History of the Golf Shaft
Golf's beginnings are lost in the mists of history, but it is generally agreed to have been played in Scotland close to St. Andrews in the late 1400s.
Golf became quite infamous back then, and because golfers were so fanatical with the game,
they were neglecting their archery training and the King of Scotland outlawed it for a while.
The golf shafts in the 17th and 18th centuries were not yet made of hickory, but rather from ash and hazel or whatever hardwood was available locally including wood from trees such as danga wood, ironheart, purpleheart, greenheart, bloomahoo and bulletwood. The US used other woods from what was being used in Great Britain, including ash and lancewood.
Club heads were made from tough woods such as beech, holly, apple and pear. These were connected to the shaft using a splint and then bound using leather straps.
Golf became quite infamous back then, and because golfers were so fanatical with the game,
they were neglecting their archery training and the King of Scotland outlawed it for a while.
The golf shafts in the 17th and 18th centuries were not yet made of hickory, but rather from ash and hazel or whatever hardwood was available locally including wood from trees such as danga wood, ironheart, purpleheart, greenheart, bloomahoo and bulletwood. The US used other woods from what was being used in Great Britain, including ash and lancewood.
Club heads were made from tough woods such as beech, holly, apple and pear. These were connected to the shaft using a splint and then bound using leather straps.
It wasn't until the mid-1800's that hickory made its first appearance. Robert Forgan the Scottish club maker introduced hickory imported from America to make shafts. These early Shipments of hickory were originally intended to be axe handles.
Hickory Shaft
Hickory soon earned the reputation as being the best wood for shafts given its strength and durability. It wasn't too flexible or too heavy either. Club builders had their own preferences on the different types of hickory, such as red, brown or white.
By the early 1890's, hickory was the primary wood used in golf shafts.
By the early 1890's, hickory was the primary wood used in golf shafts.
In the 1890's club designers were experimenting with other materials such as steel tubes and solid steel rods. A Scottish blacksmith, Thomas Horsburgh made the first steel shaft in 1893. He was unable to gain any interest in it as it was solid steel and very heavy. He duly allowed his patent to lapse.
Solid steel shafts could not be made light enough and techniques to manufacture steel tubes back then was an extremely difficult process and these shafts were prone to breakage during manufacturing.
In 1910 a steel shaft was patented by Arthur F. Knight but they failed to obtain popular appeal due mainly to the R&A's and USGA's refusal to make the use of steel shafts lawful in play.
Solid steel shafts could not be made light enough and techniques to manufacture steel tubes back then was an extremely difficult process and these shafts were prone to breakage during manufacturing.
In 1910 a steel shaft was patented by Arthur F. Knight but they failed to obtain popular appeal due mainly to the R&A's and USGA's refusal to make the use of steel shafts lawful in play.
In 1915, Allan Lard of Washington DC was issued a patent on a perforated steel shaft. Nicknamed the "Whistler", Lard's shaft was made from a solid steel bar that was bored out and milled to form 6 sides. To reduce its weight, it was drilled with hundreds of small holes. The perforations helped enhance club head speed and reduced torque significantly. When swung, these holes caused a whistling sound, hence the "Whistler" nickname. But like the other steel shafts, they never caught on.
Allan Lard's perforated steel shaft.
The debate between hickory vs steel shafts carried on through the early 1900's up until the 1920's.
In the early 1920's, Apollo, a British fishing rod manufacturer, designed the first real playable steel shaft although it was a closed tube which made for poor and inconstant performance.
Around the same time as Apollo was designing their shaft, an American firm called Bristol Steel in Connecticut developed a seamless tubular shaft which was a huge advancement and became the generally accepted standard.
In 1924, the USGA finally legalized steel shafts, although the R&A continued to ban them until the Prince of Wales used a set at St. Andrews in 1929 which helped force a rule change.
In 1924, the first steel shafts were allowed in the US Open, They were allowed in putters only. The winner, Cyril Walker, used one.
In 1929, True Temper developed the first seamless tapered step-down shaft. This technique allowed them to decrease the outside diameter of the shaft by creating a step-down design which tapered to fit into the club-head. This design helped create different shaft flexes for the golfers' individual needs.
In 1930, Spalding released the Bobby Jones signature set of irons. The clubs had steel shafts which were painted tan to give the impression of hickory. This practice was also done by other
manufacturers to help influence golfers to make the transition from hickory to steel.
In the early 1920's, Apollo, a British fishing rod manufacturer, designed the first real playable steel shaft although it was a closed tube which made for poor and inconstant performance.
