The 50th Anniversary of the Invention of the Graphite Shaft

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About the 50th Anniversary of Frank Thomas' Invention of the Graphite Shaft

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	Join the Celebration: What Golf's Superstars and Industry Leaders say about Frank's Invention of the Graphite Shaft "I think the graphite shaft has been a great tool for the average golfer and has been developed into a great tool for the professional golfer… it has been a great invention and innovation in the game." Jack Nicklaus "The introduction of the graphite shaft was a wonderful innovation in golf, and I am sure there will be many more in the future. Frank, congratulations on the 50th anniversary of your graphite shaft." Gary Player "The creation of the graphite shaft 50 years ago was a significant milestone in golf and has become the standard for the driver and metal fairway clubs of today. It has benefitted all golfers in the game and will continue to for many years to come.” Nick Price “Early in my career I was one of the first to play with graphite shafts in my irons and driver. The advancement in technology has been huge over the decades...An incredible advancement in technology for hard goods – definitely one of the best of the past 50 years.” Greg Norman "I look back on the graphite shaft as the first innovation to golf equipment in the modern era. Toe-heel weighted irons, metal-headed drivers, solid-core balls--all came afterward. The lightweight composite shaft led recreational golfers to have hope for a better game. And the name I associate with the first graphite shaft is its inventor, Frank Thomas." Jerry Tarde, Editor-in-Chief, Golf Digest The Story of the Graphite Shaft Your browser does not support iframes. Today, almost every golfer has a graphite golf shaft in their bag, but many are unfamiliar with the story of how it was developed 50 years ago and its importance in the manufacturing of consumer products for years to come. The graphite shaft was invented by Frank Thomas and introduced to the game of golf in early 1969 while he was working for Shakespeare Sporting Goods Co, as its chief Design Engineer. Graphite (carbon fiber) was developed in the mid-196o’s by Union Carbide and used almost exclusively in the space industry. The graphite golf shaft’s history starts in 1968 due to a collaborative effort by Frank and his research effort at Shakespeare and Union Carbide – now a division of Dow Chemical – and its interest in getting graphite into the consumer market. Once Frank arrived at set of acceptable material properties for a golf shaft and introduced it to the world of golf, it was then possible to include it in all sporting goods products such as fishing rods, tennis racquets, bicycles and sailing boats, just to name a few examples. It is now difficult to find a consumer product where strength and light weight is important, that is not, in whole or in part made from graphite composite. In 1974 Frank was asked to join the USGA as its Technical Director where he continued to innovate. He directed the development of almost all the performance standards for golf equipment, now used to help maintain the integrity of the game of golf enjoyed by so many people around the world. He also directed the development of the GHIN (golf handicap system) as well as redesigning the Stimpmeter now used internationally to measure the speed of greens. Upon leaving the USGA, Frank and Valerie Melvin co-founded Frankly Golf in 2000 and designed the Frankly Frog putter, have written four books on golf and introduced – at the request of the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland -- the Certified Putting Instructor (CPI) online course to fill void in the PGA certification curriculum. The original graphite shaft and one of the first drivers and iron club using a graphite shaft, are now part of Frankly Golf’s historical collection. Frank’s invention and introduction of the graphite shaft is a milestone in the manufacturing of consumer products.