After golfers discovered that rough gutty balls flew better than smooth ones, manufacturers began deliberately adding patterns to ball surfaces — mesh patterns, bramble patterns, and eventually, by the early 1900s, dimples.

The first dimpled golf ball was patented in 1905 by William Taylor. Early dimples were cruder than today’s precisely engineered patterns, but the aerodynamic principle was the same: dimples create a thin layer of turbulent air around the ball that reduces drag dramatically.

Throughout the 20th century, ball technology evolved continuously — rubber cores, wound designs, multi-layer construction, advanced synthetic covers. Each advance was the result of engineering research applied to the physics of flight.

Today a professional golf ball is one of the most precisely engineered small objects ever manufactured. Its dimple pattern, core composition, cover material, and compression rating are all carefully calibrated for specific performance characteristics. But it all started with a golfer noticing that his beat-up ball flew better.