What Golf Club Was Used on the Moon?

One of the most legendary moments in golf history didn't happen at Augusta or St. Andrews, but nearly a quarter of a million miles away in the silent, dusty expanse of the Moon. An astronaut, a makeshift club, and two dimpled orbs became the subject of a story that has been told for decades. This article demystifies that iconic event, detailing the exact club used, the challenges of the swing, and the valuable lessons every golfer can learn from this out-of-this-world shot.

The Mission, The Man, and The Moment

On February 6, 1971, near the end of the Apollo 14 mission’s final spacewalk, Commander Alan Shepard decided it was time to play some interstellar golf. Shepard, an avid golfer and the first American to travel into space, had secretly brought the components for a single golf club and two golf balls with him. His mission on the lunar surface was almost complete, the scientific tasks were done, and he wanted to do something memorable - a demonstration of both human ingenuity and a pure love for the game.

Standing in the Fra Mauro formation, a region of the Moon known for its hilly terrain, Shepard faced challenges no earthly golfer could ever imagine. His bulky, restrictive spacesuit, the whisper-thin atmosphere, and a gravity one-sixth that of Earth’s created a truly alien playing field. This wasn't about scoring, it was about the attempt itself.

The Lunar Golf Club: A Masterpiece of Improvisation

You can't just pack a set of Pings in your carry-on for a NASA mission. Every ounce of weight and inch of space on an Apollo spacecraft was meticulously planned and accounted for. Getting a golf club to the Moon was impossible... unless you got creative.

Shepard sought the help of Jack Harden, the then-head professional at River Oaks Country Club in Houston. They knew they couldn't bring a full-length golf club, so they came up with an ingenious solution that was more of a "hack" than a standard manufacturing job.

Components of a Moon Club

The "club" was actually a brilliant assembly of two separate items, one of which was already part of the mission's standard equipment inventory:

• The Clubhead: The business end of the lunar club was the head of a Wilson Staff Dyna-Power Fluid Feel 6-iron. A 6-iron was the logical choice. It had enough loft to help get the ball airborne, especially from the an uneven, dusty lie, but not so much loft that it would be awkward to swing with the wrist limitations of a pressurized space suit glove. Shepard likely felt a 6-iron gave him the best chance to make solid contact.
• The "Shaft": This is where the true genius came in. Shepard and Harden realized they couldn't bring a dedicated golf shaft. Instead, they designed the 6-iron head to be attached to the handle of the Contingency Sample Return Handle - a piece of equipment already on the mission manifest. It was a collapsible, aluminum tool used for scooping up lunar rock samples. By adapting the hosel of the iron head to fit this existing, NASA-approved tool, Shepard effectively smuggled his club aboard in plain sight.

Assembly was simple. Once on the Moon, Shepard retrieved the clubhead from a sock where he'd stored it, extended the telescoping handle of the sample collector, and attached the head. Just like that, the first lunar golf club was born. It was short, a bit clunky, and utterly unique.

Analyzing the Lunar Swing: A Golf Coach's Perspective

When Shepard addressed the first ball, he wasn’t executing the kind of fluid, rotational swing we work on at the range. From a golf coach's point of view, his situation was the ultimate swing fault scenario. Think of it as the 'what not to do' list, forced upon him by circumstance.

The Overwhelming Swing Obstacles

• The Suit: His A7L spacesuit was essentially a personal spacecraft. It weighed over 180 pounds on Earth and, while lighter in lunar gravity, was incredibly stiff and pressurized. This completely prevented any meaningful hip and shoulder turn, the very engine of a golf swing. He couldn't rotate.
• Grip and Feel: Forget the perfect V's of an interlocking grip. He was holding the club with a thick, pressurized glove that offered virtually no tactile feedback. He was more or less batting at the ball, not swinging a golf club.
• The Stance: With limited mobility, Shepard had to adopt a very rigid, static stance. He was essentially swinging all arms - and with the bulkiness of the suit, he could only swing with his right arm in a one-handed, sweeping motion.

The Shots, The Shanks, and The Classic Quote

Shepard dropped the first ball on the lunar dust. His first swing in zero atmosphere was more of a shank - catching the ground first and sending the ball just a few feet to the side into a small crater. His second attempt was a whiff. Even an astronaut, a Top Gun pilot, can get humbled by this game. It's a moment every golfer can relate to.

