Hosel-less golf club with a single bent shaft

• US 5,931,741 A
• Filed: 07/09/1997
• Issued: 08/03/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Francis A. Fenton Jr
• Original Assignee: Francis A. Fenton Jr
• Inventors: Fenton, Francis A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US08/890,411
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• Field of Search: 473/305, 473/306, 473/307, 473/308, 473/309, 473/310, 473/311, 473/312, 473/313, 473/314
• US Class Current: 473/305
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/021 the shaft axis being forwardly offset relative to the striking face of the head
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/50 with through-holes A63B60/18 takes precedence; for stringing purposes A63B49/00

Abstract

The golf club of the present invention provides a club head wherein a shaft is bent so as to be directly insertable into the ball striking face adjacent the heel, thereby eliminating totally the need for a shaft hosel. The shaft may enter the club face at various locations and the bend of the shaft will vary between a minimum of five degrees to a maximum of 180 degrees depending, in part, on the loft angle of the particular club head. The hosel-less design of the present club provides slightly less wind resistance and theer is less mass to get tangled in grass when hitting from rough areas.

Claims

1. A hosel-less iron type golf club head including a hosel-less club head body having a loft angle of at least 12 degrees, a heel, toe, ball striking face, top ridge, bottom surface and rear surface wherein the improvement comprises:

a golf club shaft connected adjacent said heel on said club head body having a tip section formed with at least one bend;

said shaft having a longitudinal axis lying in a straight line when viewed from said ball striking face;

said bend being at an angle of at least 5 degrees and less than 90 degrees with the longitudinal axis of said shaft when viewed from said toe;

said bend of said shaft creating an offset between the front edge of said shaft and the leading edge of said club head body;

said tip section being connected directly to the ball striking face adjacent to and spaced from said heel of said club head body.

2. The golf club of claim 1, further including a shaft receptacle mounted on said ball striking face, said shaft being located in said shaft receptacle.

3. The golf club of claim 1 being further defined by said shaft being connected adjacent said top surface of said club head.

4. The golf club of claim 1 being further defined by said shaft being connected adjacent said bottom surface of said club head.

5. The golf club of claim 1 being further defined by said shaft being connected perpendicular to said ball striking face.

6. The golf club of claim 1 being further defined by said shaft having at least two bends.

7. The golf club of claim 1 wherein said tip section connected directly to said ball striking face has a length not exceeding five inches.

8. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein a centerline of said tip section is spaced from the heel at a distance not exceeding 0.625 inch.

9. A wood type golf club including a hosel-less club head body having, a heel, toe, ball striking face, top surface, bottom surface and rear surface wherein the improvement comprises:

a golf club shaft connected adjacent said heel on said club head body having a tip section formed with at least one bend;

said shaft having a longitudinal axis lying in a straight line when viewed from said ball striking face;

said bend being at an angle of at least 5 degrees and less than 90 degrees with the longitudinal axis of said shaft when viewed from said toe;

said bend of said shaft creating an offset between the front edge of said shaft and the leading edge of said club head body;

said tip section being connected directly to the ball striking face adjacent to and spaced from said heel of said club head body.

10. The golf club head of claim 9 wherein a centerline of said tip section is spaced from the heel at a distance not exceeding 0.625 inch.