US1426202A - Shaft for golf clubs and the like - Google Patents

Description

A. E. LARD.

SHAFT FOR GOLF CLUBS AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION man sin 15. :921.

1,4,202 Pameafmg. 15, 1922.

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SHAFT FOR GOLF CLUBS AND THE LIKE.

' APPLICATION man SEPT-,15. 1921.

Patenfed Aug. 15, 19262;

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ALLAN E. LARD, 0F WASHINGTON, DISTRICT' 0F COLUMBI, ASSIGNOR TO THE METALLIC SHAFT COMPANY,' 0F WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, Av CORPORA- TION 0F DELAWARE.

SHAFT FOR GOLF CLUBS AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patnted Aug. 15, 19220 Application filed September 15, 1921.' Serial No. 500,792.

T0 all lwhom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLAN E. LARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at `Vasliington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shafts for GolfCluhs and the like, of which the following yis a specification.

This invention pertains to shafts designed primarily for use in connection with golf clubs, though certain features thereof, as will be hereinafter pointed out, are applicable to other tools or instruments.

The main object of the invention is to provide a laminated golf shaft wherein sections are employed with a core, which sections and core readily lend themselves to the proper alinement and permanent locking and anchoring of the laminations on the core, the construction being such as to iinpart to the shaft great strength and stiffness with a minimum of weight, these features being of prime importance in shafts for golf clubs.

A further object of the invention is to provide a core that will accomplish the aforementioned objects and at thel same time impart to the shaft greater torsional resistance than is possible with the ordinary hexagonal core of the split bamboo fishing rod construction. It is a well known fact to the masters in the game of golf that a certain amount of resilient torsion is a fundamental necessity in a shaft, but too much torsion impairs both power and direction of the shot. This is clearly indicated in ordinary hickory shafts which are'soft or have, from continued use, developed an excessive amount of torsion.

A still further object of the invention is to provide firstclass shafts from cores of wood other than hickory and also to render vavailable short lengths of hickory which would` in longer lengths, be useless for golf shafts because of defects or warpage. Even soft hickory of the most inferior grades can thus be converted into irst class shafts. l

of hickory, as outlined in the report ofthe U. S. Agricultural Department dated June 1, 1920, wherein it is stated that,

The demand for hickory handles is so great that manufacturers can no longer meet requirements and that- The end of hickory is in sight.

The fundamental or underlying feature of the invention lends itself to many embodiments, various of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein,-

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a complete golf club with the lower end of the handle shown Y in longitudinal section;

Fig. 2 an enlarged detailed view of the 65 handle anu the tapering upper portion of the core which is socketed into the handle;

Fig. 3 a detailed sectional perspective view of .the upper portion of the shaft;

Fig. 4 a detailed perspective View of the 70 lower portion of the shaft;

Fig. 5a perspective view of one of thev 'i inserts or laminations imposed upon the core;

on the line VI-VI of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 a longitudinal sectional view of the upper portion of the shaft;

. Fig. 8 a sectional elevation showing a slight modification in the form of the handle.

,F ig. 9 a transverse sectional view showing a slight modification in the exterior form of the shaft;

Fig. 1() a side elevation of a shaft wherein 85 the core extends throughout the full lengthof the shaft, no separate handle `loeing einployed;

Fig. 11 a transverse sectional view on the line XI-XI of Fig. 10';

Fig. 12 a perspective view of the upper end of the core, showing a section of bamboo or the like in position between a pair of the ribs formed upon the core;

Fig. 13 a similar view of the lower end of 05 the core;

Fig. 14 a sectional elevation of a further modified form of the shaft;

Fig. 15 a transverse sectional viewitaken .on the line XV--XV of Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 a perspective view of the lower portion of a laminated shaft and the club head employed in conjunction therewith;

Fig. 17 a perspective view of the lower end of one of the outer elements imposed upon the core; and

Figs. 18 to 24 inclusive cross sectional views of various shafts illustrating various other modifications of my invention wherein an interlock is formed between the core and the inserts or laminations.

