A professional golf drive on the Moon would travel over 2 miles and stay in the air for nearly a full minute.

On February 6, 1971, during the Apollo 14 mission, Commander Alan Shepard used a modified six-iron head attached to a lunar sample collection tool to hit two golf balls on the Moon. Due to the pressurized suit and limited mobility, Shepard could only swing with one hand. Despite these constraints, his second shot traveled an estimated 200 to 400 yards, though he jokingly claimed it went 'miles and miles.'Physicists like those at the University of Rochester have since calculated the potential of a professional drive under lunar conditions. On Earth, a pro golfer like Rory McIlroy can achieve a ball speed of 190 mph. On the Moon, the lack of air resistance means there is no aerodynamic drag or lift. The ball follows a perfect ballistic trajectory determined solely by the launch angle, initial velocity, and gravity.Lunar gravity is approximately 1.62 meters per second squared, which is about 16.6% of Earth's gravity. Without an atmosphere to slow the ball down, a drive with a 45-degree launch angle would travel roughly 2.5 miles or 4 kilometers. The flight time for such a shot would last approximately 70 seconds, compared to just 6 or 7 seconds on Earth.This phenomenon highlights the massive impact of fluid dynamics on sports. On Earth, air resistance accounts for a significant loss of kinetic energy, and backspin creates lift that keeps the ball aloft. On the Moon, the absence of these factors creates a pure physics environment where initial force and gravity are the only variables.