Magnus lift is present because a driven golf ball has backspin that warps the airflow much like the angled wing and a regular, dimpled texture that creates drag. The Magnus force can be thought of as an upward push due to the relative dimpled drag on the air at the top and bottom portions of the golf ball: the top portion is moving slower relative to the air around it, so there is less drag on the air that goes over the ball.
A thin layer of air next to the ball, called the boundary layer, becomes turbulent. Rather than flowing in a continuous,
laminar boundary layer, it has a microscopic pattern of fluctuations and randomized flow. In short, a turbulent boundary layer has better tires; meaning that the air grabs portions of the golf ball and slows down the rotation almost like a well-treaded tire gripping against a road.
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A smooth golf ball |
A golf ball with wire hoop around it, simulating a rough surface represented by dimples |
Air travels around the ball further before separating, creating a smaller wake and much less drag while the spinning motion warps the airflow to generate lift as shown in the flow pattern.
Surprisingly, the phenomenon described above gives a dimpled golf ball only about half the drag of a smooth one.
A perfectly smooth golf ball with no dimples would travel about 130 yards when hit with a driver by a good player. On the other hand, a ball with well-designed dimples, struck the same way, will travel about 290 yards.
Dimple design has changed significantly over time, from random patterns, to formal rows, to interstitial designs. The depth, shape and number have all been varied and tested.
With regard to the number of dimples, manufacturers have done it all. Obviously, as you increase the number of dimples, the smaller they must be to fit on the ball. Eventually, as the number increases, the dimples get smaller and the ball becomes almost smooth--and will perform likewise. So a compromise is the answer.
It has generally been found that less than about 300 dimples is too few, and more than about 500 is too many. Most balls on the market today have thus converged to the middle ground with between 350 and 450 dimples (although one company produced a ball with 812, which didn’t set the world on fire).
A golf ball's spin rate refers to the speed it spins on an axis while in flight, measured in revolutions per minute (rpm). Spin rate off a driver generally ranges between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm, while the average, cleanly struck wedge shot spins at about 10,000 rpm.
Spin generates lift, thus a shot's spin rate directly influences how high the ball flies and how quickly it stops after landing.
Beyond the manufacturer’s hype, there are real differences in ball construction affecting driving distance, approach control, putting roll, balance and cost. Modern balls are made to very high standards of consistency and quality.
 In driver shots, an excessive amount of spin will cause the ball to soar, resulting in a loss of distance. Too little spin will prevent lift and reduce carry. Keeping the amount of spin at an appropriate level and hitting shots that trace ideal parabolic paths are the formula for maximizing distance.
 Although there are many factors which have a direct impact on increased driving distance over the past 2 decades,
one of the most important factors for increased driving distance over the years is the
golf ball.
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Since the early human notion of air and speed as a lifting force, technical textbooks have explained rotating balls in terms of the Bernoulli
effect - the spinning ball drags a sheath of air around with it; due to superposition, there is higher gas velocity where the spin adds to the velocity of the streaming air creating a lower
pressure at that point and the ball moves in the direction of the leading edge. 
