Golf club

Oct. 31, 1933.

1,932,902

j. c. mcdowell

GOLF CLUB

Filed Sept. 3, 1931

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ATTORNEY

Patented Oct. 31, 1933

1,932,902

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

1,932,902

GOLF CLUB '

James Clarence McDowell, Fort Myers, Fla.

Application September 3, 1931. Serial No. 561,056

Claim. (CI. 273—80)

My invention relates to golf clubs and particularly to the form of the connection between the shaft of the club and the club head.

The invention relates more particularly to steel 5 shafted clubs now in common use and a primary object of the invention is to provide ah improved method and means of fixing the shaft to the golf club head without the use of rivets and without any metal to metal contact whatsoever between 10 the shaft and club head.

Another object of the invention is to provide a resilient connection between the end of the shaft and the club head which will absorb vibration transmitted by the head as ! a result of contact 15 with the ball and will prevent the vibration or shock being transmitted to the hands of the player through the shaft of the club, thereby effectually preventing any possibility of “hand sting” which is a common cause of complaint against 20 ordinary types of steel shafted clubs.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a resilient connection between the steel shaft and club head vzhich will permit a torque or twist between the shaft and club head thus pro25 longing the moment of contact between the club and ball and permitting a certainty of control such as has heretofore only been associated with hickory shafted clubs.

A still further object of the invention is to pro30 vide a steel shafted club having all of the advantages of both steel and hickory shafts but none of the disadvantages of either.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a strong and efficient connection between the 35 club head and shaft vzhich will be cheap and easy to manufacture, which will not be likely to work loose from continued use of the club, and which may readily be tightened in case the parts become loosened for any reason.

⁴⁰ Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, which ₄₅ forms a part of this specification and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section of an iron type club embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view, partly in section illustrating the invention applied to a wooden club 50 head;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3—3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 4—4 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged central sectional view through the lower end of the shaft and neck of the club.

In the drawing, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughput the-same, 10 indicates a metal shaft vzhich may be tapered in form or not, 60 as desired, the invention being equally well adapted for use with both types. The lower end 11 of the shaft 10 is split as at 12, any desired, number of splits being provided extending upwardly from the lower end a short distance to permit spread- 65 ing of said end as hereinafter described.

A hood or socket 13 of resilient material, preferably a rubber composition, is vulcanized around the lower end of the shaft completely enclosing the same. The hood extends upwardly on the· 70 shaft a distance slightly greater than the depth of the bore 14 in the neck or hosel portion 14 of the club heads 16 and 17. The thickness and length of the resilient hood 13 may be varied to suit the convenience or fancy of the manufacturer 15 or to produce a varying degree of torque or twist between the club head and the shaft.

While I have shown a metal club head 16 in Fig. 1, the invention is equally applicable and is shown as applied to a wooden club head 17 in 80 Figs. 2 to 5, inclusive, and since the structural features of the invention are identical in both types of club heads it will not be necessary to distinguish further between the two.

The bore 14 in the neck 15 of the club head is 85 formed either straight or tapered depending on· the type of shaft to be used, a tapered bore being shown in the drawing to accommodate the tapered shaft 10. The lower end of the bore 14 is enlarged or flared to form a recess 18 and an 90 annular shoulder 19, the shoulder 19 marking the juncture between the lower terminus of the bore 14 and the upper terminus of the recess 18. An anchor or expansion member 20 which may be formed of metal, fiber or other suitable mate- 95 rial, is inserted through the upper end of the shaft and is seated within the lower split end 11 thereof. The upper end of the expansion member 20 is tapered as at 21 to seat snugly . within the lower end of the shaft 10 just above 100 the split portion thereof and the shoulder 19 of the neck. The jaws 22 of the expansion member 20 are forced outwardly to expand the split end 11 of the. shaft 10 to fill the recess 18 by means of a screw 23 which is threaded through 105 the upper end of the expansion member and extends between the jaws, thereof to force them apart as the screw is driven downwardly as will be readily understood. The screw 23 may be provided with a slot 24 in the head thereof for 110

1,932,902 the reception of a long shafted screw driver or may be squared off for operation by a long handle socket wrench which is inserted through the upper end of the shaft 10. It will be obvious from 5 an inspection of Fig. 5 that when the screw 23 is driven to the position shown in said figure the split end of the shaft will be spread outwardly under the force of the jaws 22 to assume the shape of the flared recess 18 thereby securely locking the 10 shaft against withdrawal from the neck of the club since it would be impossible for the parts in their expanded position to pass the annular shoulder 19. A grip 25 of conventional construction is provided on the upper end of the shaft 15 10 and a cylindrical filler member 26 preferably of wood or other light material is inserted in the upper end of the shaft. After the shaft has been fixed to the club head a screw plug 27 is fitted within the outer end of the bore of the 20 filler 26 in such a manner that it may be removed if it ever becomes necessary to operate the screw 23. A finishing collar 28 of hard rubber or other suitable material as shown in Fig. 1, or a cord winding 29 as shown in Fig. 2 may be provided ₂₅ around the shaft at the upper end of the neck of the club head.

In assembling the clubs constructed according to my invention, the end of the shaft is first provided with any desired number of splits and ₃₀ the resilient hood is then vulcanized on said end. The expansion member 22 may then be inserted and the shaft with the hood fixed thereon is then forced into the bore 14 of the neck of the club under pressure sufficient to form a firm bond or between the inner walls of the club necx and the outer surface of the hood. When the end of the shaft has reached the bottom of the recess 18 the screw 23 is tightened to expand the end

11, and the grip portion of the shaft is then finished.

The split portion of the shaft 10, in addition to affording an extremely efficient locking means between the shaft and the club head assists in 80 absorbing any vibration which may possibly pass through the resilient hood 13 thereby entirely eliminating any suggestion of “hand sting” which, as above stated, often occurs in steel shafted clubs of conventional construction. 85

Golf clubs constructed according to the invention possess many of the advantages of clubs employing hickory shafts such as better control of the driving power due to the torque or twist permitted between the club head and the shaft 90 by the resilient hood 13.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that various changes in the details of construction may be made without de- 95 parting from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claim.