INTERCHANGEABLE SHAFT SYSTEM

• US 20150165279A1
• Filed: 02/23/2015
• Published: 06/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Zimmerman, Gery M., Hebreo, Jonathan, Stanescu, Adrian L., Hipp, Helene, Ines, Marni, Bezilla, Stephanie, Bennett, Thomas Orrin, Murphy, Stephen S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,375,616 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/022 allowing adjustable positioning of the head with respect to the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/023 adjustable angular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/025 lie angle only, i.e. relative angular adjustment between the shaft and the club head about an axis parallel to the intended line of play when the club is in its normal address position

Abstract

A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve is removably coupled to the club head. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features provide discrete orientations between the shaft and club head.

Claims

1. A golf club, comprising:

a golf club head including a golf club head body and a hosel, the hosel defining a hosel bore;

an elongate shaft;

a shaft sleeve coupled to a distal end portion of the shaft, the shaft sleeve including a sleeve body defining a longitudinal axis and a shaft bore;

a wedge member interposed between a portion of the shaft sleeve and the hosel, wherein the wedge member defines a wedge angle between the shaft sleeve and the hosel, the wedge member defining a sleeve bore;

an extension member interposed between a portion of the shaft sleeve and the hosel, wherein the extension member includes parallel mating end surfaces that engage the wedge member and one of the shaft sleeve and the hosel; and

a fastener that releasably couples the shaft sleeve to the club head so that the wedge member and the extension member are interposed between a portion of the shaft sleeve and the hosel.

2. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the wedge member is disposed proximally of the extension member.

3. The golf club of claim 2, wherein the wedge member comprises at least one wedge alignment feature, and the shaft sleeve comprises at least one sleeve alignment feature that is shaped to complement the shape of the at least one wedge alignment feature, wherein the at least one wedge alignment feature engages the at least one sleeve alignment feature so that the shaft sleeve does not rotate in a circumferential direction relative to the wedge member.

4. The golf club of claim 3, wherein the extension member comprises at least one extension alignment feature, and the wedge member comprises at least a second wedge alignment feature that is shaped to complement the shape of the at least one extension alignment feature, wherein the at least one extension alignment feature engages the second wedge alignment feature so that the wedge member does not rotate in a circumferential direction relative to the extension member.

5. The golf club of claim 4, wherein the extension member comprises at least a second extension alignment feature, and the hosel comprises at least one hosel alignment feature that is shaped to complement the shape of the second extension alignment feature, wherein the second extension alignment feature engages the at least one hosel alignment feature so that the extension member does not rotate in a circumferential direction relative to the hosel.

6. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the shaft bore is angled relative to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve body so that the shaft sleeve provides a shaft angle between the shaft sleeve and the shaft.

7. The golf club of claim 6, wherein the magnitudes of the wedge angle and the shaft angle are different.

8. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the extension member and wedge member engage with a plurality of alignment features, wherein the alignment features prevent circumferential rotation of the wedge member relative to the extension member.

9. A golf club, comprising:

a golf club head including a golf club head body and a hosel, the hosel defining a hosel bore;

an elongate shaft;

a shaft sleeve coupled to a distal end portion of the shaft, the shaft sleeve including a sleeve body defining a longitudinal axis and a shaft bore;

a wedge member interposed between a portion of the shaft sleeve and the hosel, wherein the wedge member defines a wedge angle between the shaft sleeve and the hosel, the wedge member defining a sleeve bore;

an extension member interposed between a portion of the shaft sleeve and the hosel, wherein the extension member includes parallel mating end surfaces that engage the wedge member and one of the shaft sleeve and the hosel; and

a fastener that releasably couples the shaft sleeve to the club head so that the wedge member and the extension member are interposed between a portion of the shaft sleeve and the hosel,

wherein the hosel, the shaft sleeve and the wedge member are configured to provide a plurality of discrete shaft orientations relative to the golf club head in a single plane, and wherein relative rotation between the shaft sleeve and the hosel is prevented in each of the discrete shaft orientations.

10. The golf club of claim 9, wherein the plurality of discrete shaft orientations are disposed in a lie plane of the golf club.

11. The golf club of claim 9, wherein the shaft bore defines a shaft angle, and the magnitude of the shaft angle is different than the magnitude of the wedge angle.

12. The golf club of claim 11, wherein the wedge member comprises at least one wedge alignment feature, and the shaft sleeve comprises at least one sleeve alignment feature that is shaped to complement the shape of the at least one wedge alignment feature, wherein the at least one wedge alignment feature engages the at least one sleeve alignment feature so that the shaft sleeve does not rotate in a circumferential direction relative to the wedge member.

13. The golf club of claim 12, wherein the extension member comprises at least one extension alignment feature, and the wedge member comprises at least a second wedge alignment feature that is shaped to complement the shape of the at least one extension alignment feature, wherein the at least one extension alignment feature engages the second wedge alignment feature so that the wedge member does not rotate in a circumferential direction relative to the extension member.

14. The golf club of claim 13, wherein the extension member comprises at least a second extension alignment feature, and the hosel comprises at least one hosel alignment feature that is shaped to complement the shape of the second extension alignment feature, wherein the second extension alignment feature engages the at least one hosel alignment feature so that the extension member does not rotate in a circumferential direction relative to the hosel.

15. A golf club, comprising:

a golf club head including a golf club head body and a hosel, the hosel defining a hosel bore;

an elongate shaft;

a shaft sleeve coupled to a distal end portion of the shaft, the shaft sleeve including a sleeve body defining a longitudinal axis and a shaft bore;

a wedge member interposed between a portion of the shaft sleeve and the hosel, wherein the wedge member defines a wedge angle between the shaft sleeve and the hosel, the wedge member defining a sleeve bore;

an extension member interposed between a portion of the shaft sleeve and the hosel, wherein the extension member includes parallel mating end surfaces that engage the wedge member and one of the shaft sleeve and the hosel; and

a fastener that releasably couples the shaft sleeve to the club head so that the wedge member and the extension member are interposed between a portion of the shaft sleeve and the hosel,

wherein the extension member comprises at least one extension alignment feature, and the wedge member comprises at least one wedge alignment feature that is shaped to complement the shape of the at least one extension alignment feature, wherein the at least one extension alignment feature engages the at least one wedge alignment feature so that the wedge member does not rotate in a circumferential direction relative to the extension member.

16. The golf club of claim 15, wherein the hosel, the shaft sleeve and the wedge are configured to provide at least four discrete shaft orientations relative to the golf club, wherein relative rotation between the shaft sleeve and the hosel is prevented in each of the discrete shaft orientations.

17. The golf club of claim 16, wherein the plurality of discrete shaft orientations are disposed in a lie plane of the golf club.

18. The golf club of claim 15, wherein the shaft bore defines a shaft angle, and the magnitude of the shaft angle is different than the magnitude of the wedge angle.