This invention concerns a method of manufacturing elongate articles and articles made by this method, and particularly but not exclusively a method of manufacturing golf club shafts and shafts manufactured by this method.
With gold club shafts there are a number of important different characteristics. These include flex, torque, strength and weight. Originally wooden golf club shafts were used but subsequently steel shafts became the norm. More recently shafts have also been made from composite materials. Such composite shafts have conventionally been made by wrapping a plurality of layers of reinforced resinous material, usually between ten and fifteen layers, around a steel mandrel. The arrangement formed is subsequently cured and the mandrel removed after curing. Considerable force may be required to remove the mandrel. Forming shafts in this way involves a large number of production steps and can also result in somewhat expensive and relatively heavy shafts.