Nano Golf Balls Straighten Drives
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Get ready for nanotechnology to move from the lab to the marketplace. Though there is still too much hype surrounding nanotechnology, a few practical products from sportswear, to sensors, and even golf balls are available now.
On January 17, 2006, Buffalo, N.Y.-based NanoDynamics Inc. offered a sleeve of their new golf balls engineered with nanoparticles to every golfer in the annual SMTA Pan Pacific Golf Outing at the Hapuna Golf Course on the Big Island of Hawaii. On this Arnold Palmer-designed course, 700’ above sea level, each shot had to be precise just to keep the ball on the fairway - rather than in surrounding lava rock. The wind whipped every drive. Rain sprinkled down on golfers at one point.
“Did the NDMX balls make a difference in my game?” asked the winner, George Toskey of Midland, Michigan-based Dow Corning Corporation. “They did seem more controllable than normal, holding the direction better.”
A nanometer, a billionth of a meter, or approximately the size of ten hydrogen atoms in a row, may be a small amount of material, yet new nano-based products can make a big impact in future devices, such as diagnostic machines, sensors, and even golf balls. For instance, Nanodynamics has applied its expertise in nanotech processing to reduce the grain size of the metal alloys used in the ball’s hollow metal core. The benefit of reducing grain size from micron- to nano-scale is improved impact strength. Reducing grain size increases hardness and ductility is eliminated, which is key because ductility yields less-efficient energy transfer, claims the company. Aerodynamically, the hollow metal core is a sphere with its mass carried further from its center, creating a gyroscope effect. This lower spin-rate results in the ball flying straighter with fewer tendencies for hooks and slices, according to NanoDynamics engineers.
Why is small size so important? When materials are reduced in scale, they often behave differently. Nanoparticles are forecasted to create efficient fuel cells, fortified trims on fenders, temperature-adjusting sports clothing, and golf balls that straighten drives, putts, and approach shots. For more information on the NDX golf balls from NanoDynamics, Inc., visit www.nanodynamics.com or www.ndmxgolf.com.
- Gail Flower