Releasable and interchangeable connections for golf club heads and shafts
View Patent ↗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) a first cylindrical structure having a cylindrical interior chamber for receiving a golf club shaft, a first rotation-inhibiting structure, and a securing structure; (b) a second cylindrical structure having a borehole for receiving the first cylindrical structure, and a second rotation-inhibiting structure that engages the first rotation-inhibiting structure and (c) a securing system for releasably engaging the securing structure. The shaft may extend at an angle from the shaft connection assembly so as to allow adjustment of the shaft position with respect to the club head by rotating the first cylindrical structure or exchanging the second cylindrical structure.
1. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly, comprising:
a first cylindrical structure having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the first end includes a first opening that defines a cylindrical interior chamber for receiving a golf club shaft, wherein an exterior surface of the cylindrical structure nearer to the first end than the second end includes a first rotation-inhibiting structure, and wherein the second end includes a securing structure;
a second cylindrical structure having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the first end defines an opening to a borehole for receiving the first cylindrical structure, wherein an interior surface of the second cylindrical structure nearer to the first end than the second end includes a second rotation-inhibiting structure, wherein an outer cylindrical surface of the second cylindrical structure extends in a first axial direction and the interior cylindrical surface of the borehole extends in a second axial direction that differs from the first axial direction, thereby creating a face angle offset for the second cylindrical structure, and further wherein the second cylindrical structure is reversible and orientable in two positions 180 degrees apart between an open face angle offset and a closed face angle offset; and
a securing system for releasably engaging the securing structure.
2. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the securing structure includes a threaded hole defined in the second end of the first cylindrical structure and the securing system includes a threaded bolt element that engages the threaded hole.
3. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the second end of the second cylindrical structure defines a second opening for receiving the securing member, wherein the second opening is sized such that the threaded bolt element is able to pass through the second opening so that the threaded bolt element engages the threaded hole in the first cylindrical structure.
4. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first rotation-inhibiting structure includes splines and the second rotation-inhibiting structure includes splines.
5. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first rotation-inhibiting structure engages the second rotation-inhibiting structure to prevent rotation of the first cylindrical structure with respect to the second cylindrical structure.
6. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first rotation-inhibiting structure extends less than 35% of an overall axial length of the first cylindrical structure.
7. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the second rotation-inhibiting structure extends less than 35% of an overall axial length of the second cylindrical structure.
8. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the exterior surface of the first cylindrical structure extends in a first axial direction and the cylindrical interior chamber extends in a second axial direction that differs from the first axial direction, thereby creating an offset angle for the first cylindrical structure.
9. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the exterior surface of the second cylindrical structure and the borehole are not coaxial.
10. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly, comprising:
a first cylindrical structure having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the first end includes a first opening that defines a cylindrical interior chamber for receiving a golf club shaft, wherein an exterior surface of the cylindrical structure nearer to the first end than the second end includes a first rotation-inhibiting structure, and wherein the second end includes a securing structure;
a second cylindrical structure having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the first end defines an opening to a borehole for receiving the first cylindrical structure, wherein an interior surface of the second cylindrical structure nearer to the first end than the second end includes a second rotation-inhibiting structure, wherein an outer cylindrical surface of the second cylindrical structure extends in a first axial direction and the interior cylindrical surface of the borehole extends in a second axial direction that differs from the first axial direction, thereby creating a lie angle offset for the second cylindrical structure, and further wherein the second cylindrical structure is reversible and orientable in two positions 180 degrees apart between an upright lie angle offset and a flat lie angle offset; and
a securing system for releasably engaging the securing structure.
11. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the securing structure includes a threaded hole defined in the second end of the first cylindrical structure and the securing system includes a threaded bolt element that engages the threaded hole.
12. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the first rotation-inhibiting structure includes splines and the second rotation-inhibiting structure includes splines.
13. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the first rotation-inhibiting structure engages the second rotation-inhibiting structure to prevent rotation of the first cylindrical structure with respect to the second cylindrical structure.
14. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the second end of the second cylindrical structure defines a second opening for receiving the securing member, wherein the second opening is sized such that the threaded bolt element is able to pass through the second opening so that the threaded bolt element engages the threaded hole in the first cylindrical structure.
15. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the first rotation-inhibiting structure extends less than 35% of an overall axial length of the first cylindrical structure.
16. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the second rotation-inhibiting structure extends less than 35% of an overall axial length of the second cylindrical structure.
17. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the exterior surface of the first cylindrical structure extends in a first axial direction and the cylindrical interior chamber extends in a second axial direction that differs from the first axial direction, thereby creating an offset angle for the first cylindrical structure.
18. A golf club head/shaft connection assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the exterior surface of the second cylindrical structure and the borehole are not coaxial.