Why are there dimples on a golf ball?

Those little dimples may not seem like a big deal, but golfers and golf equipment manufacturers know that a dimpled ball travels almost twice as far as a smooth ball. When a golf ball is hit into the air, the dimples generate a thin layer of slow-moving air that reduces drag. Professional golf associations don’t standardize dimples, so manufacturers make balls with different numbers, sizes, shapes, and patterns of dimples. Golf balls can have dimples that are shallow, deep, sharp edged, large, or small. Some golf balls have multiple sizes of dimples on the same ball, and dimples can be circular, oval, teardrop, or even hexagon shaped. Golf balls have between 300 and 500 dimples, and the most common number is 392 dimples on a ball.