Golf club with adjustable hosel angle
View Patent ↗A golf club head with an adjustable hosel that sits within a cavity loaded with filler material. The cavity may generally extend from crown to sole or, in the alternative, extend only a partial amount of the distance from the crown to the sole.
1. A golf club head comprising:
a body comprising a face, a sole, a toe, a heel, a crown, a cavity, and a hosel,
wherein a filler material is disposed within the cavity,
wherein the hosel is disposed within the filler material,
wherein the filler material is in a solid state at temperatures below a predetermined temperature and in a viscous state at temperatures above the predetermined temperature,
wherein the hosel, filler material, and cavity are operable together as a locking mechanism to secure the hosel in the cavity when the filler material is in a solid state,
wherein the hosel is manipulable within the cavity for adjusting at least one angle of the club head when the filler material is in a viscous state,
wherein the at least one angle of the club head that is adjustable is at least one selected from: a lie angle of the club head, and a loft angle of the club head.
2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the locking mechanism comprises one or more paddles located on the hosel that correspond to one or more receptacles located in the bottom of the cavity.
3. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the hosel comprises a paddle comprising a plurality of prongs sized to fit within a receptacle located in the bottom of the cavity.
4. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the cavity extends from the crown to the sole.
5. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the cavity extends less than 75 percent of the distance from the crown to the sole.
6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the cavity has a rounded bottom.
7. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined temperature is about 120° F.
8. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the filler material comprises a thermoplastic material.
9. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein
the locking mechanism comprises one or more recesses located on one of the hosel and an interior surface of the cavity, and one or more projections located on the other of the hosel and the interior surface of the cavity, the one or more projections being sized to fit within the one or more recesses.
10. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein the predetermined temperature is about 120° F.
11. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein the filler material comprises a thermoplastic material.
12. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein the filler material has a glass transition temperature of about 130° F. or greater.
13. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein the filler material comprises polyurethane.
14. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the filler material has a specific gravity of less than 1.5.
15. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the at least one angle of the club head that is adjustable comprises both a lie angle of the club head and a loft angle of the club head.
16. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the at least one angle of the club head that is adjustable further comprises a face angle of the club head.
17. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the at least one angle of the club head that is adjustable comprises each of a lie angle, a loft angle, and a face angle of the club head.
18. A golf club head comprising:
a body comprising a face, a sole, a toe, a heel, a crown, a cavity, and a hosel,
wherein a filler material is disposed within the cavity,
wherein the hosel is disposed within the filler material,
wherein the filler material is in a solid state at temperatures below a predetermined temperature and in a viscous state at temperatures above the predetermined temperature,
wherein the hosel, filler material, and cavity are operable together as a locking mechanism to secure the hosel in the cavity when the filler material is in a solid state,
wherein the hosel is manipulable within the cavity in three degrees of freedom when the filler material is in a viscous state, and
wherein the three degrees of freedom in which the club head is adjustable comprises each of a lie angle, a loft angle, and a face angle of the club head.
19. The golf club head of claim 18 , wherein the predetermined temperature is about 120° F.
20. The golf club head of claim 18 , wherein the filler material comprises a thermoplastic material.
21. The golf club head of claim 18 , wherein the filler material comprises polyurethane.
22. The golf club head of claim 18 , wherein the filler material has a glass transition temperature of about 130° F. or greater.
23. The golf club head of claim 18 , wherein the filler material has a specific gravity of less than 1.5.
24. The golf club head of claim 18 , wherein at least one additive is present in the filler material, and the combined specific gravity of the filler material with the at least one additive is greater than about 5.