METHOD OF FITTING A GOLF CLUB SHAFT TO A HEAD
United States Patent 3685135
A golf club shaft has a head end consisting of a cylinder of substantially constant wall thickness. This end of the shaft is to be connected to the socket of a conventional golf club head and in order to match the shaft with a selected golf club head a portion of the cylinder is severed. The shaft is thus matched in length and flexibility characteristics to the selected golf club head. A matched set of shafts may be provided by selecting a plurality of initially identical shafts and severing selected amounts from the shafts.
US Patent References:
Stepped shaft and method of making the same
Lagerblade - April 1936 - 2037636
Hollow metal shaft and manufacture of same
McMinn - November 1937 - 2100307
Golf club
Vickery - July 1941 - 2250441
Golf shaft
Vickery - July 1941 - 2250428
Golf club shaft
Redmond - July 1961 - 2991080
Stepped shaft and method of making the same
Lagerblade - April 1936 - 2037636
Hollow metal shaft and manufacture of same
McMinn - November 1937 - 2100307
Golf club
Vickery - July 1941 - 2250441
Golf shaft
Vickery - July 1941 - 2250428
Golf club shaft
Redmond - July 1961 - 2991080
Application Number:
05/009876
Publication Date:
08/22/1972
Filing Date:
02/09/1970
View Patent Images:
Export Citation:
Assignee:
Ben Sayers Limited (East Lothian, SC)
Primary Class:
Other Classes:
29/445, 473/305, 473/289
International Classes:
A63B53/00; B23P19/00
Field of Search:
273/8B,8R,8C,80.1,80.2,80.3 29/400,445,428
Primary Examiner:
Campbell, John F.
Assistant Examiner:
Rooney, Donald P.
Claims:
What is claimed is
1. A method of fitting a golf club shaft to a selected golf club head, including the steps of selecting a shaft having a head end which terminates in a hollow cylinder of substantially constant diameter throughout the length of said cylinder and constant wall thickness throughout the length of said cylinder, matching the shaft in length and flexibility characteristics to the selected golf club head by severing part of the end of said cylinder, mounting in the socket of the club head the end of the shortened shaft from which said part has been severed and securing the shaft thereto to provide a club of desired length and flexibility characteristics.
1. A method of fitting a golf club shaft to a selected golf club head, including the steps of selecting a shaft having a head end which terminates in a hollow cylinder of substantially constant diameter throughout the length of said cylinder and constant wall thickness throughout the length of said cylinder, matching the shaft in length and flexibility characteristics to the selected golf club head by severing part of the end of said cylinder, mounting in the socket of the club head the end of the shortened shaft from which said part has been severed and securing the shaft thereto to provide a club of desired length and flexibility characteristics.
Description:
This invention relates to golf clubs and more particularly to shafts for golf clubs.
Hitherto in the manufacture of golf clubs it has been found necessary to manufacture for each club head a range of shafts of differing flexibilities, resilience or `whip`, the shafts for any one club head being of one length and tapered from one end to the other. These shafts are individually cold-drawn through a series of dies arranged in spaced-apart relationship, each die being variable in size so that the resultant shaft consists of a plurality of hollow tapered sections of circular cross-section.
Since the known shaft is tapered along its length one end is thick-walled and small in diameter whereas the other end is relatively thin-walled and large in diameter and the contribution of each shaft section to the flexibility of the shaft varies inversely with the diameter of the section. Thus, the section of smallest diameter, which is the section fitted to the club head, contributes the greatest proportion of the shaft's flexibility, and is usually referred to as the `whip zone` of the shaft.
Each shaft manufactured in the range for any one club head has the whip zone so proportioned during manufacturing as to impart a particular characteristic to the shaft. It is, therefore, usual for any adjustment to the length of the shaft to be made at the end of the shaft remote from the whip zone, because if the whip zone were shortened the characteristic of the shaft would be altered, and the diameter of the end of the shaft would be increased which could lead to difficulty in fitting the shaft to the socket of the club head.
