Ball Flight and Air Temperature?

I live in Kuwait where the temperatureis currently around 48 deg C, does anyone know if the ball flight(distance) would be less at such extreme temperatures?

Last week i was in England where i drove the green on a 260 yard hole, now it didn't roll onto the green it pitched up onto it (there is a stream in front that would stop a nice roll)  i do not hit a ball that far here in this temperature, so can it be to do with the air temperature.

this wasn't just a lucky strike i was hitting ALL the woods a lot further.

I know in the cold the ball doesn't travel as far because the ball is cold but does the ambient air temterature affect the flight of the ball?

Thanks,

Chris

Chris

yes, the ambient temperature will effect the distances the ball flies - the density of the air reduces by around .02 kg/m³ per 5 deg C rise in temperature, meaning there is greater resistance the colder the day.  This may seem a direct contradiction to your post as you hit the ball further on a (relatively) cold day, but due to a bit of counter-intuitive logic (Avagadro's Law) the relative humidity has a much greater effect.  This is because a water molecule is less dense than a molecule of dry air (about 62% less) so on a warm humid day the air is less dense than a very hot dry day.

However, it's even more complex than that, both the altitude and the ambient atmospheric pressure also effect the air density.  And just to throw another little teaser in, the ability for a ball to maintain it's spin rate (and thus it's flight characteristics) also changes with the density of the air.  The thickness of the boundary layer of air on a spiining ball will also change with temperature and humidity.....

Just had a quick dig and it looks like the relative humidity in the Gulf is around 4% average, so it's hot and very dry.  It would be interesting to compare the RH with a course that's near the coast where it should be higher (or even a par 3 over water may make a difference) to see if the distance changes - although at 45C there would be little chance of any moisture anywhere!  Compare that to somewhere like Colorado (hot, dry and high) where even a duffer like me can stroke a 300yd drive with ease, 80 or so more than my UK distance.

I'm not actually sure when elevated temperatures start effecting the ball to any extent, it depends where the transition point between elasticity and plasticity is, the only information I can find is that most of the materials used in a ball have a full plasticity point of about 150C (suitable for moulding and extrusion).  At the temperatures you get it may be that the balls are losing a bit of their spring (elasticity) and staring to deform (plasticity).  May have to start the golf ball testing regime again..