Golf club

• US 8,262,498 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2011
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Beach, Todd P., Greaney, Mark V., Wright, Ian C., Willett, Kraig A., Sargent, Nathan T., Johnson, Matthew D., Zimmerman, Gery M., Harper, Kevin R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blau, Stephen L.
• Application Number:
  US12/986,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20110105242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 473/307, 473/309, 473/288, 473/314, 473/315, 473/296, 473/298, 473/299, 473244-246, 473/248
• US Class Current: 473/307
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/023 adjustable angular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/08 with special arrangements for obtaining a variable impact
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

A golf club comprises a shaft, a club head, and a connection assembly that allows the shaft to be easily disconnected from the club head. In particular embodiments, the connection assembly includes a removable hosel sleeve that allows a shaft to be supported a desired predetermined orientation relative to the club head. In this manner, the shaft loft and/or lie angle of the club can be adjusted without resorting to traditional bending of the shaft. In another embodiment, the club head has an adjustable sole that can be adjusted upwardly and downwardly relative to the strike face of the club head, which is effective to adjust the face angle of the club head.

Claims

1. A golf club shaft assembly for attaching to a club head, the assembly comprising:

a shaft having a lower end portion; and

a sleeve mounted on the lower end portion of the shaft and configured to be inserted into a hosel opening of the club head, the sleeve having an upper portion defining an upper opening that receives the lower end portion of the shaft and a lower portion having a plurality of longitudinally extending, angularly spaced external splines located below the shaft and adapted to mate with complimentary splines in the hosel opening, the lower portion defining a longitudinally extending, internally threaded opening adapted to receive a screw having a nominal diameter of about 4 mm for securing the shaft assembly to the club head when the sleeve is inserted in the hosel opening,

wherein each spline has two radially extending sidewalls that diverge from each other moving in a direction from the base of the spline to its outer surface, and each spline has a mid-span width to height ratio of about 1 to about 22, and a mid-span width to average diameter ratio of about 0.1 to about 0.5; and

wherein the upper portion of the sleeve has an upper flange surface that is adapted to engage a hosel of the club head when the sleeve is inserted into the hosel opening, and the sleeve and the shaft have a combined axial stiffness from the upper flange surface to a lower end of the sleeve of about 1.86×

10⁸ N/m or less.

2. The assembly according to claim 1 in combination with the screw, wherein the sleeve, the shaft, and the screw have a combined axial stiffness from the upper flange surface to a head of the screw of about 9.27×

10⁷ N/m or less.

3. A removable shaft assembly for a golf club having a hosel defining a hosel opening, the assembly comprising:

a shaft having a lower end portion; and

a sleeve mounted on the lower end portion of the shaft and configured to be inserted into the hosel opening of the club head, the sleeve having an upper portion defining an upper opening that receives the lower end portion of the shaft and a lower portion having a plurality of longitudinally extending, angularly spaced external splines located below the shaft and adapted to mate with complimentary splines in the hosel opening, the lower portion defining a longitudinally extending, internally threaded opening adapted to receive a screw for securing the shaft assembly to the club head when the sleeve is inserted in the hosel opening;

wherein the upper portion of the sleeve has an upper thrust surface that is adapted to engage the hosel of the club head when the sleeve is inserted into the hosel opening, and the sleeve and the shaft have a combined axial stiffness from the upper thrust surface to a lower end of the sleeve of less than about 1.87×

10⁸ N/m.

4. The assembly according to claim 3, wherein each spline has two radially extending sidewalls that diverge from each other moving in a direction from the base of the spline to its outer surface, and each spline has a mid-span width to height ratio of about 1 to about 22, and a mid-span width to average diameter ratio of about 0.1 to about 0.5.

5. The assembly according to claim 3 in combination with the screw, wherein a head of the screw has a bearing surface that contacts a surface in the club head when the screw is tightened into the threaded opening of the sleeve, and wherein the sleeve, the shaft, and the screw have a combined axial stiffness from the upper thrust surface to the bearing surface of the screw head of less than about 1.12×

10⁸ N/m.

6. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein the sleeve, the shaft, and the screw have a combined axial stiffness from the upper thrust surface to the bearing surface of the screw head of about 9.27×

10⁷ N/m or less.

7. The assembly according to claim 5 in further combination with the club head, wherein the ratio of the combined axial stiffness of the sleeve, the shaft, and the screw to the axial stiffness of the hosel from the upper thrust surface to the bearing surface of the screw head is less than 0.88.

8. The assembly according to claim 7, wherein the ratio of the combined axial stiffness of the sleeve, the shaft, and the screw to the axial stiffness of the hosel from the upper thrust surface to the bearing surface of the screw head is about 0.73 or less.

9. The assembly according to claim 3, wherein the external splines have sidewalls having a height between about 0.5 mm to about 1.0 mm and a width between about 1.0 mm to about 2.0 mm.