Has anyone golfed on the moon?
Daniel Moore
Published Jan 24, 2026
Here's the inside story. Most golfers really want to avoid sand traps, but NASA astronaut Alan Shepard had no choice but to deal with one when wielding a six-iron head on the moon's dusty surface 50 years ago this month.
Has anyone played golf on the moon?
It wasn't Neil Armstrong, it was Alan Shepard of Apollo 14 who played golf on the moon. The "club" he used was a contingency sample extension handle with a no 6 iron head attached. Each astronaut was allocated a certain amount of weight for personal items. Shepard used his to take the club head and three golf balls.
Which astronaut golfed on the moon?
The Moon Club, a specially crafted 6-iron clubhead, weighing 16.5 ounces, that was carried by Alan Shepard onboard the Apollo 14 mission to the moon, as seen at the USGA Golf Museum.
Has anyone hit a golf ball on the moon?
There is no air resistance on the moon to slow the ball's travel. The faster one hits a golf ball, the farther it moves as no fluid resists it. As for making a ball leaving the moon altogether, well, a human truly couldn't.
Can you golf on the moon?
There are two golf balls on the moon. They were taken there by Alan Shepard in 1971, during the Apollo 14 mission.
22 related questions foundCan you jump off the moon?
Although you can jump very high on the moon, you'll be happy to know that there's no need to worry about jumping all the way off into space. In fact, you'd need to be going very fast – more than 2 kilometres per second – to escape from the moon's surface.
How high can you jump on the moon?
On to the Moon: the only place other than Earth where humans have dared to leap. The Moon's gravity at the surface is only 17 percent that of Earth's. Using the same force of a jump on Earth, you could rise about 3 metres (10 feet) off the ground and stay in the air for about 4 seconds.
Can you throw a rock from the moon to Earth?
Even if all other conditions were identical to those on Earth, this alone would be enough to send it farther, but the lack of atmosphere and reduced gravity would contribute even more distance. To get the maximum horizontal distance, you would have to throw the rock at a 45-degree angle.
How far can you throw a football on the moon?
That would have amazing effects: What might be a neat 60 m cross on Earth could easily turn into a 350 meter volley up on the moon. The ball could reach a height of 50 meters – and it would stay up in the air much longer. Of course, that would also mean that the playing field needs to be reconsidered.
How long would it take to fall from the moon to Earth?
If you cancelled out the moon's orbital velocity it would take a week to hit the earth. Hint: g isn't 9.8m/s that far out.
Has anyone hit a golf ball in space?
Shepard took a few moments during the Apollo 14 landing to show off his hobby during a live broadcast from the lunar surface on Feb. 6, 1971. He took two shots, with the second ball going "miles and mile," he said on-camera. He was exaggerating, according to new analysis from the United States Golf Association (USGA).
What did Alan Shepard find on the moon?
Alan Shepard smacked golf balls on the Moon — and now we know where they landed | Astronomy.com.
Why do astronauts lose fingernails in space?
In a recent study of astronaut injuries, at least 22 reported lost fingernails, a phenomenon called fingernail delamination. It happens because of pressure on the fingertips, but researchers also think circulation cutoff could be to blame, NGN explains.
How far would you hit a golf ball on the moon?
On the moon, with a gravity acceleration six times smaller, the ball would travel six times further and land some 2km away, which is roughly 1.25 miles. “This is how far a professional golf player with modern equipment could hit a drive on the moon.
How did golf balls get on the moon?
Alan Shepard, part of the Apollo 14 mission, stands as the only person to hit golf balls on the moon. During the mission, Shepard took a few swings and ended up leaving two golf balls to live on the moon forever. Apparently, he fitted an 6 iron head to the handle of a lunar sample collection device.
How many times have we gone to the moon?
The United States would go on to complete six crewed missions to the moon that landed a total of 12 astronauts (all men) from 1969 to 1972 in a series of Apollo missions numbering up to Apollo 17.
What would happen if you played soccer on the moon?
Even with the best soccer turf shoes, it would be difficult to play on the moon. On the moon, the ball in a soccer game would undergo much wilder motion. Earthly bounces and skips would become big, bounding arcs. The ball would hardly ever be in contact with the ground!
What happens if you throw something in space?
Yes, it will eventually stop, because gravity does not cease to exist in space, as derived by the formula for gravity, which employs two values, the Mass of the object and the Distance of the measurable object from another object.
Has anyone played football on the moon?
Alan Shepard, an astronaut from the Apollo 14 mission, who was sent to the moon with two more crew members in 1971, has tried and succeeded in batting a golf ball on the moon.
How fast could you throw a baseball on the moon?
There is almost no atmosphere on the Moon. This means that there is no drag force to reduce the horizontal speed of a baseball pitched there. So a 90 mph fastball will still be moving 90 mph when it crosses home plate on the Moon.
How far could you throw a baseball on the moon?
On the moon the same ball will go 890 feet and stay in the air for 21.1 seconds.
Why do we float on the Moon?
The Moon pulls objects towards its center just as the Earth does. The force of gravity at the Moon's surface is a bit weaker than the force of gravity on the Earth's surface — but this is a minor detail. What's really important is that the Moon has no air above its surface.
How fast can you run on the Moon?
The Earth-human gets to a speed of almost 10 m/s, but the moon-human easily can go over 15 m/s. But wait! It's even better.
Will moon escape Earth gravity?
The simple answer is: The Moon is probably never going to leave us. There is no well-defined scientific scenario in which the Moon ever escapes from the Earth, and even the long-shot possibility emerges only long after Earth has been largely destroyed by the Sun.
What happens if an astronaut floats off in space?
You'd possibly be spinning. In space, no kicking and flailing can change your fate. And your fate could be horrible. At the right angle and velocity, you might even fall back into Earth's atmosphere and burn up.