Referring first to the construction shown in F igs. 1 to 7 inclusive, 1 denotes the core formed of hickory or otherwood or ma terial, which, as will be noted, is provided with a series'of radially disposed inverted V-shaped ribs 2, forming between each pair of ribs V-shaped channels or grooves 3. rlhe body of the shaft tapers down from the upper to the lower end, both as to its central core and as to the height of the'ribs which extend outwardly therefrom. rllhere is thus produced upon the exterior of theI core a series of longitudinally extending channels which are wider and deeper at their upper ends than they are at their lower ends, and the lower endI ofthe shaft which is to be inserted into the hosel 4 of the head 5, be it an iron as shown in Fig. 1, or into i the socket formed in the head of a wooden club, is turned down or tapered so that it may be driven firmly to place. Mounted and cemented within each ofthe channels or grooves is a filler strip 6 perfectly fitted and formed of suitable material, such, for instance, as bamboo, whalebone, or any other material which will impart to the shaft the desired and required rigidity, while at the same time imparting strength to the shaft to the desired degree. These inserts, as

shown in Fig. 5, are substantially triangular in cross section and so tapered as to conform to the channels in' which they-are seated so that when finally positioned the exterior face lies flush withthe outer edge of the adjacent ribs 2. When the filler strips are produced from bamboo the bamboo sections "will be so cut as to leave the natural highly glazed or skin surface outermost, thus re taining the benefits of such glazed surface in the prevention of the ingress of moisture.

The inserts, as will be seen upon'reference `to Fig. 4, extend downwardly at their lower ends well toward the extreme lower end of the core or body of the shaft so that such ends will be embraced by the hosel or by the wall of the socket when the shaft is driven home. The upper ends of the inserts will be shouldered, as at 7, (Figs. 3 and 5) and will be embraced by the wall of the tapered socket 8 formed in the handle 9 adapted to be driven over the upper correspondingly tapered end 10 formed upon the core. Any

curing the insert strips in place, a wooden peg or screw, as 12, (see Fig. 7) may be driven into a hole formed in the insert and in the body of the core.

The handle 9 may, of course, be omitted. and the core and laminations extended the full length, as in Fig. 10. A

lt is found in actual practice that a golf shaft constructed in the manner above set forth is highly efficient and possessesthe requisite weight and strength together with the requisite whip and torsion.

ln Fig. 9 a shaft circular in cross section is illustrated wherein the outercurvature of the bamboo inserts, denoted by 13, is maintained practically intact, which, of course, substantially maintains the skin surface of the bamboo strip, insuring great strength, stiffness and lightness.

ln Fig. -8 a slight modification of the handle structure is sho-Wn, wherein the upper end is counterbored, as'at '14, to lightenthe same. lt is to be understood that the handle section may be formed of any suitable material, and l have found that ash is highly satisfactory.

ln Figs. 10 to 13 inclusive a still further modification is shown. ln this instance the core 15 does not taper and extends the full length of the shaft and is provided with a series of outwardly extending ribs 16, the ribs in this instance being of the same thickness throughout and are spaced apart at the inner portions where they merge into the core. The inserts,.denoted by 17, are so shaped as to fully fill the channels formed between the ribs, the inserts being secured in position by suitable cement or adhesive and by the pin or screw construction above described. i

ln Fig. 13 the lower portions of the ribs and the lower end of the core are turned down to form a tapered end to insure proper fit within the hosel or socket in the head of the club.

In Fig. 14 a still further modification is I shown, wherein the core, denoted by 18, is

grooved out form channels for the receptlon of the inserts 19, the grooves at their upper ends extending outwardly and running into the outer face'ofthe core so as to produce a handle section 20 which is integral withfthe core and formed as an up` ward extension thereof. To lighten the handle it maybe bored out, as at 21.

In Figs 16 and l17 a further modification is shown wherein the core 20 at the 'cwer end where it enters the neck of the iron head is polygonal in cross section and there is imposed upon the outer faces thereof a series of strips 21, the lower ends of which take the form best shown in Fig. 17, that is to say, they have a shouldered enlargeuse in connection with a metallic headed tapered portion 25 of the core.

club, the hosel 24 whereof is polygonal in cross section and adapted to make a close lit with the polygonal form produced by the extensions 23 which surround the lower By this arrangement twisting of the head upon the shaft is prevented and the twisting stress, in case of shrinkage, is against the flat sides instead of the usual pin, which pin in bamboo leads to splitting of the shaft. The pin is, however, utilized lower down to prevent the head from flying off.

The polygonal hosel may, of course, be attached to thel polygonal ribbed shaft, as shown in Fig. 4, and the strip shouldered, in Fig. 17.

