Temperature Affects Ball Flight

[iacas]

http://www.golfdigest.com/golfworld/...0803pgaweather

Count me among the people who thought dry air led to longer ball flight, not shorter ball flight. I played today in some fog and I certainly wasn't getting the right distances. It was still in the 80s, too.

[Shindig]

http://www.golfdigest.com/golfworld/...0803pgaweather

Yeah. Count me with them too. I play in SoCal and the air is very dry, and I feel like I've lost distance the past few weeks. I hit 7-Iron from 122 yards to the center of a small green and barely caught the front of said green after what I thought was a great shot.

[Soup Fan]

Yup. Humidity leads to longer flight of golf balls and baseballs because water vapor is less dense.

I knew that because:

1) I am a nerd.
2) Tom Skilling.

[getinthehole]

1) I am a nerd.

That was said so simply it sounded funny. Yeah, when I'm playing in fog like Erik said, the distances definately seem a lot different.

[Everardo]

I had always thought the same, till it go too hot here one day and the airport had to hold the planes from taking off because the air was too thin and the planes couldn't get enough lift. Guess I should have paid attention more in school

[rusek]

The ball goes less in fog because
A: it's usually colder
B: The ground will be softer and you won't get the roll which leads to the perception of a much shorter carry.

[hurley9192]

Tiger was talking about this yesterday in his presser...he said you'll get more distance because it's so hot.

[greenail]

It was 103 today and i did notice my PW was going a bit farther than normal, hard to tell on most of my other shots.

[iacas]

The ball goes less in fog because

A didn't apply - it was 80, as I said. I don't factor roll into any of my iron yardages.

I think when weather goes from hazy to foggy, it's not so much about vapor as it is about droplets of water... So perhaps they have a different definition of "fog" than I do.