Golf clubs with adjustable loft and lie and methods of manufacturing golf clubs with adjustable loft and lie

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9675854-B2
Application number	US-201514705841-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2015
Priority date	May 9, 2014
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments of golf clubs having a body, a hosel portion, and an adjustment portion, wherein the adjustment portion is configured to adjust the loft and lie of the club head are described herein. Also described herein are methods of manufacturing golf clubs having a body, a hosel portion, and an adjustment portion, wherein the adjustment portion is configured to adjust the loft and lie of the club head. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A golf club head comprising:
a body portion having a face portion and a lower hosel portion, the lower hosel portion of the body having an insert receptacle with a plurality of grooves, and a bore extending through a bottom of the insert receptacle;
an upper hosel portion configured to couple to a shaft; and
an adjustment portion configured to couple the upper hosel portion and the body portion, the adjustment portion being separate from the upper hosel portion and the body portion and rotatable relative to the upper hosel portion and the body portion at a plurality of positions, each of the plurality of positions corresponding to one of a different loft angle or a different lie angle of the face portion, wherein the adjustment portion comprises:
an insert having:
an upper section configured to receive the upper hosel portion, the upper section having a first bore and a second bore alignable with a hole in the upper hosel portion;
a middle section having a shape corresponding to the shape of the insert receptacle and a plurality of axial projections, such that the middle section is configured to be received in the insert receptacle; and
a lower section having a bore;

a first fastener insertable through the bore at the bottom of the insert receptacle and the bore in the lower section of the insert to couple the body to the insert; and
a second fastener insertable through the hole in the upper hosel portion and the first or second bore in the upper section of the insert to couple the insert to the upper hosel portion.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the upper hosel portion and the body portion are rotationally coupled about an axis transverse to a shaft axis when a shaft is coupled to the upper hosel portion.

3. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment portion is rotatable about an axis transverse to a shaft axis when a shaft is coupled to the upper hosel portion.

4. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the upper hosel portion and the body portion are rotationally coupled about an axis generally in the same direction as a shaft axis when a shaft is coupled to the upper hosel portion.

5. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment portion is rotatable about an axis generally in the same direction as a shaft axis when a shaft is coupled to the upper hosel portion.

6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment portion comprises an indicator configured to indicate one of the loft angle or the lie angle of the face portion.

7. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein an indication of the loft angle of the face portion is visible through an opening in at least one of the upper hosel portion or the body portion.

8. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of grooves in the insert receptacle includes four radially spaced grooves.

9. The golf club head of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of axial projections of the middle section of the insert includes four radially spaced projections corresponding to the four radially spaced grooves of the insert receptacle.

10. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein the insert is rotatable relative to the upper hosel portion and the body portion at four positions, each of the four positions corresponding to a different loft angle of the face portion.

11. A method of manufacturing a golf club head comprising:
forming a body portion having a face portion and a lower hosel portion, the lower hosel portion of the body having an insert receptacle with a plurality of grooves, and a bore extending through a bottom of the insert receptacle;
forming an upper hosel portion configured to couple to a shaft; and
forming an adjustment portion configured to couple the upper hosel portion and the body portion, the adjustment portion being separate from the upper hosel portion and the body portion and being rotatable relative to the upper hosel portion and the body portion at a plurality of positions, each of the plurality of positions corresponding to a different one of a loft angle or a lie angle of the face portion, wherein the adjustment portion comprises:
an insert having:
an upper section configured to receive the upper hosel portion, the upper section having a first bore and a second bore alignable with a hole in the upper hosel portion;
a middle section having a shape corresponding to the shape of the insert receptacle and a plurality of axial projections, such that the middle section is configured to be received in the insert receptacle; and
a lower section having a bore;

a first fastener insertable through the bore at the bottom of the insert receptacle and the bore in the lower section of the insert to couple the body to the insert; and
a second fastener insertable through the hole in the upper hosel portion and the first or second bore in the upper section of the insert to couple the insert to the upper hosel portion.

12. The method of claim 11 , comprising forming the upper hosel portion and the body portion such that the upper hosel portion and the body portion are rotationally coupled about an axis transverse to a shaft axis when a shaft is coupled to the upper hosel portion.

13. The method of claim 11 , comprising forming the adjustment portion such that the loft adjustment portion is rotatable about an axis transverse to a shaft axis when a shaft is coupled to the upper hosel portion.

14. The method of claim 11 , comprising forming the upper hosel portion and the body portion such that the upper hosel portion and the body portion are rotationally coupled about an axis generally in the same direction as a shaft axis when a shaft is coupled to the upper hosel portion.

15. The method of claim 11 , comprising forming the adjustment portion such that the adjustment portion is rotatable about an axis generally in the same direction as a shaft axis when a shaft is coupled to the upper hosel portion.

16. The method of claim 11 , comprising forming the adjustment portion such that the adjustment portion comprises an indicator configured to indicate one of the loft angle or the lie angle of the face portion.

17. The method of claim 11 , comprising forming at least one of the upper hosel portion or the body portion such that an indication of the loft angle of the face portion is visible through an opening in at least one of the upper hosel portion or the body portion.

18. The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of grooves in the insert receptacle includes four radially spaced grooves.

19. The golf club head of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of axial projections of the middle section of the insert includes four radially spaced projections corresponding to the four radially spaced grooves of the insert receptacle.

20. The golf club head of claim 19 , wherein the insert is rotatable relative to the upper hosel portion and the body portion at four positions, each of the four positions corresponding to a different loft angle of the face portion.

Assignees

• Karsten Mfg Corp

Inventors

• Wang Calvin
• Chen Xiaojian
• Henrikson Erik

Classifications

• A63B2071/0694

  Visual indication, e.g. Indicia · CPC title

• Y10T29/49002

  Electrical device making · CPC title

• A63B53/065

  for putters · CPC title

• A63B53/0487 Primary

  for putters (A63B53/065 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A63B60/42

  Devices for measuring, verifying, correcting or customising the inherent characteristics of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like, e.g. measuring the maximum torque a batting shaft can withstand · CPC title