why race cars run better in cooler non humid temps.
Click to expand...

And yet......... WWII fighters and bombers used water injection (sometimes with methanol) to increase power for take off/high altitude climbing, etc.....

And I always noticed my car ran better when it was humid...
 
J

Jim Kobylinski

Super Moderator
puttmad said:
And yet......... WWII fighters and bombers used water injection (sometimes with methanol) to increase power for take off/high altitude climbing, etc.....

And I always noticed my car ran better when it was humid...
Click to expand...

If you want to start a different thread for PM me i can explain why they did that; water injection is still very popular in the turbo community but methanol has gained more popularity because it cools faster which translate into a richer oxygen environment and if you add enough fuel more powerz! lol

If you couldn't figure out already i used to race cars, build engines, and even had a twin turbo small block V8 :O
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top