It will be understood that a `set` of shafts consists of shafts which are matched in flexibility but which are of differing lengths so as to be matched to the requirements of club heads having differing amounts of `loft` carried out during manufacturing of the shaft.
It is a disadvantage of the above shaft that golf club manufacturers require to maintain an extensive stock of each shaft in the range for any specified club head, so that the total stock of shafts required for a range of differing club heads may be in the range 2 - 5 million.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the above disadvantages.
According to the present invention there is provided a shaft for a golf club, said shaft having a plurality of hollow sections of which at least one constitutes a hollow whip zone adapted for connection to a golf club head, and wherein said whip zone is in the form of a cylinder.
Further according to the present invention there is provided a method of fitting a shaft to a golf club head including the steps of selecting a shaft according to the last preceding paragraph, shortening the shaft by a selected amount by severing part of said cylinder, mounting the shortened shaft with the whip zone in the socket of the club head, and securing the shaft thereto.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of part of a shaft for a golf club; and
FIG. 2 shows the shaft fitted to a golf club head.
In the drawings a shaft 10 for a golf club has a plurality of sections 10A, 10B etc., only two of which are shown. The section 10A constitutes the `whip zone` of the shaft and is in the form of a hollow cylinder suitable for fitting to the socket 13 of a golf club head 12. The remaining sections 10B, 10C etc. are each tapered so that the diameter of the shaft increases as the number of sections 10B, 10C etc. increases.
In order to secure the shaft 10 to the club head 12 the section 10A is inserted in the socket 13 and the assembly firmly secured together by an adhesive such as an epoxy resin or by inserting a pin, grub or screw, or rivet 14 through the socket 13 and the section 10A diametrically with respect to the shaft 10. The pin may also be used in addition to the adhesive.
To assemble a set of golf clubs wherein the club heads are metallic, say nine in number, and graded in loft according to normal practice, nine identical shafts according to the present invention are selected and these are shortened by removing a selected amount from the cylindrical whip zone of the shaft in order to produce a set of shafts graded in length and in flexibility. The respective club heads and shafts are thereafter fitted and bonded together.
In order to manufacture the shaft according to the present invention a plurality of dies are arranged in spaced-apart relationship, the dies being of different sizes and all but the smallest die being variable in aperture or size. The shaft is cold-drawn through the dies and the die of fixed size produces the whip zone which is of constant diameter and constant wall thickness, in comparison to the sections produced by the other dies, which sections are tapered and of variable wall-thickness.
By virtue of the above-described embodiment only one shaft is required for a complete set of golf clubs so that the stock maintained by the club manufacturer may be greatly diminished. Alternatively, the manufacturer may wish to stock two shafts, each according to the present invention, but one shaft being of a suitable length for wooden club heads and the other for metallic club heads. Yet a further alternative would be to have a third shaft according to the present invention but suitable in length only for a putter.
Various modifications may be made, for example the whip zone may include two or more sections which are cylindrical but of differing diameters or the shaft may consist entirely of cylindrical sections of different diameters, or alternatively, the shaft may consist of only two sections, the whip zone which is cylindrical and a single tapered section.
It will be understood that a set of golf clubs may consist of any number of clubs (for example fourteen) and the club heads may be made of any suitable material such as stainless steel, plastics materials, aluminum or wood.
Hitherto in the manufacture of golf clubs it has been found necessary to manufacture for each club head a range of shafts of differing flexibilities, resilience or `whip`, the shafts for any one club head being of one length and tapered from one end to the other. These shafts are individually cold-drawn through a series of dies arranged in spaced-apart relationship, each die being variable in size so that the resultant shaft consists of a plurality of hollow tapered sections of circular cross-section.
