A picture, it has been said, is worth a thousand words, but neither a picture nor a thousand words will adequately describe a Limbershaft.  Only when waggled does a Limbershaft reveal its exceptional flexibility. Suffice it to say, there has never been another shaft like it produced for the world of wood-shafted golf clubs.  Think of this Limbershaft Spade Mashie as a flexible 9-piece fishing rod.

The back of the head is marked is marked "Limbershaft, Tarpon Springs, Florida” and “Walter Hagen Custom Built Head.” The 36" shaft consists of 8 lengths of rattan surrounding a square hickory core. A cross section of all these pieces can be viewed at the butt end of the shaft.  There is a small amount or whipping near the hosel, because the shaft fits into a wood “collar” that protects the Limbershaft at the top of the hosel.  Limbershafts were covered under a US patented issued in 1931 to Carl F. Mensing of Tarpon Springs, Florida. 

Limbershafts proved to be a flash in the pan, a here today gone tomorrow story.  Fortunately, the fine example up for auction is still here today! It’s great fun to share with friends and let them feel a remarkable piece of early 20th century ingenuity.  What a kick this must have been to give it a swing—with no idea where the ball would go!  For more on Mensing and his Limbershaft, see TCA2 v2 p641-642.