What makes a golf ball buzz/zing through air?

[motteler621]

[

i was at the driving range today and tons of shots were making this noise by other people hitting

[Bryan SD2]

TONS of shots were making the noise period. It's all about where you are standing in relation to the golf ball. If the range was filled with pros and you could stand just off to the side about 30-50 yards out, you would hear it on nearly every shot..... but the pros won't hear their own buzz.... due to where they are standing in relation to their own ball flight.

[Naterater]

You are standing behind your own ball once it leaves the face of your club. That sound will be heard best from the sides. The friction against the air happens in front of the ball, not behind it, that's why you can't hear it when it's your ball.

DING, DING, DING, we have a WINNER.....I wanted to make sure you got the right answer before I posted.

[WUTiger]

Sometimes the humming is the ball crying out in pain, because I have struck it so firmly and squarely.

[deronsizemore]

It's air from inside of the ball being released through the seems upon impact. Duh!

[iacas]

It's air from inside of the ball being released through the seems upon impact. Duh!

Sure thing Sean. Same thing as what causes that different noise at impact right?

[deronsizemore]

Sure thing Sean. Same thing as what causes that different noise at impact right?

Exactly right! You're catching on, Erik.

That's how you know when Sean O'hair is hitting at the range, you hear that different sound.

[sean_miller]

Sure thing Sean. Same thing as what causes that different noise at impact right?

That a different passing of gas. Is that smart alec named sean as well?

[TourSpoon]

I went to the range today and played the ball really far back in my stance and could hear it. You guys go try it...psych.

[Zeph]

My divots make a buzzing sound.

[Uncle Peter]

I find that if there is a slight crack in the ball, it will cause it to make a lower noise than usual.

[Jr186262]

I was just watching a golfer drive a ball on the golf channel and I reminisced when I tried to learn golf. I hit my first ball cleanly off the tee at the range in 1996. After getting pointers from any one I could. Maybe 10 hours in 3 driving lesions I started to feel that thing that only people who have swung a club and it hit for the first time. Remember that feeling guys (and gals)? The launch? The first time you "set it free"? I would say that after practicing for a couple months hitting ice cubes of a piece of carpet in my back yard. Oh, you should try that! No tee just like hitting a wood on a fairway but use regular ice cubes with a driver. They explode and give a great feedback when well hit. I went to learn golf at the local community college with my friend Jeff. So long story already long enough, I could not hit a ball to save my soul on a real course but on the driving range, every time, after 5-10 hits and found that feeling, my drives started to make that ziiiinnnggggg sound. Jeff driving next to me was memorized by the sound. It was loud too. I could hear it just fine. People several bays down would look around to see where that gunshot came from. Probably 2 full seconds of the flight. I am 5 feet 6 inches tall and 200 lbs at the time. Not fat, but not ripped. I guess after reading here and what others say, I was hitting them so hard. I never did hear anyone else hit like that. I never did see pros hit though. I don't know how far I hit. I only hit balls on the range for several months for the golf class and had some arthritis manifest to where I had to give up the game. My teacher said I hit too hard with not enough back swing. Not a complete back turn before I started down and through. So I'm thinking to hit as far as someone with a full back swing, I must have developed enormous club head speed in 3/4 of the distance of swing. Meaning I hit them like they had a motor on them giving every drive that zing sound. Sure do miss hitting golf balls. I can barely walk now from my hips and knees not working. Anyway, wanted to share. Thanks.

[BuckeyeNut]

Just the friction of the air vs. urethane (or surlyn or whatever), enhanced by the dimples.

Exactly....... If a golf ball didn't have dimples,  the golf ball would definitely fly much quieter.

[BuckeyeNut]

I find that if there is a slight crack in the ball, it will cause it to make a lower noise than usual.

It will probably sound the same, but the golf ball will lose a ton of distance if cracked.   The bigger the cracks, the shorter the ball flight.   I've been there done that many times in the cold....LOL

[Dirtyzecret]

Sometimes when im in hot shape with my wedges I get buzzing from the 60 degree and the ball have insane backspin, so it has to do with the spin I think.

[flopster]

The humming bird chasing it.

[golf-noob-bruce]

You're standing directly behind yours!

This has another effect that hasn't been mentioned before: Doppler shift. To someone standing a few stalls away the Doppler shift isn't as much as it is for you, so all things being equal the sound will definitely be perceived differently by the hitter.

[mtcmolloy]

I'm a 20 hcpr, and played with my nephew and his dad last may.. All equally handicapped. 
Watching the dad hit a fairway wood, I remarked to the son, did you hear that fizz off that ball? 
And he replied: your shots do that all the time... 
I thought: WTF? I never hear that off my shots!! 
One post above about the boat wake and the lily pads makes sense in this. If memory serves, I've best heard this fizz noise when standing adjacent, and some distance, from the player. 

I came here while watching the british open, and the commentators may have mentioned this fizz noise being more pronounced on links turf.. I may have misheard. 

I guess it might one of those cool parts of golf, like backspin, that you never get to see with your own shots! : )