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Does the center of a golf ball determine how long it will bounce?
Question Date: 2009-05-11
Answer 1:

The center of a golf ball most certainly affects its bouncing properties as well as it's outer shell. Good observation! A ball's bounce relies on it's compression (how much it deforms/compresses when an impacting load is applied - like when the club face hits the ball or the ball bounces off a cart path) and it's hardness (how much it's outer shell indents when a constant load is applied - like when the ball is rolling on a fairway or green). The following sites provide probably more information than you ever wanted to know about golf balls:

How they test golf balls -
golfball
History of golf balls -
golfball_hist
With an extensive photo library of ball types -
golfball_guide
Trick/Prank gold balls -
prankplace
Quick discussion on why golf balls have dimples
golf_articles

Answer 2:

The things that determine how far a golf ball bounces are it's starting speed, and what kind of surface it's bouncing on, and what direction it starts going, such as straight up or just a little above the ground, and maybe a little of other things too.



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