Temporary golf club shaft-component connection

Abstract

A temporary shaft-component connection for assembling a selected golf club shaft with a club head and/or hand grip segment, to facilitate custom club design and fitting to suit the needs and preferences of an individual golfer. The temporary shaft-component connection is particularly designed for use with nonmetallic club shafts formed from a graphite-based composite material or the like having a range of different lengths and stiffness (whip) characteristics. In a shaft-head connection, a metal adapter insert is mounted onto a lower end of the club shaft and includes one or more flat surfaces for reception into a matingly shaped socket in the hosel of a selected club head to prevent relative rotation between the club shaft and head. A compression nut carried on the shaft is threaded onto the hosel to axially engage and retain a thrust flange on the shaft or adapter or adapter insert, to prevent axial separation of the club head and shaft.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 60 / 398,548, filed Jul. 24, 2002, U.S. Provisional Application 60 / 438,254, filed Jan. 2, 2003, U.S. Provisional Application 60 / 438,040, filed Jan. 2, 2003, and U.S. Provisional Application 60 / 467,109, filed Apr. 30, 2003.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates generally to improvements in golf clubs. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved temporary connection between a golf club shaft and an additional component such as a golf club head to facilitate customized golf club construction to suit the needs and preferences of an individual golfer. [0003] Golf clubs are well known in the art, to include a club head such as a wood-type or iron-type club head mounted at a lower end of an elongated club shaft. An upper end of the club shaft has a resilient grip mounted thereon and designed for comfortable manual grasping and swinging of the golf club to strike a golf ball. In modern g...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] In accordance with the invention, a temporary shaft-component connection is provided for quickly and easily assembling a selected golf club shaft with a selected golf club head and/or hand grip segment, to facilitate custom club design and fitting to suit the needs an

Problems solved by technology

Heretofore, it has not been practical or feasible for club shafts and club heads to be interchanged quickly and easily.

Accordingly, it has not been possible for a golfer to sample and test a large number of different club shaft-head combinations, without requiring the golf shop to carry

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