This Day in Golf History: February 6

Today’s “out of this world” moment was when golf went universal by way of the “moon shot.” Astronaut Alan Shepard hit a couple golf balls while on the moon on this date in 1971, using a makeshift 6-iron he had quietly brought on board the Apollo 14 flight. Because of his cumbersome spacesuit, he had to swing with his right arm only. Back on earth, Shepard said he “shanked the first one; it rolled into a crater about 40 yards away. The second one, I kept my head down. I hit it flush and it went at least 200 yards.” Today was also known for the incredible moon-shot artist, Babe Ruth, who was born on this date in 1895. The former longtime holder of the home-run record with 714 had 11 seasons of hitting 40 or more homers in his career, and in keeping with a golf theme, he was an avid golfer.