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Golf club with a unitized structure

Golf club with a unitized structure description/claims

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/120,177, filed May 3, 2005, entitled “Golf Club with a Unitized Structure,” in the names of David N. Franklin and John Thomas Stites. This priority application is entirely incorporated herein by reference.

The invention relates generally to golf clubs, including putters and iron type golf clubs (such as wedges). Golf clubs in accordance with at least some examples of the invention may be constructed without a hosel element and/or with a smooth transition between the shaft member and the club head at the junction between these members.

Golf is enjoyed by a wide variety of players—players of different genders and players of dramatically different ages and skill levels. Golf is somewhat unique in the sporting world in that such diverse collections of players can play together in golf events, even in direct competition with one another (e.g., using handicapped scoring, different tee boxes, in team formats, etc.), and still enjoy the golf outing or competition. These factors, together with increased availability of golf programming on television (e.g., golf tournaments, golf news, golf history, and/or other golf programming) and the rise of well known golf superstars, at least in part, have increased golf's popularity in recent years both in the United States and across the world. The number of individuals participating in the game and the number of golf courses have increased steadily over recent years.

Golfers at all skill levels seek to improve their performance, lower their golf scores, and reach that next performance “level.” Manufacturers of all types of golf equipment have responded to these demands, and recently, the industry has witnessed dramatic changes and improvements in golf equipment. For example, a wide range of different golf ball models now are available, with some balls designed to complement specific swing speeds and/or other player characteristics or preferences, e.g., with some balls designed to fly farther and/or straighter, some designed to provide higher or flatter trajectories, some designed to provide more spin, control, and/or feel (particularly around the greens), etc. A host of swing aids and/or teaching aids also are available on the market that promise to help lower one's golf scores.

Being the sole instruments that set golf balls in motion during play, golf clubs also have been the subject of much technological research and advancement in recent years. For example, the market has seen improvements in putter designs, golf club head designs, shafts, and grips in recent years. Additionally, other technological advancements have been made in an effort to better match the various elements and/or characteristics of the golf club and/or characteristics of a golf ball to a particular user's swing features or characteristics (e.g., club fitting technology, ball launch angle measurement technology, ball spin rate characteristics, etc.).

Golfers tend to be sensitive to the “feel” of a golf club, particularly with respect to putters and wedges. The “feel” of a golf club comprises the combination of various component parts of the club and various features associated with the club that produce the sensory sensations experienced by the player when a ball is swung at and/or struck. Club “feel” is a very personal characteristic in that a club that “feels” good to one user may have totally undesirable “feel” characteristics for another. Club weight, weight distribution, aerodynamics, swing speed, and the like all may affect the “feel” of the club as it swings and strikes a ball. “Feel” also has been found to be related to the visual appearance of the club and the sound produced when the club head strikes a ball to send the ball in motion.

While technological improvements to golf club designs have been made, because of the very personal nature of the swing and feels aspects of striking a golf ball, no single golf club design is best suited for all players. New designs that change the look and feel of the club are welcomed by at least some players.

The following presents a general summary of aspects of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of at least some of its aspects. This summary is not intended as an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention in a general form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below.

Aspects of this invention relate to golf clubs, including putters and iron type golf clubs (such as wedges), that include: (a) a golf club head having a ball striking head and a shaft connecting member extending from the ball striking head; and (b) a shaft member fixed to the shaft connecting member. The shaft member may be fixed to the shaft connecting member in a hosel-free manner. Additionally or alternatively, an outer surface of the shaft member and an outer surface of the shaft connecting member may be sized, shaped, and fixed together such that the shaft member/shaft connecting member junction (and the area surrounding it) is smooth or substantially smooth (e.g., with no abrupt changes in the outer dimensions, shapes, and/or sizes of the exterior of the shaft member and/or the shaft connecting member at the junction, a visually smooth, constant, and/or continuous appearance, etc.). As examples, the shaft connecting member may connect with the shaft member via welding (e.g., friction welding, spin welding, etc.), butt-welding, soldering, brazing, adhesives, other fusing techniques, mechanical connections or connectors, and the like. In at least some examples, the cross sectional shapes and/or dimensions of the shaft connecting member and the shaft member (e.g., at least at their junction and/or the immediately surrounding areas) may be the same or substantially the same (e.g., within 5% of one another).

Club structures in accordance with at least some examples of the invention further may include a finish material, e.g., applied at least over a junction area where the shaft member is fixed to the shaft connecting member. Examples of suitable finish materials include: chrome coating materials, anodized coating materials, paints, other coatings, and the like. Finish materials of this type may be used to visually conceal the junction area, and in at least some instances, the finish material combined with the dimensions of the various parts may make it appear as if the shaft member and the shaft connecting member constitute a continuous or one-piece element at least in the junction area. In this manner, a visually appealing, less visually distracting surface may be provided as the club structure (e.g., as compared with traditional bonding shaft/club head joints, hosel-based junctions, etc.).

Additional aspects of this invention relate to methods for making golf clubs, e.g., of the various types described above. Such methods may include, for example: providing a golf club head (such as a putter head, an iron type club head (including a wedge head), etc.) including a ball striking head and a shaft connecting member extending from the ball striking head (e.g., by manufacturing or otherwise producing the golf club head, by purchasing or otherwise obtaining the golf club head from a manufacturer or other third party source, etc.); and (b) fixing a shaft member to the shaft connecting member, for example, in a hosel-free manner and/or in a manner in which an outer surface of the shaft member and an outer surface of the shaft connecting member are sized, shaped, and fixed together such that the shaft member/shaft connecting member junction is smooth or substantially smooth (e.g., with no abrupt changes in the outer dimensions, shapes, and/or sizes of the exterior of the shaft member and/or the shaft connecting member at least at the junction, having a visually smooth, constant, and/or continuous appearance, and/or etc). In such example methods, appropriate sizing and shaping of the shaft member and the shaft connecting member, at least at the junction and/or the area around the junction, may take place, at least in part, after the two members have been fixed together. Methods in accordance with at least some examples of this invention further may include various fixing methods and finishing methods, including the more specific fixing methods and finishing methods described above.

A more complete understanding of the present invention and certain advantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the following description in consideration with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional putter structure including a conventional hosel element arrangement for attaching the club shaft to the putter head;

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