Since the known shaft is tapered along its length one end is thick-walled and small in diameter whereas the other end is relatively thin-walled and large in diameter and the contribution of each shaft section to the flexibility of the shaft varies inversely with the diameter of the section. Thus, the section of smallest diameter, which is the section fitted to the club head, contributes the greatest proportion of the shaft's flexibility, and is usually referred to as the `whip zone` of the shaft.
Each shaft manufactured in the range for any one club head has the whip zone so proportioned during manufacturing as to impart a particular characteristic to the shaft. It is, therefore, usual for any adjustment to the length of the shaft to be made at the end of the shaft remote from the whip zone, because if the whip zone were shortened the characteristic of the shaft would be altered, and the diameter of the end of the shaft would be increased which could lead to difficulty in fitting the shaft to the socket of the club head.
It will be understood that a `set` of shafts consists of shafts which are matched in flexibility but which are of differing lengths so as to be matched to the requirements of club heads having differing amounts of `loft` carried out during manufacturing of the shaft.
It is a disadvantage of the above shaft that golf club manufacturers require to maintain an extensive stock of each shaft in the range for any specified club head, so that the total stock of shafts required for a range of differing club heads may be in the range 2 - 5 million.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the above disadvantages.
According to the present invention there is provided a shaft for a golf club, said shaft having a plurality of hollow sections of which at least one constitutes a hollow whip zone adapted for connection to a golf club head, and wherein said whip zone is in the form of a cylinder.
Further according to the present invention there is provided a method of fitting a shaft to a golf club head including the steps of selecting a shaft according to the last preceding paragraph, shortening the shaft by a selected amount by severing part of said cylinder, mounting the shortened shaft with the whip zone in the socket of the club head, and securing the shaft thereto.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of part of a shaft for a golf club; and
FIG. 2 shows the shaft fitted to a golf club head.
In the drawings a shaft 10 for a golf club has a plurality of sections 10A, 10B etc., only two of which are shown. The section 10A constitutes the `whip zone` of the shaft and is in the form of a hollow cylinder suitable for fitting to the socket 13 of a golf club head 12. The remaining sections 10B, 10C etc. are each tapered so that the diameter of the shaft increases as the number of sections 10B, 10C etc. increases.
In order to secure the shaft 10 to the club head 12 the section 10A is inserted in the socket 13 and the assembly firmly secured together by an adhesive such as an epoxy resin or by inserting a pin, grub or screw, or rivet 14 through the socket 13 and the section 10A diametrically with respect to the shaft 10. The pin may also be used in addition to the adhesive.
To assemble a set of golf clubs wherein the club heads are metallic, say nine in number, and graded in loft according to normal practice, nine identical shafts according to the present invention are selected and these are shortened by removing a selected amount from the cylindrical whip zone of the shaft in order to produce a set of shafts graded in length and in flexibility. The respective club heads and shafts are thereafter fitted and bonded together.
In order to manufacture the shaft according to the present invention a plurality of dies are arranged in spaced-apart relationship, the dies being of different sizes and all but the smallest die being variable in aperture or size. The shaft is cold-drawn through the dies and the die of fixed size produces the whip zone which is of constant diameter and constant wall thickness, in comparison to the sections produced by the other dies, which sections are tapered and of variable wall-thickness.
By virtue of the above-described embodiment only one shaft is required for a complete set of golf clubs so that the stock maintained by the club manufacturer may be greatly diminished. Alternatively, the manufacturer may wish to stock two shafts, each according to the present invention, but one shaft being of a suitable length for wooden club heads and the other for metallic club heads. Yet a further alternative would be to have a third shaft according to the present invention but suitable in length only for a putter.
Various modifications may be made, for example the whip zone may include two or more sections which are cylindrical but of differing diameters or the shaft may consist entirely of cylindrical sections of different diameters, or alternatively, the shaft may consist of only two sections, the whip zone which is cylindrical and a single tapered section.
It will be understood that a set of golf clubs may consist of any number of clubs (for example fourteen) and the club heads may be made of any suitable material such as stainless steel, plastics materials, aluminum or wood.