1951: Sam Snead hits a golf ball from home plate over the Wrigley Field Scoreboard
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On this day, In 1951 Sam Snead was up to his usual antics…clobbering golf balls. This time was different, he wasn’t on a golf course he was at Wrigley Field, home of The Chicago Cubs.
He was originally in town to see a doctor & get his left wrist x-ray’d. But Snead lent his services at the ballpark, to settle “a long-standing argument, over whether someone could hit a golf ball over the scoreboard.”
I’m assuming that his wrist was feeling okay if he was feeling up to this task!
First, from home plate, he hit a 4 iron which hit the scoreboard.
He then switched to a 2 iron which cleared it with ease. The scoreboard is raised to 89 feet in the air and an estimated 450 feet away.
Snead Didn’t Bring Any Luck to The Cubs that Year…
According to BleedCubbieBlue.com…
“As for the Opening Day game in 1951, the Cubs beat the Reds 6-2, then won four of their first five and were playing near .500 ball into late May. After a long losing streak, they panicked and traded Andy Pafko, which was the beginning of a long decline. The Cubs wound up losing 92 games in 1951.
“So Snead’s golf drives were pretty much the highlight of the year.”
– Bleed Cubbie Blue