Releasable and interchangeable connections for golf club heads and shafts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9744411-B2
Application number	US-201514660090-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2015
Priority date	Aug 23, 2011
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

Golf club heads are releasably engaged with shafts so that the club heads and shafts can be readily interchanged and/or so that the shaft position with respect to the club head can be readily changed. Assemblies for connecting the club head and shaft may include: a shaft adapter, a collet, a ferrule, and a club head having an interior chamber. The club head and shaft may be changed by releasing the securing system and exchanging the original parts with different parts.

First claim

I claim:

1. A golf club having a coupled head and shaft comprising:
a connection mechanism to couple the head to the shaft, the connection mechanism including a hosel adapter having an outer wall insertable into a hosel of the head and rotatable inside the hosel between a first plurality of rotational positions, the hosel adapter having a first internal inclined bore, and a shaft adapter coupled to the shaft at a distal end and having an outer wall configured to fit into the first internal inclined bore, the shaft adapter being rotatable inside the first internal inclined bore between a second plurality of rotational positions, the shaft adapter having a second internal inclined bore receiving the distal end of the shaft;
further wherein the first plurality of rotational positions is limited by the engagement between the hosel adapter and the hosel of the head and the second plurality of rotational positions is limited by the engagement between the hosel adapter and the shaft adapter, the first plurality of rotational positions changes a first angular relationship between the head and the shaft and the second plurality of rotational positions changes a second angular relationship between the head and the shaft, wherein a first spline configuration between the hosel adapter and the hosel of the head is defined by a first non-uniform rotation-inhibiting structure around the circumference of the outer wall of the hosel adapter and a second non-uniform rotation-inhibiting structure around the circumference of an interior bore of the hosel, and a second spline configuration between the hosel adapter and the shaft adapter is defined by a third non-uniform rotation-inhibiting structure around the circumference of the outer wall of the shaft adapter and a fourth non-uniform rotation-inhibiting structure around the circumference of the first internal inclined bore of the hosel adapter; and
a grip member engaged with the shaft, wherein the grip member includes a rotation position indicator which includes setting adjustments for one or more of the first angular relationship and the second angular relationship.

2. The golf club of claim 1 , wherein the first angular relationship and the second angular relationship are adjusted effectively independently of each other and the first angular relationship is one of a face angle or a loft angle and the second angular relationship is the other of the face angle or the loft angle.

3. The golf club of claim 2 , wherein the rotation position indicator includes setting adjustments for the face angle.

4. The golf club of claim 3 , wherein the engagement of the hosel adapter and the hosel of the head limits the adjustability of the face angle to three different face angles.

5. The golf club of claim 4 , wherein the setting adjustments for the face angle include an “O” for open face angle, an “N” for neutral face angle, and a “C” for closed face angle.

6. The golf club of claim 2 , wherein the rotation position indicator includes setting adjustments for the loft angle.

7. The golf club of claim 6 , wherein the engagement of the shaft adapter and the hosel adapter limits the adjustability of the loft angle to five different loft angles.

8. The golf club of claim 7 , wherein the five loft angles are 8.5 degrees, 9.5 degrees, 10.5 degrees, 11.5 degrees, and 12.5 degrees.

9. The golf club of claim 1 , wherein the rotation position indicator includes a set of lines located along the grip to assist with accurate and repeatable head alignment.

10. The golf club of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the shaft adapter or hosel adapter is releasably connected to either the shaft or the head.

11. The golf club of claim 1 , wherein the first angular relationship is a face angle of the head and the second angular relationship is a loft angle of the head.

12. A golf club having a coupled head and shaft comprising:
a connection mechanism to couple the head to the shaft, said connection mechanism including a pair of radially nested mutually independently rotatable members, one of the rotatable members having an outer wall configured to fit inside the head and the other of the rotatable members having a bore for receiving the shaft, both members having inclined bores whereby two angular relationship parameters between the head and the shaft are adjusted effectively independently of each other, wherein the two angular relationships are a loft angle of the head and a face angle of the head, and further wherein the rotation of a first member with respect to the head is limited by the engagement between the first member and the head and the rotation of a second member with respect to the first member is limited by the engagement between the first member and the second member, wherein a first spline configuration between the first member and the head is defined by a first non-uniform rotation-inhibiting structure around the circumference of the outer wall of the first member and a second non-uniform rotation-inhibiting structure around the circumference of an interior bore of the club head, and a second spline configuration between the first member and the second member is defined by a third non-uniform rotation-inhibiting structure around the circumference of the outer wall of the second member and a fourth non-uniform rotation-inhibiting structure around the circumference of the internal inclined bore of the first member; and
a grip member engaged with the shaft, wherein the grip member includes a rotation position indicator which includes setting adjustments for one or more of the two angular relationship parameters between the head and the shaft.

13. The golf club of claim 12 , wherein the rotation position indicator includes setting adjustments for the face angle.

14. The golf club of claim 13 , wherein the engagement of the hosel adapter and the hosel of the head limits the adjustability of the face angle to three different face angles.

15. The golf club of claim 14 , wherein the setting adjustments for the face angle include an “O” for open face angle, an “N” for neutral face angle, and a “C” for closed face angle.

16. The golf club of claim 12 , wherein the rotation position indicator includes setting adjustments for the loft angle.

17. The golf club of claim 16 , wherein the engagement of the shaft adapter and the hosel adapter limits the adjustability of the loft angle to five different loft angles.

18. The golf club of claim 17 , wherein the five loft angles are 8.5 degrees, 9.5 degrees, 10.5 degrees, 11.5 degrees, and 12.5 degrees.

19. The golf club of claim 12 , wherein the rotation position indicator includes a set of lines located along the grip to assist with accurate and repeatable golf club head alignment.

Assignees

• Nike Inc
• Karsten Mfg Corp

Inventors

• Sander Raymond J

Classifications

• A63B2053/026

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A63B53/16

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A63B2053/023

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A63B53/14

  Handles · CPC title

• A63B2053/025

  Human Necessities · mapped topic