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Thursday, 23rd November 2006 (2177 views)

Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin has managed to hit a golf ball that will eventually travel over 460 million miles.

However, this was no ordinary fairway and kicked off a six-hour spacewalk. The lightweight golf ball was hit by a specially designed gold-plated six iron in order to ensure pinpoint accuracy from a position close to the international space station.

It is unclear how far the ball will eventually travel but experts predict it could travel for over a billion kilometres before returning to earth in about two years time. The unique shot was part of an advertising campaign by Element 21 Golf Company who enlisted the Russian space agency to help promote their latest range of gold golf clubs.

"We'll have opened a golf course in space," said David Sindall, co-founder of the Canadian-based Element 21.

Speaking to Space.com, he added: "It's the smallest clubhouse definitely…but with the largest real estate, infinite real estate and the longest fairway."

Mr Tyurin did not quite manage to hit the perfect Tiger Woods shot and the specially designed lightweight ball did veer a little to the right. However, Earth-based professional golfing champions do not have to cope with the added pressures of zero-gravity and being spun upside down while attempting their tee-off shot.

 

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