Interchangeable shaft system
View Patent ↗A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The shaft sleeve is removably coupled to the club head. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features provide discreet orientations between the shaft and club head.
1. A golf club, comprising:
a golf club head including a hosel and a plurality of hosel alignment features, wherein the hosel defines a sleeve bore and the hosel alignment features are disposed adjacent a proximal end of the hosel;
an elongate shaft;
a shaft sleeve coupled to a distal end portion of the shaft, the shaft sleeve including a sleeve body and a plurality of sleeve alignment features;
a wedge member including a plurality of wedge alignment features, wherein the wedge member is interposed between the shaft sleeve and the hosel; and
a fastener that releasably couples the shaft sleeve to the club head,
wherein the wedge member provides a wedge angle between the shaft sleeve and the hosel,
wherein the shaft sleeve provides a shaft angle between the shaft sleeve and the shaft, wherein the wedge member defines a wedge maximum angular deflection plane and the shaft sleeve defines a sleeve maximum angular deflection plane, and wherein the alignment features are configured so that the wedge maximum angular deflection plane and the sleeve maximum angular deflection plane are able to be selectively aligned with each other only on a 45° alignment plane and a 135° alignment plane of the golf club head.
2. The golf club of claim 1 , wherein the magnitudes of the wedge angle in the wedge maximum angular deflection plane and the shaft angle in the sleeve maximum angular deflection plane are different.
3. The golf club of claim 2 , wherein the magnitude of the shaft angle in the sleeve maximum angular deflection plane is greater than the magnitude of the wedge angle in the wedge maximum angular deflection plane.
4. The golf club of claim 1 , wherein the magnitude of the shaft angle in the sleeve maximum angular deflection plane is less than about 5°.
5. The golf club of claim 1 , wherein the magnitude of the wedge angle in the wedge maximum angular deflection plane is less than about 5°.
6. The golf club of claim 1 , wherein the wedge member includes end surfaces that are angled relative to each other, wherein a first end surface abuts a portion of the shaft sleeve and a second end surface abuts a portion of the hosel.
7. The golf club of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the hosel alignment features, the sleeve alignment features and the wedge alignment features comprise a plurality of tangs.
8. The golf club of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the tangs includes at least one indicium.
9. The golf club of claim 8 , wherein the at least one indicium provides at least one of a qualitative and a quantitative indication of the golf club loft and lie orientations.