How Many Golf Balls Are On The Moon?

Questions like do penguins have legs or could dinosaurs talk to each other often keep us up at night. How many times have you lied awake on your bed wondering what are the answers to these silly questions? Uncountable times surely!

After a long day at the golf course, we won't be surprised if your mind is filled with ridiculous questions regarding golf. The other day someone asked if it is possible to play golf underwater? Well, we just gave you another question to think about tonight.

But what brings us here today is the answer to one of the most frequently asked questions. How many golf balls are on the moon? One might think of it as a fun possibility to entertain. Because duh, is the presence of golf balls on the moon even possible scientifically? Let me tell you, it is possible.

This article discusses the story behind the golf balls present on the surface of the moon. To dissolve your curiosity, continue reading it till the end and find answers to the most interesting question related to golf!

How Many Golf Balls Are On The Moon?

The last time we checked, there were two. Yes, you read that right! There are two golf balls resting on the surface of the moon as you read this article. Need a minute to take in this information? Sure, take your time!

These golf balls have been there, on the moon, since 1971. They were taken there by an astronaut during his space mission. He received worldwide popularity after he pulled this stunt of taking a golf ball to the moon and playing golf outside the bounds of Earth.

This is not a rumor as this news was officially verified by NASA. According to NASA, there are no more than two golf balls on the surface of the moon and they are still there as of February 2021. There is plenty of other stuff on the moon as well including some $2 bills, javelin, a gold branch of olive, a falcon feather, etcetera. But the presence of golf balls piques the interest like nothing else!

Following is a picture of a javelin and one of the golf balls on the surface of the moon!

So, prepare yourself for storytime. Let's find out the answers to how did those golf balls get there and other related questions!

Who Took The Golf Balls To The Moon?

Alan Shepard, an astronaut associated with NASA was the one who managed to take the golf balls to the moon during his space mission. Alan Shepard was the 5^th person to ever land on the moon. But to date, he is the one and only man to have played golf on the moon, or outside the Earth's atmosphere for that matter.

He was sent on the Apollo 14 mission to space where he managed to smuggle golf balls with him. But this was not the only thing he smuggled according to the original transcript of the Apollo 14^th mission. In fact, he also took the head of a 6-iron along with him but no shaft. It is said that the clubhead was attached to the end of a sample collector by Shepard to use as a golf club.

As evident by this, Alan Shepard had plans of playing golf on the moon before he even departed from Earth. In a conversation with his superior, it was revealed that Alan had mentioned his wish of playing a couple of golf shots on the moon.

However, he also promised that he would only go through with the plan if everything on the mission went smoothly. And fortunately for him, it did. Therefore, he was able to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing golf in space, on the Moon's land leaving all of us in awe!

The Events Surrounding the Hitting of the Golf Balls on the Moon:

Once Alan Shepard had completed his mission, he went forward to put his plan into action. The events narrated in this section of the article are taken from the actual transcript of that mission. As per the transcript, Shepard introduced Houston to his sample collector turned golf club and his golf ball, referring to the latter as a white pellet representing millions of Americans in space.

Since a spacesuit is quite stiff, it restricted Alan Shepard from hitting the ball with both his arms. Therefore, he announced that he will be playing his shot with only one arm. Shepard made three swings on the first ball.

The first two swings didn't go as well as expected but on the third swing, the ball flew with low flight and landed a few yards away from the original point. Moving on to the second ball, Shepard again encountered difficulty in hitting it in the first swing but the second swing was a success.

This footage of the entire event was broadcasted on television, that too in color! Golf fans and players watched this jaw-dropping incident from their homes!

After checking off playing golf on the moon from his bucket list, Shepard along with his team of astronauts headed back to the spaceship. But they decided to leave the ball there in memory of this event. Even after the passing of decades, golfers are still seen talking about this act of Shepard!

However, the forged club was brought back by the group of astronauts. Wondering where it is now? It is kept for display in the hall of fame of the US Golf Association, situated in New Jersey.

What Was the Distance Traveled by The Golf Balls on the Moon?

While Shepard boasted that the balls covered a record-breaking distance, we know that cannot be true. It is not possible for the balls to travel much distance under the conditions of space. Especially when it was the first time someone had given it a shot.

So, a couple of years ago the answer to this question was finally sought. On the occasion of the golden jubilee anniversary of the Apollo 14^th mission, Andy Saunders, a well-known imaging specialist sat down with a skilled team at USGA to figure out the distance that these two golf balls covered after being hit with the forged golf club.

To do so, Andy Saunders enhanced the digital image quality of the archival images from the Apollo 14^th mission. There were a total of six images which were later joined together as one to offer a panoramic view.

After studying this image, Andy Sanders was able to conclude that the ball 1 and 2 traveled a distance of 24 yards and 40 yards respectively. While this may not mean a lot on Earth, it is a pretty good value considering the atmospheric conditions on the Earth.

And not to forget, it was the first and only time someone had played golf on the moon. So, Shepard basically played his shots without any experience, either practical or in theory!

Andy Sanders also discover that playing on the moon would be an experience similar to playing out of a bunker. If you are a golfer yourself, you already know how much of a challenge that is. Keeping this in view, the distance that these two golf balls achieved can be regarded as quite an achievement by Alan Shepard. Not to mention he played these shots single-handedly while wearing a spacesuit, gloves, and a helmet!

Without the extreme atmospheric conditions at the Moon, the ball could cover a distance of up to 1 mile!

A Third Golf Ball on the Moon:

Some theories believe that Alan Shepard had taken three golf balls to the moon. The third one was accidentally dug in the dirt while attempting to play it. However, there is no evidence of this theory being true.

Besides, NASA is the only true source that we ought to believe in when it comes to matters related to outer space. Therefore, to this day, there can be only two golf balls seen on the surface of the moon.

Conclusion:

Playing golf on the ground under normal conditions can be a challenge itself at times. But playing on the moon? We got to give Alan Shepard some credit for this. The man went beyond limits to make his dream come true. For us, he is surely a source of inspiration. We suggest that you too look up to him in order to get motivated for fulfilling your dreams!