The next time you reach into your bag, pull out your driver and hit a good one down the fairway, stop for a moment and thank Frank Thomas. Without him, your driver would still have a steel shaft on it.
Thomas invented the graphite shaft before becoming the United States Golf Association’s senior technical director from 1974 to 2000.
On Wednesday, Thomas died after having a heart attack at age 81.
Mike Davis, the USGA’s CEO, said, “Frank was such an important part of the USGA and the game. He was an innovator who created golf’s first graphite shaft and played an integral role in creating the Slope System for golf course rating, among many of his incredible achievements.” Davis added, “Most importantly, he was a friend of so many in our game. He will be sorely missed.”
After graduating from Western Michigan University, the native South African worked at the Shakespeare Sporting Goods Company from 1966-1974. While there, Thomas developed a way to wind filament graphite fibers to create the first graphite shafts.
U.S. Golf Association technical director Frank Thomas receives Dr. Nakamatsu’s putter from the golf club’s inventor, Yoshiro Nakamatsu, on Nov. 29, 1982. Nakamatsus holds a certificate of gratitude from the USGA. At center is USGA Muesum Curator Janet Seagle. (Photo: Associated Press)
While at the USGA, Thomas oversaw the development and enhancement of the techniques used to test golf equipment when manufacturers and club makers were using technology like never before. Along with his team, it was Thomas’ job to evaluate each club and decide whether it conformed to the Rules of Golf or not. He developed the rules regarding the spring-like effect of faces and the coefficient of restitution scale that governed how much of a trampoline effect a club’s face can have.
In 1985, when Ping sued the USGA after the grooves in the Eye2 irons were deemed non-conforming, Thomas was personally named in the suit. The suit dealt with the spacing and the design of square grooves after Thomas updated the protocols for measuring grooves. In 1990, at the USGA’s annual meeting in San Diego, Ping agreed to regard the USGA as the sole rulemaking body for the game. Ping also agreed to make all Eye2 irons using a groove that conformed to the USGA’s technical specifications. However, the USGA agreed that all Eye2 made before April 1 would remain legal for use forever.
After leaving the USGA, Thomas worked as a consultant and the Frankly Frog line of mallet putters. He also served as a judge on Golf Channel’s “Driver vs. Driver” show.
Thomas is survived by his wife, Valerie Melvin, and his first Wendy Thomas and their children, Joanne Thomas, Ginny Zimmerman and Will Thomas. He also had four grandchildren, Colin and Jordan Zimmerman, as well as Alli and Ryan White.
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