Adjustable golf club

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9849348-B2
Application number	US-201514843856-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2015
Priority date	Mar 7, 2013
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed herein are embodiments of adjustable golf clubs comprising features which allow for the adjustment of a lie angle, a loft angle, or both a lie angle and a loft angle of the golf club. In some embodiments, a golf club head includes a body and a hosel, the hosel including an adjustment screw which can be tightened or loosened to adjust the lie and/or loft angles of a golf club head. In some embodiments, certain angles of a golf club head's geometry can be continuously adjustable through a predetermined range of angles.

First claim

We claim:

1. An iron-type golf club head comprising:
a main body including a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a top-line portion, and a face portion, wherein said sole portion extends rearwardly from a lower end of said face portion;
a hosel attached to the main body and having a shaft bore for receiving one end of a golf club shaft, said shaft bore having a longitudinal axis and a desired orientation relative to said body, said hosel having a neck connected to said heel portion of said body; and
a notch having a height H and a width W, wherein the height H is between 0.9 mm and 5 mm, and the width W is between 2.0 mm and 8.0 mm, and wherein the notch is formed in the hosel and the notch extends inward from a periphery of the hosel toward the longitudinal axis of the shaft bore;
wherein the notch extends inward from a periphery of the hosel beyond the longitudinal axis of the shaft bore.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 , further comprising an opening in a bottom portion of the shaft bore that provides communication between the shaft bore and the notch; and
a screw having a head portion and a threaded portion, wherein the threaded portion extends into the hosel through the opening.

3. The golf club head of claim 2 , wherein adjustment of the screw causes the hosel to rotate with respect to the main body, thereby changing a lie angle of the club head.

4. The golf club head of claim 2 , wherein adjustment of the screw causes the hosel to rotate with respect to the main body, thereby changing a loft angle of the club head.

5. The golf club head of claim 2 , further comprising a threaded boss element coupled to the hosel proximate the opening that provides communication between the shaft bore and the notch.

6. The golf club head of claim 2 , wherein a range limiter coupled to the hosel mechanically limits tightening of the screw.

7. The golf club head of claim 2 , further comprising indicators located on at least one of the screw and the hosel, which indicate a level to which the screw is tightened.

8. An iron type golf club head comprising:
a main body including a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a top-line portion, and a face portion, wherein said sole portion extends rearwardly from a lower end of said face portion;
a hosel attached to the main body and having a shaft bore for receiving one end of a golf club shaft, said shaft bore having a longitudinal axis and a desired orientation relative to said body, said hosel having a neck connected to said heel portion of said body;
a notch having a height H and a width W, wherein the height H is between 0.9 mm and 5 mm, and the width W is between 2.0 mm and 8.0 mm, and wherein the notch is formed in the hosel and the notch extends inward from a periphery of the hosel toward the longitudinal axis of the shaft bore; and
a screw extending into the hosel and through the notch such that adjustment of the screw causes the hosel to bend at the notch;
the hosel comprising an adjustment bore within which a head of the screw is positioned and an opening connecting the adjustment bore to the notch; and
the screw extends from the adjustment bore, through the opening, through the notch, and threads into an upper portion of the hosel.

9. The golf club head of claim 8 , further comprising a bearing pad situated between the head of the screw and the opening.

10. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein the bearing pad comprises a spherical surface which can mate with the head of the screw.

11. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein the bearing pad comprises a cylindrical surface which can mate with the head of the screw.

12. The golf club head of claim 9 , further comprising a retaining ring situated within the adjustment bore.

13. The golf club head of claim 12 , wherein the retaining ring comprises a spherical surface which can mate with the head of the screw.

14. The golf club head of claim 12 , wherein the retaining ring comprises a cylindrical surface which can mate with the head of the screw.

Assignees

• Taylor Made Golf Co

Inventors

• Beach Todd P
• Wahl Bret H
• Taylor Scott
• Larsen Peter L

Classifications

• A63B53/047

  iron-type · CPC title

• A63B2053/023

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A63B53/02 Primary

  Joint structures between the head and the shaft · CPC title

• A63B2053/025

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A63B2053/026

  Human Necessities · mapped topic