Matthias
Past Moderator
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Posts: 1418
Gatineau/Ottawa QC, Canada
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Once you change material all bets are off. In firearms you'd say that the steel ball has a different ballistic coefficient - although it is the same shape, it is much heavier relative to it's projected area/surface area than the golf ball. If you think of it in terms of momentum, it has a higher tendency to keep going straight, while the sideways forces are the same, or smaller.
A better test would be to either fill the dimples in (autobody putty?) or sand them smooth, which will change the diameter but not by too much. For the best comparison you'd like to get the ball as close to polished as possible. I don't think anyone (here) has done this, but if someone does, make sure to post the qualitative results - one more data point for my collection. Separating the magnus effects from the boundary layer transition effects is tough in practice, but the smooth ball should travel a shorter distance.
If I throw underhand/sidearm, a golfball veers down and right, with a vengeance.
I'm not sure what grip you are using, but an interesting experiment is to reverse the spin on the ball by switching which is the trailing cord. With most grips, the release cord is held "on top" of the fist, while the retention side goes somewhere between the fingers, or pinched with the release in a narrow grip. For a right-hander this normally leads to top/clockwise spin. If instead you run the retension cord up through your fist and out the gap at the base of your thumbe and forefinger you can reverse the rollout direction without changing your throw.
Matthias
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