GOLF CLUB WITH ADJUSTABLE HOSEL ANGLE

• US 20120302366A1
• Filed: 08/07/2012
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Murphy, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 8,616,996 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/314
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• 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 53/025 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
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/026 loft angle only, i.e. relative angular adjustment between the shaft and the club head about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the intended line of play when the club is in its normal address position

Abstract

A golf club head with an adjustable hosel that sits within a cavity loaded with filler material. The cavity may generally extend from crown to sole or, in the alternative, extend only a partial amount of the distance from the crown to the sole.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a body comprising a face, a sole, a toe, a heel, a cavity, and a hosel, wherein the cavity comprises an outer shell having a rounded bottom, wherein at least a portion of the outer shell comprises a filler material,

wherein the filler material is malleable above a predetermined temperature.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the predetermined temperature is about 120°

F.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein the predetermined temperature is about 130°

F.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the predetermined temperature is about 140°

F. or higher.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head has a face angle that is adjustable by about 10°

or less from a square alignment when the filler material exceeds the predetermined temperature.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head has a lie angle that is adjustable by about 20°

in either direction when the filler material exceeds the predetermined temperature.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head has a lie angle that is adjustable between about 40°

and about 60°

when the filler material exceeds the predetermined temperature.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head has a loft angle that is adjustable by about 5°

or less from the preset loft angle when the filler material exceeds the predetermined temperature.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head has a loft angle that is adjustable between about 0.5°

and about 5°

from a preset loft angle when the filler material exceeds the predetermined temperature.

10. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the filler material comprises a thermoplastic material.

11. A golf club head comprising:

a body comprising a face, a sole, a toe, a heel, a crown, a cavity, and a hosel, wherein the cavity comprises an outer shell and filler material disposed within at least a portion of the outer shell, and wherein the hosel and cavity together comprise a locking mechanism to prevent twisting of the hosel,

wherein the hosel is disposed within the filler material, and wherein the hosel is adjustable when the filler material exceeds a predetermined temperature.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the cavity extends from the crown to the sole.

13. The golf club of claim 11, wherein the cavity extends less than 75 percent of the distance from the crown to the sole.

14. The golf club of claim 11, wherein the locking mechanism comprises one or more paddles located on the hosel that correspond to one or more receptacles located in the bottom of the cavity.

15. The golf club of claim 14, wherein the hosel comprises a paddle comprising a plurality of prongs sized to fit within a receptacle located in the bottom of the cavity.

16. A golf club head comprising:

a body comprising a face, a sole, a toe, a heel, a crown, a cavity, and a hosel, wherein the cavity comprises an outer shell and filler material disposed within at least a portion of the outer shell, and wherein the hosel comprises a plurality of indentations that may be filled with the filler material,

wherein the hosel is disposed within the filler material, and wherein the hosel is adjustable when the filler material exceeds a predetermined temperature.

17. The golf club of claim 16, wherein the filler material comprises a thermoplastic material.

18. The golf club of claim 16, wherein the predetermined temperature is about 120°

F.

19. The golf club of claim 16, wherein at least one of the face angle, lie angle, and loft angle are adjustable when the filler material exceeds a predetermined temperature.

20. The golf club of claim 19, wherein the face angle is adjustable by about 10°

or less from a square alignment, the lie angle is adjustable by about 20°

in either direction, and the loft angle is adjustable by about 5°

or less from the preset loft angle.