Our success is due to a truly superior design.ACCRA Golf is proud of our achievements in a very short time.

The following Engineers are responsible for the creation of ACCRA

Master Designer and Senior Design Engineer
Akira Unosawa 

Akira graduated from Nihon University in Japan and began his engineering career at Mamiya OP in Japan in their electronics department designing banking machines similar to ATM’s. His distinguishing work and ambitious ideas lead him to the golf division where he has remained ever since.

4 years ago Akira brought his Mamiya experience to the design team at UST. His progressive outlook to the shaft industry has created a number of breakthrough products. His work centered on a number of Tour Only products that required only the tightest of tolerances. The HTD and iRoD Tour shafts have each developed massive followings on Tours around the globe.

In 2003, Akira was challenged to create a shaft with specifications that exceeded that of all the competition. With the changes in golf ball design and club head sizes increasing at a dramatic rate, it became apparent that a product that combined the stability of the current Tip Stiff designs and the ability to increase launch angles by creating an active tip section was what was needed.

Akira set out to design the perfect shaft for today’s golf “weapons”, his technical breakthroughs remain unmatched in a highly competitive industry. His combination of incredibly strong hoop strength, super low torque all combined with a remarkably active tip section is revolutionary. Never before were all levels of golfer able to experience extreme stability and “feel”.

“The m ost difficult issue was to create distinctive specifications that included a unique combination of low torque, light weight, durability and performance. ” said Akira in explaining his unique experiences with the ACCRA program   “It is generally conflicting to design a shaft with  low torque and light weight while maintaining superior performance” continued Akira.

“The Challenge is to design a shaft which has the lowest torque combined with the lightest weight” remains his ultimate goal. And with that goal in mind the best is yet to come with Akira and ACCRA .

Skip Pankewich
Product Development, Design Engineer 

After graduating with a  BS in Mechanical Engineering from Kansas State University, Skip took his expertise to the aerospace industry where applied his ambitious concepts in the worlds most competitive industry. With Boeing, Skips work as a liaison and design engineer challenged him to reach new levels of understandings of the intricacies of working with multiple materials in unique environments.

But his love for the game of golf combined with his new found expertise of carbon fibers from the aerospace industry brought him to the golf shaft world of UST.

During the past seven years, Skip has been UST’s resident “rocket scientist” (well, kind of!!) Skip’s unique combination of engineering expertise, golfing ability, and understanding of all levels of golfers brings a whole new perspective to our design team.

Skip is able to work directly with our Tour Representatives and the Tour players themselves to discover what the players are “looking for”. Skip then brings all of that information back to the design room. It is there where his ideas combined with input from Tour Players and Tour Reps, begins its journey to becoming another innovation from UST/ACCRA.

While supporting much of our internal engineering efforts, being closely associated with the testing of all initial prototypes and providing the technical support on the PGA Tour, Skip has recently taken the lead role in designing UST’s new Frequency Filtered Putter Shaft.

 Mike Finn
UST Director of Product

Mike joined UST in 1996 as Product Development Manager. He was then chosen to build and develop the newly formed Product Design and Development Department of UST. His responsibilities currently include overseeing all aspects of shaft design, shaft testing, shaft manufacturing processes, and documentation of all specifications and processes for ACCRA/UST products.
Mike is responsible for all of the internal functions from initial design to delivery to the customer. Mike headed up the team that did the design and development of the Proforce, Harmon, and V2 shaft models.

Mike also oversees the design team for ACCRA. Beginning with the initial concepts from our Tour Reps, Players, and Field Researchers on through the Engineers and then over to Graphics and Production, Mike is involved every step of the way!

The term "ACCRA Tolerance Technology" was born through the exacting specifications and tolerances that Mike demands.

He has 30 years of golf industry experience. Mike spent 18 years with the Ben Hogan Company, where he held different positions in both Manufacturing Engineering and Research and Development. He has extensive knowledge in the manufacturing of cast and forged iron heads and holds several design patents for forged cavity back irons. For the two years previous to joining the UST team, Mike did design/development engineering and manufacturing consulting for Impact Golf Technologies which is now Nike Golf.

Jamie Pipes
Manager of Field Research and Product Testing

Jamie joined UST 5 years ago with a diversified background that enabled him to step into a key role with the ACCRA team. After graduating from University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Education, Jamie worked with the Ben Hogan Company as a Tour representative on the Ben Hogan Tour. He then went on to develop a successful career as a Golf Professional in the Dallas/Fort Worth area including stints at Mira Vista CC, Carswell GC, and Gleneagles CC. Jamie has maintained his PGA membership since 1994.

The ACCRA philosophy has always been to create superior products for both the very best golfers in the world and for the average golfer. Jamie's input has been invaluable, his countless hours testing products and analyzing results from all types of players provides the data needed to bring a shaft to market. Jamie works very closely with our engineers to fine tune the playability of all ACCRA shafts, in fact every ACCRA model has gone through Jamie's hands for final playability approval!

Jamie has always felt that by taking the tip technology developed for the original ProForce Gold shaft and combining that with "state of the art" materials to create higher launch and lower spin rates, "and that has always been the ACCRA motto". "Each model is designed to compliment the larger heads of todays market" continued Jamie.
Jamie is proud of the early success that the ACCRA product line has had on the PGA and Nationwide Tours. He has been an intrigle part of working with numerous Tour players to ensure that the player finds the perfect shaft for him....ACCRA!