GOLF CLUB SHAFT

• US 20150306479A1
• Filed: 07/07/2015
• Published: 10/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Wahl, Bret H., Dipert, Joshua J., Sugimae, Ryuichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,550,098 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/00 Golf clubs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/002 Clubs made of composite, plastics or rubber materials, with integral head and shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/10 Non-metallic shafts
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/0081 Substantially flexible shafts; Hinged shafts

Abstract

A golf club and golf club shaft includes a tubular member having at least one neck portion with a reduced outer diameter and at least one relatively rigid two-piece sleeve secured to the tubular member in overlying relationship to each neck portion. The two-piece sleeve defines a small central gap filled by a compressible ring to allow the two otherwise longitudinally aligned sleeve pieces to pivot relative to one another under dynamic loading of the tubular member during a golf swing, and then upon reaching a limit point restrict additional deflection or bending of the tubular member.

Claims

1. A golf shaft comprising:

an elongate substantially cylindrical shaft member having a tip end and butt end;

the shaft member including a tip section adjoining the tip end, butt section adjoining the butt end and midsection therebetween, the tip section, butt section and midsection being formed at least partially from composite material;

at least a portion of the tip section having at least one reduced neck portion; and

a deflection limiting outer sleeve which is bonded to an outer surface of the tip section and overlies the neck portion, the sleeve having a centrally located gap filled with a compressible material.

2. The shaft of claim 1 wherein the neck portion is spaced about 1 to 7 inches from the end of the shaft.

3. The shaft of claim 1 wherein the tip section, butt section and midsection are hollow and made substantially of graphite material.

4. The shaft of claim 1 wherein the outer sleeve has a length of about 50 to 150 mm.

5. The shaft of claim 1 wherein the outer sleeve is adhesively bonded to the tip section.

6. The shaft of claim 1 wherein a gap is defined along a portion of an interface between the outer sleeve and tip section.

7. The shaft of claim 1 wherein the outer sleeve comprises a material taken from the group of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic, polycarbonate, composite, steel, aluminum, and titanium.

8. The shaft of claim 1 wherein the compressible material is a ring comprising a material taken from the group of urethane, silicone, injectable rubber and polyurethane, viscoelastic elastomer, polybutadiene, polystyrene, polyisoprene, polyethylene, polyolefin, styrene/isoprene block copolymer, hydrogenated styrenic thermoplastic elastomer, natural or synthetic rubber, thermoset or thermoplastic rubber, foamed polymer, and ionomer.

9. The shaft of claim 1 wherein the compressible material has an axial length of about 0.1 to 1.0 mm.

10. A golf shaft comprising:

a hollow graphite tube having a tip end and butt end;

the tube having a first neck section;

a first deflection limiting sleeve bonded to an outer surface of the tube overlying the first neck section;

the sleeve being formed of a material having a stiffness sufficient to restrict local flexing of the tube, and having a centrally located gap filled with a compressible material to allow portions of the sleeve on opposite sides of the gap to pivot relative to one another as the compressible material compresses.

11. The shaft of claim 10 wherein the tube has a second neck section proximate to but spaced from the first neck section, and the sleeve overlies both the first and second neck sections.

12. The shaft of claim 10 wherein the tube includes a second neck section proximate to the butt end, and the shaft includes a second deflection limiting sleeve bonded to an outer surface of the tube and overlying the second neck section.

13. A golf club comprising:

a hollow composite golf shaft having an outer diameter that generally tapers from a butt end of the shaft to an opposed tip end of the shaft;

a club head affixed to the shaft at the tip end;

the shaft having at least a first neck portion to create at least a first localized flex zone;

a first deflection limiting sleeve affixed to an outer surface of the shaft in the area of the first flex zone, the first limiting sleeve overlying the first neck portion and extending beyond both ends of the first neck portion.

14. The golf club of claim 13 wherein the shaft includes a second neck portion proximate to but spaced apart from the first neck portion, the first and second neck portions being located near the tip end and the first limiting sleeve overlying both first and second neck portions.

15. The golf club of claim 13 wherein the shaft has a second neck portion to create a second localized flex zone, and a second deflection limiting sleeve affixed to the outer surface of the shaft and overlying the second neck portion, the first flex zone being located proximate to the tip end and the second flex zone being located proximate to the butt end.

16. The golf club of claim 13 wherein the outer sleeve comprises a material taken from the group of polycarbonate, composite, steel, aluminum, and titanium.

17. The golf club of claim 13 wherein the outer sleeve comprises acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic.