How oldest person to walk on the moon sparked 50-year mystery with famous golf swing

An astronaut inadvertently sparked a 50-year-long mystery while becoming the oldest person to walk on the Moon.

Alan Shepard (USA, 1923-1998) was aged 47 years 2 months 18 days when he stepped foot on the lunar surface during the Apollo 14 mission – America’s third successful landing there – on 5 February 1971.

Three years after Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men on the Moon on 21 July 1969, Shepard also became the first person to ever play golf on the Moon.

And people discussed just how far the ball went for the next half a century.

He managed to take a few golf balls and the head of a 6-iron head up with him on the mission.

Shepard being suited up for Apollo 14

He attached the head to a lunar sample scoop handle to form a makeshift golf club and turned the lunar surface into his very own driving range.

In footage that was broadcast live on television, he said: “Houston, while you’re looking that up, you might recognize what I have in my hand as the handle for the contingency sample return; it just so happens to have a genuine 6-iron on the bottom of it.”

Referring to a golf ball, he carried on: “In my left hand, I have a little white pellet that’s familiar to millions of Americans. I’ll drop it down.”

Shepard explained that his suit was so stiff he couldn’t hold his makeshift club with both hands.

Swinging with one hand, he attempted to whack the ball, with his fellow astronaut Edgar D Mitchell joking he “got more dirt than ball”.

But his next hit was a beauty, going “miles and miles and miles”, according to Shepard.

Just how far it went has been the subject of much analysis ever since.

Astronomy reports the ball was thought at the time to have travelled 200 yards (188 m) but that images from the mission remastered in 2021 suggested it actually only went 40 yards (36.5 m).

The longest golf drive on the PGA tour was hit by David Love III (USA) in 2004, when he whacked the ball 476 yards (435.25 m) at the 18^th hole.

When you factor in lunar gravity, which is roughly one-sixth that of Earth’s, a pro golfer could probably hit a ball much further up there than they could on Earth.

Shepard on the Moon during Apollo 14

Perhaps if Shepard had more freedom in his movement, he’d have been able to rival that record drive.

It was Andy Saunders, author of Apollo Remastered, who appears to have finally solved the mystery of just how far that ball travelled.

While reviewing the enhanced footage, Saunders managed to locate the ball and work out how far it had gone.

Shepard holding his makeshift golf club

He told the BBC: “We can now fairly accurately determine that ball number one travelled 24 yards, and ball number two travelled 40 yards.

"Unfortunately, even the impressive second shot could hardly be described as 'miles and miles and miles', but of course this has only ever been regarded as a light-hearted exaggeration."

Saunders insists that even though the ball didn’t travel half as far as people had originally thought, it was still an impressive feat.

He said between the moon being a “giant, unraked, rock-strewn bunker”, the restricted movement of the pressurised suits and astronauts not really being able to see their feet due to the visors of their helmets, actually hitting the ball was a tricky task.

“I would challenge any club golfer to go to their local course and try to hit a 6-iron, one-handed, with a one-quarter swing out of an unraked bunker,” he said.

"Then imagine being fully suited, helmeted and wearing thick gloves. Remember also that there was little gravity to pull the clubhead down toward the ball.

Shepard pictured in 1961

"The fact that Shepard even made contact and got the ball airborne is extremely impressive."

Golfing wasn’t the only space sport going on that day – Mitchell also took the opportunity to throw a makeshift javelin.

“That’s the greatest javelin throw of the century,” Shepard excitedly told him.

“Wasn’t bad at all,” Mitchell agreed.