An Out of this World Golf Ball

Astronaut Alan Shepard’s first stop after being released from his post-Apollo 14 quarantine was a trip to the barber shop, for a post-mission haircut. Before Carlos Villagomez, Shepard’s friend and longtime barber started, Shepard gave Villagomez an autographed golf ball.

The Barber, The Astronaut, and The Golf Ball, by Barbara Radnofsky and Ed Supkis, tells the story of the two men and their friendship. It examines a question about that golf ball. Was it taken to the Moon with two others Shepard left on the lunar surface?

The pair seemed unlikely friends. Yet the book shows despite differences (Shepard was a New England Yankee while Villagomez was a Mexican immigrant) both shared common experiences and traits.

Both were Navy veterans. Shepard was a naval aviator and a commissioned officer; Villagomez enlisted, leaving as a petty officer. Both were war veterans, Shepard of World War II and Korea, Villagomez, younger, of Korea and Vietnam. Both were consummate professionals, highly skilled in their different fields. Both had hustle, participating in side businesses, sometimes together. They golfed together. The two men bonded.

The book describes how, with lengthy biographies of both. It shows the challenges each overcame to achieve success. Shepard overcame being grounded to return to flight status. Villagomez overcame prejudice to become a respected member of the Webster, Texas business community. It shows how Shepard managed the ultimate stunt: taking an improvised golf club and hitting two golf balls on the moon.

It also tackles the question about the golf ball. Did it go to the Moon? They present the arguments pro and con. It never settles the question, but offers a definitive way to resolve it. Compare it to the balls left on the Moon when we finally return.

The Barber, The Astronaut, and The Golf Ball is quirky. It tells of an unlikely friendship between a world-famous celebrity and a man, who while a Houston Clear Lake area landmark character, is unknown to the rest of the world. That is its charm. It shows the sense of community at JSC, those who work for and live among the spaceflight industry.

It is a family story, written by two authors whose parents worked at the then-Manned Spaceflight (and now Johnson Space) Center. It does not matter that it never quite answers the question of whether Villagomez’s golf ball went to the Moon. This book is about the bonds of friendship and shared values.

“The Barber, The Astronaut, and The Golf Ball,” by Barbara Radnofsky and Ed Supkis, Stoney Creek Publishing Group, September 2024, 202 pages, $22.95 (paperback)

This review was written by Mark Lardas, who writes at Ricochet as Seawriter. Mark Lardas, an engineer, freelance writer, historian, and model-maker, lives in League City, TX. His website is marklardas.com.