Golf clubsIn 1910, the first U.S. patent for a steel-shafted golf club was issued to Arthur F. Knight of Schenectady, N.Y. (No. 976,267). The shaft was formed from tempered high-carbon steel tubing, in which the volume of metal decreases toward the head. The new construction was to provide an elastic, yet non-fibrous shaft, in order that "the line of flight of the ball may truly conform to the direction of the blow delivered by the player." The inventor described how at the time the customary use of an elastic but fibrous wood, such as selected seasoned hickory, would offer small resistance to twisting around the long axis of the shaft that resulted as the head of the club struck the ball. The use of steel solved this torsion problem.« |
