Golf club having vibration damping device and method for making same

• US 5,788,586 A
• Filed: 01/30/1997
• Issued: 08/04/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Roush Anatrol, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Roush Anatrol, Inc.
• Inventors: Macioce, Paul J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLAU, STEPHEN LUTHER
• Application Number:
  US08/790,977
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 473/318-322, 473/409, 428/36.9, 273/DIG. 8, 156/187, 156/184
• US Class Current: 473/318
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/00 Golf clubs
• 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 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

A golf club having a vibration damping device including a club head, a shaft connected to the club head having resonant frequencies over a predetermined range and a rod disposed within the shaft with a viscoelastic material interposed between the shaft and the rod. The rod is flexible and has resonant frequencies over the same frequency range as the shaft such that the shaft and rod vibrate out of phase with respect to each other and thereby deform the viscoelastic material to damp vibrations in the shaft.

Claims

1. A method of making a golf club having a vibration damping device comprising the steps of:

disposing a viscoelastic material about a flexible rod such that the rod and viscoelastic material form a diameter greater than an inner diameter of a hollow shaft of a club;

reducing the diameter of the flexible rod and viscoelastic material such that its diameter is less than the inner diameter of the hollow shaft of the club by disposing an adhesive about the viscoelastic material;

inserting the flexible rod, viscoelastic material and adhesive into a hollow club shaft; and

disposing the adhesive against an inner surface of the shaft and bonding the viscoelastic material to the shaft.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 including the steps of heating the shaft to a predetermined temperature such that the viscoelastic material expands and the layer of adhesive is disposed against the inner surface of the shaft and melted to bond the viscoelastic material to the shaft.

3. A method of making a golf club having a vibration damping device comprising the steps of:

disposing a viscoelastic material about a flexible rod such that the rod and viscoelastic material form a diameter greater than an inner diameter of a hollow shaft of a club;

reducing the diameter of the flexible rod and viscoelastic material such that its diameter is less than the inner diameter of the hollow shaft of the club by wrapping an adhesive about the viscoelastic material;

inserting the flexible rod, viscoelastic material and adhesive into a hollow club shaft; and

disposing the adhesive against an inner surface of the shaft, melting the adhesive and bonding the viscoelastic material to the shaft.