The British government spends an average of £4,000 a year on golf balls, many of which are used as corporate gifts for Chinese ambassadors, American presidents, and Taiwanese business men.

Barack Obama might appreciate a new bucket of personalised white balls for his birthday but there isn’t a working class man alive who would condone the use of taxpayers' money for a weekend frolic on the green.

Nevertheless, the giving of golf balls at corporate events only serves to highlight the true scale of the golf industry and the importance that governments and the general public alike attach to the game.

Nike, Titleist, Srixon, and dozens of other companies plough millions of pounds a year into research and design but many scientists agree that the construction of golf balls and the orientation of the dimples on the outer skin can attribute their existence to aesthetics rather than their technological prowess.

Scientists at the University of Maryland have commandeered several super-computers in an effort to create the perfect golf ball. Professor Elias Balaras, the head of the project, hopes to build an aerodynamic ‘ultra-long’ golf ball that could grant even the most club-fisted golfer the drive of Tiger Woods.

Dimples deflect air currents when the ball is in flight, and whilst the United States Golf Association (USGA) regulates the size and overall shape of a golf ball, the pattern of dimples is exempt from all administration. This means that scientists have room to experiment during both casual play and competition.

Golf balls can travel in excess of 160mph depending on the ability of the golfer. Much like javelins, stealth bombers, and footballs, aerodynamic design is all-important if a golf ball is to excel at its purpose.

Professor Balaras’ team is charged with determining the flow of air around a golf ball and the extent to which backspin affects flight speed.

“Gravity constantly pulls the ball towards the ground while the aerodynamic force in the direction of motion, or drag force, dictates the distance it travels”, the finished thesis explains, “dimpled golf balls experience about half the drag as those with no dimples.”

There are approximately 60 million golfers in the world, 4 million of which live in the United Kingdom. Boffins estimate that the golf ball industry alone – excluding clubs and kitschy coloured trousers – is worth over a billion pounds.

Figures aside, Professor Balaras’ new golf ball is set to revolutionise world golf. Amateurs who have struggled to hit the ball further than they can throw it will find themselves hitting for 150 or even 200 yards.

The thesis, entitled 'Direct Numerical Simulations of the Flow around a Golf Ball: Effect of Rotation', was presented at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society’s Division of Fluid Dynamics. Unfortunately, all of the scientists involved with the research have admitted that their super golf ball will not see the light of day for a good few years yet.