What you get with golf ball dimples is an early transition to turbulent boundary layer flow and better adhesion in the region of averse pressure gradient. This has some drag reduction at some Reynolds numbers but mostly serves to increase accuracy of the golf ball.
To answer your question directly: yes, putting a pocket on the nose of your thing would create a bubble of stagnant air, but no, it wouldn't reduce drag compared to a properly faired nose.
What happens is that the flow past the stagnation bubble induces a circulation in the bubble, which then has friction against the surface of your pocket. The net friction is greater than a faired nose (if you're not retarded).
Bonus points: a forward facing bucket is actually a pretty bad airbrake for the above reasons. You need to poke a bunch of holes in the bucket to let the air flow out.
