Golf balls have dimples so that they are less sensitive to air resistance and go further when hit. You might think air would flow more easily around a smooth ball and so such a ball would cut through the air more easily. But that is not the case.
A smooth ball carries around itself a pocket of still air. Around that, there is turbulent air. A small bug on the surface of a smooth ball is actually protected by this thin layer of thin air and will not feel a wind as the ball flies. This layer of thin air increases the effective size of the ball and a larger ball has a harder time cutting through air. It will not be able to fly as fast and won't go as far.
A dimpled ball creates air turbulences around itself as it cuts through the air and so it doesn't have this handicap of looking like a bigger ball. It cuts through air more easily and goes further.
Reference:
The Physics of Baseball: Third Edition, Revised, Updated and Expanded, 2002, Robert Adair
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