Golf Club Head Adjustable Hosel Closed Sole Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional golf club heads with adjustable hosels have a sole opening that occupies space, reduces weight distribution, and is prone to dirt accumulation, affecting playability and mass distribution near the face.
Innovation Solution
A golf club head design featuring an adjustable hosel assembly with a plug assembly that reversibly fixes the hosel in place using a U-shaped flange and body-engagement screw, eliminating the need for a traditional internal hosel tube and creating a closed sole profile, allowing for improved weight distribution and reduced debris entry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a traditional internal hosel tube structure is used to support the through-bore, then the hosel assembly can be securely attached, but mass is placed close to the face which negatively affects playability
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the traditional internal hosel tube structure from the club head. Instead of having a tube extending through the face, the patent uses a hosel opening that receives a shaft sleeve directly, eliminating the need for internal structural support near the face and thereby reducing mass in that critical area.
Solution Approach 2:
The hosel assembly is divided into separate components: a hosel opening in the club body, a shaft sleeve with retention features, and a plug assembly. This segmentation allows the shaft sleeve to be adjustable while maintaining secure attachment without requiring a continuous internal tube structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a sole opening is provided for shaft sleeve attachment, then the hosel assembly can be adjusted, but the opening occupies space that could be used for weight distribution and is prone to dirt accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the traditional open sole opening design and replaces it with a closed sole profile. The shaft sleeve attachment is achieved through a hosel opening that can be covered by a plug assembly, eliminating the permanent open sole design that traps dirt and debris.
Solution Approach 2:
The sole opening is made dynamic rather than static - it can be open during adjustment operations and closed during play. The plug assembly can be inserted to close the hosel opening, transforming the sole from an permanently open configuration to a closed configuration that prevents dirt accumulation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a sole opening is provided for shaft sleeve attachment, then the hosel assembly can be adjusted, but the opening reduces the area available for weight addition to increase draw bias
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the permanent sole opening that consumes space for weight distribution. By using a closed sole profile with a plug assembly that can cover the hosel opening, the entire sole surface becomes available for weight addition to achieve desired draw bias, eliminating the space loss from a permanent opening.
Data Source
AI summary
A golf club head having an adjustable hosel assembly and a plug assembly that can reversibly secure the hosel assembly in a chosen configuration within the club head is disclosed herein. In particular, the hosel assembly includes a shaft sleeve that is trapped within a hosel opening with a screw that extends through an interior flange. The plug assembly includes a wedge-shaped flange that is inserted into an opening in the body and fits between the interior flange and the head of the screw to temporarily immobilize the shaft sleeve. The plug assembly preferably completely fills the opening in the body so as to preserve a smooth outer mold line of the club head and allow graphics or decorations to extend across the exterior surface without disruption.