It is conceivable that the core and the ribs extending therefrom may be so produced or shaped as to form recesses which will interlock with the inserts which are placed in the recesses or channels, and in igs. 1'8 to 24 inclusive various forms or arrangements embodying this fundamental feature are disclosed. In said figures the core is denoted by 26, the ribs by 27 and the inserts by 28. It is not thought necessary that a detailed description of each of these modifications be given as it is apparent from an inspection thereof that each pair of ribs cooperates with an insert piece forming an interlock therewith to prevent separation. For the sake of clearness cross sectional lines have been omitted from these views. Under these constructions some of the insert pieces 28 may be placedfin position by springing the ribs laterally and the final insert strip or strips driven 'in end- Wise thereby producing a wedging action which will cause a close adherence between the various ribs and the embraced inserts.

Under all of the constructions illustrated, it will be noted that I have produced a laminated structure whereby I am enabled to employ a core formed of an inferior grade of material which isstrengthened and stiffened by superior material laminated therewith, which laminated structure imparts to the shaft great strength and stiffness with a minimum of Weight.

The structure shown in Figs. 16 and 17, in so far as the polygonal form of the hosel and shaft end are concerned, may be employed to advantage in tools other than golf shafts.

Furthermore, it will be understood that the shaft may be Whipped or wrapped at intervals, if so desired.

The groove in Fig. 1l may, of course, be V-shaped. The diameter of the core is governed by the width of the ribs.

l l. A tapered shaft for golf clubs comprising a core having a series of V-shaped channels extending longitudinally thereof, said channels narrowing in width and depth toward the lower end of the shaft; and a illler strip secured Within each of said channe s.

2. A shaft for golf. clubs comprising a core formed of wood having a series of V- shaped channels extending longitudinally thereof, said channels narrowing in Width and depth toward the lower end o f the shaft; and a filler strip formed from bamboo secured Within each of said channels, the outer face of each strip presenting t-he natural l skin surface of the bamboo growth.

3. In a golf club, the combination of a shaft comprising a core formed of wood and a plurality of strengthening members laminated thereon; and a handle socketed on the shaft, said handle overlappingf the upper ends of the strengthening members.

4. In a golf club, -the combination of a shaft comprising a core formed of wood and a plurality of strengthening members "imposed thereon and extending longitudinally thereof; a handle secured to one end of the shaft; and a head secured to the opposite end, said handle and head overlapping the adjacent ends of the strengthening members.

5. In a golf club, the combination of a shaft comprising a core, formed'of wood and a plurality of strengthening members imposed thereon and extending longitudinally thereof, the lower end being given a polyg-l onal form in cross section; and a head having a hosel the socket whereof is polygonal in form, adapted to receive said polygonal lower end and to embrace the lower ends of the strengthening members.

6. In a golf club, the combination of a shaft comprising a core formed of wood having atapered upper end, and a tapered lower y end, with a series of V-shaped grooves exin Width and depth toward the lower end of .the shaft; a series of filler strips secured within and filling said grooves; a socketed handle secured upon the upper tapered end of the core and embracing the adjacent ends ofthe filler strips; and a head secured upon the `lower tapered end and embracing the lower ends of the filler strips.

7. A golf shaft comprising a tapered channeled core formed of wood and a plurality of strips secured within the channels and extending lengthwise thereof.

.8. In a golf club, the combination 'of a shaft comprising a channeled core formed of wood, and a plurality of strengthening members secured in the channels and extending longitudinally thereof, the shaft adjacent its lower end being given a polygonal form in cross section; and a head having a hosel, the socket whereof, at least'at its upper portion,

is polygonal in form, adapted to receive said. po ygonal lower portion and to embrace the lower ends of the strengthening members.

9. ln a golf club, they combination of a shaft composed of a plurality of sections extending longitudinally thereof, the lower end being iven a polygonal form in cross section; ang a head having a hosel, the upper portion atleast of the socket formed in the hosel being polygonal in form and adapted to receive'and register with said polygonal lower portion of the shaft.-

A golf shaft comprising a core formed of Wood and extending substantially throughout the length of the shaft, said core grooves formed in" its face and extending substantially throughout the length ot the coreg. and a liller strip for each groove secured therein.

12. A golf shaft comprising a core formed of wood, said core having a 'series of spaced ribs formed upon its exterior surface and producing grooves therebetween, the walls oi' each groove converging towardthe center oi' the core; and a series of wedge shaped strips, one for each groove fitted and secured within said grooves.

13. A golf shaft comprising a corel formed of wood7 and having a series of ribs formed thereon and extending longitudinally thereof, the walls of each rib standing in substantial parallelism whereby a series of substantially il-shaped grooves will be formed be` tween the ribs; and a iiller strip secured within and filling each of said grooves.

ln testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification.

ALLAN E. LARD.

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