Throwback Thursday: Astronaut plays golf on the moon
The Background
Before the 1971 Apollo 14 landing the United States had docked on the moon twice.
Both times were in 1969, with the first by Neil Armstrong and his now infamous quote: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
But, when the US made their third successful landing, astronaut Alan Shephard made sure he was remembered for a very different reason.
The Scene
Shortly after making his first steps on the moon Shephard decided it was time for a spot of golf. So he grabbed a ball and threw together a makeshift 6-iron that he made by attaching a club head to a soil sampling tool.
He then hit two golf balls one handed – due to the restrictions of his space suit – and claimed that his second ball went for “miles and miles and miles”.
You can vaguely see Shephard hitting the ball in this video below.
The Legacy
We’ve seen Tiger Woods hit balls across the Bosphorus Bridge from one continent to another but, alas, the 14-time major champion has never hit a shot on the moon.
It wouldn’t shock us one day if Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson were whisked off to space to launch one of their drives from planet to planet…
What is your favourite fourball format?
A Life In Golf: Ian Woosnam
The look of a champion
Matthew Beedle
Matthew has been playing golf since he was around 13 and took up the game at a local nine-hole municipal course with his friends before joining Pontefract & District Golf Club just over the hedge.
Still a member of Pontefract with a handicap of 3, he currently sits on the board of directors to help with digital and marketing initiatives in order to improve membership and visitor income.
Matthew graduated university with a First Class in Sports Journalism from Leeds Trinity University and has been working in the golf industry since graduating.
NCG’s social media & marketing manager, Matthew’s main job role is to increase website traffic to the National Club Golfer website via our email and social media channels as well as driving entries to grow our NCG Top 100s Tour events amongst other tasks.
Not one to change his equipment too often, Matthew currently plays the TaylorMade M2 driver which has lasted the test of time in his bag. Elsewhere, you’ll find him using the TaylorMade Stealth 2 three-wood with a Ping G425 Crossover 2-iron to aid his long game.
Through his 4-iron to Gap Wedge, Matthew uses the Ping i500 irons accompanied by Ping’s Glide 3.0 56-degree and 60-degree wedges.
Another club that has stood the test of time in his bag is a Nike Method Core MC-3i putter which has had to have the SuperStroke grip changed at least three times. Ball of choice is the Titleist ProV1.