Finally, he made contact with his third attempt on a second ball he'd brought. "There it goes," he said, as the ball scooted away. It wasn't pretty, but it was contact.

For his final shot, he gave it a better swipe. He caught this one much more cleanly. As the white dot sailed into the black sky, Shepard uttered the now-famous line: "Miles and miles and miles!"

The Great Distance Debate: How Far Did It Really Go?

So, did it really go for miles? Of course not. But for decades, the true distance was a bit of a mystery, relying only on Shepard’s estimates and grainy TV footage. Back on earth he guestimated it traveled a few hundred yards. The combination of his legendary quote and the Moon's low gravity led most to believe the ball traveled an extraordinary distance.

However, modern technology has given us the definitive answer. A few years ago, British imaging specialist Andy Saunders painstakingly enhanced the original 16mm film footage and high-resolution scans of photographs from the Apollo 14 mission. By layering the images, he was able to locate both golf balls precisely.

The distances were far more modest, but still impressive given the circumstances:

• The first successful shot (the "hacked" one): 24 yards.
• The final successful shot (the "miles and miles" one): 40 yards.

Why So Short? The Lunar Aerodynamics Lesson

A golf ball on Earth travels so far because of aerodynamic lift. When a well-struck ball launches with high backspin, the dimples cause the air pressure above the ball to be lower than the pressure below it. This pressure difference creates an upward force, helping the ball "soar" and defy gravity for longer.

The Moon has virtually no atmosphere. None. So, when Shepard hit that golf ball, there was no air to interact with the dimples. There was no aerodynamic lift. The ball traveled a simple ballistic trajectory, like a stone being tossed. It went up and came straight back down without any of the hangtime we're used to seeing. This, combined with the one-handed, club-and-suit-restricted swing, is why the ball only went 40 yards.

What Golfers Can Learn From the Moon Shot

Beyond being a fantastic piece of trivia, the story of Alan Shepard’s lunar golf session holds some surprisingly practical lessons for the earthbound golfer.

1. Adapt to Your Lie, Not the Other Way Around.
   Shepard couldn't make a picture-perfect swing, so he didn't try to. He made a swing that worked for the terrible conditions. This is a powerful lesson. When you're in deep rough, standing in a bunker with a weird stance, or under a tree, don't try to make your 'normal' swing. Your top priority should be to adapt to the situation. Take a shorter swing, play a punch shot, or grip down. The best golfers are adaptable.
2. Your Equipment Should Be a Tool, Not an Obstacle.
   The lunar 6-iron was the ultimate custom club, designed for a very specific (and bizarre) job. While you don't need a club for hitting out of Fra Mauro crater, you do need equipment that's right for you. Using a driver with the wrong shaft flex, wedges with the wrong bounce for your course conditions, or irons that aren't the right length makes the game much harder. Shepard's tool was designed for the job at hand, is yours?
3. It's a Game - Have Fun.
   Shepard was one of the most serious, accomplished test pilots and astronauts of his generation. But even on the Moon, a place of immense historical significance and scientific rigor, he took a moment to do something human - to play. After flubbing his first two shots, he chuckled. It’s a great reminder that golf, at its core, is a game. Don't let a few bad shots ruin the experience. Laugh them off and enjoy the next one.

Final Thoughts

The historic golf shot on the moon was made possible by Alan Shepard’s ingenuity, using a Wilson Staff 6-iron head he'd skillfully attached to a lunar sampling tool handle. This makeshift club, swung one-handed in a cumbersome suit, sent a golf ball a respectable 40 yards through the vacuum of space, creating one of golf's most enduring tales.

While most of us will never face a lie as challenging as lunar dust, we’ve all been stranded on the course wondering what to do next. From a ball nested in deep fescue to an awkward stance on a hillside, perplexing situations are part of the game. That’s why our platform, Caddie AI, was created - to be that expert opinion in your pocket, instantly giving you simple, smart advice for any shot. It helps take the guesswork out of tricky spots so you can play with confidence, no matter how alien the circumstances might feel.