Around the same time as Apollo was designing their shaft, an American firm called Bristol Steel in Connecticut developed a seamless tubular shaft which was a huge advancement and became the generally accepted standard.
In 1924, the USGA finally legalized steel shafts, although the R&A continued to ban them until the Prince of Wales used a set at St. Andrews in 1929 which helped force a rule change.
In 1924, the first steel shafts were allowed in the US Open, They were allowed in putters only. The winner, Cyril Walker, used one.
In 1929, True Temper developed the first seamless tapered step-down shaft. This technique allowed them to decrease the outside diameter of the shaft by creating a step-down design which tapered to fit into the club-head. This design helped create different shaft flexes for the golfers' individual needs.
In 1930, Spalding released the Bobby Jones signature set of irons. The clubs had steel shafts which were painted tan to give the impression of hickory. This practice was also done by other
manufacturers to help influence golfers to make the transition from hickory to steel.
Spalding's steel shaft, painted to look like hickory
It was not until some advances were made in the raw steel material and new manufacturing processes were developed, enabling the production of a stepped-down shaft, that steel started showing signs of becoming a clear favorite. The ability to finally produce an incredibly consistent shaft over its wooden counterpart and to eliminate low resistance to torque was the real turning point when the steel manufacturers and golfers were finally convinced on steel shafts. By the middle of the 1930's, the race between steel and wood was essentially over.
From the 1930's onward, steel shafts remained dominant, although other materials have been experimented with for the express purpose of trying to reduce shaft weight. In the 1950's, fiberglass was wrapped around a lightweight metal core. By 1958, an all fiberglass shaft had
been produced. These designs did not stay around for too long.
In 1931, Billy Burke won the US Open. He was the first golfer to win using steel shaft clubs.
Frank Thomas of the Shakespeare Sporting Goods Company conceived and created the first graphite shaft in 1969. It was introduced at the PGA Show in 1970. However, it did not catch on with the masses. Around the same time as the Shakespeare Company was developing its version of the graphite shaft, James Flood, an aircraft engineer, was developing his version which was introduced in April 1972 from which the Aldila company was born.
Aluminum shafts were somewhat popular for a while in the 1960's to mid 1970's. They were lighter than steel and did not rust but in cold weather they became brittle which caused them to brake easily.
From the 1930's onward, steel shafts remained dominant, although other materials have been experimented with for the express purpose of trying to reduce shaft weight. In the 1950's, fiberglass was wrapped around a lightweight metal core. By 1958, an all fiberglass shaft had
been produced. These designs did not stay around for too long.
In 1931, Billy Burke won the US Open. He was the first golfer to win using steel shaft clubs.
Frank Thomas of the Shakespeare Sporting Goods Company conceived and created the first graphite shaft in 1969. It was introduced at the PGA Show in 1970. However, it did not catch on with the masses. Around the same time as the Shakespeare Company was developing its version of the graphite shaft, James Flood, an aircraft engineer, was developing his version which was introduced in April 1972 from which the Aldila company was born.
Aluminum shafts were somewhat popular for a while in the 1960's to mid 1970's. They were lighter than steel and did not rust but in cold weather they became brittle which caused them to brake easily.
True Temper, aluminum shaft
By the early 1970's, graphite shafts were widely available to the golfing world and by 1973, they were taking the industry by storm. But by 1975, graphite's durability and performance limitations
were being realized which almost caused their demise.
Over time, the introduction of other materials such as boron helped to reduce twisting (torque)
in the shaft as it was swung. This also gave them greater durability. By the mid 1980's, graphite was back with a vengeance.
In 1980, the Dynamic Gold shaft by True Temper was introduced to the market. This has been a phenomenally successful shaft and is still popular with club makers and manufacturers today.
were being realized which almost caused their demise.
Over time, the introduction of other materials such as boron helped to reduce twisting (torque)
in the shaft as it was swung. This also gave them greater durability. By the mid 1980's, graphite was back with a vengeance.
In 1980, the Dynamic Gold shaft by True Temper was introduced to the market. This has been a phenomenally successful shaft and is still popular with club makers and manufacturers today.
For a time, titanium shafts showed some great results in the 1990's. Although it is very light weight and has low torque, it is very costly.
Sanvic, titanium shaft
Since the mid 80's, graphite has made great advancements and is generally the shaft of choice in woods today, but steel currently holds the reigns on irons.
Dynamic Gold - The most successful steel shaft ever
The latest graphite shaft on the market from Aldila
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