US1889743A - Golf club - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 6, 1932. A. E. BUHRKE ETAL GOLF CLUB Filed sept. ze, 1930 Patented Dec. 6, 1932 UNITED stares l inserts ALFRED n Bunn-KE ANDALLEN r. nnnrnn, or oiIIcAeo, ILLINOIS, assIcrnons ro I-I.

BUI-IRRE COMPANY, A CORPRATION lOF ILLINOI GOLF CLUB Application filed September 26, 1930. Serfia1`No.y484,535.

The invention relates to a new. and improved construction of a golf club, particularly to the construction of a-v golf club of the type commonly referred to as an iron club, that is, having a metallic head with an integral metal shank and provided with a metallic shaft. Y Y

The primary object oftheinvention is to provide improved means in a golf club of the described character for securing aV tubular metallic golf club shaft in the hosel of the metallicV shank of an iron club head.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved construction for securing a tubular metallic shaft inthe hosel of the shank of an iron golf club "head thereby avoiding the use of the common securement means consisting of the provision of registering holes in the shank wall around the hosel and in the hollow metallic shaft in whicha suitable locking rivet or pin is secured, since it is found that any cutting or drilling of the comparatively thin walls of the hollow shaft necessarily weakens .them and renders the shaft more liable to crystallization and failure at that point. Y i Y Other objects of the invention will appear from the following. description which is directed to the preferred embodiments of the invention, illustrated in the drawing forming a part of the specification, the novel features being set forth in the appendedV claims.

In the said drawing: Y

F ig. 1 is an elevation view'of a complet viron type of-golf club to which the invention is shown applied.

Fig. 2 is an illustrative, longitudinal, sectional view of a fragment of the shank of an iron club hea-d showing the lower extremity of a steel shaft inserted in the hosel and ready to have the detached anvil plug, shown in the drawing, inserted by passing' the same'from the upper open end of the conical hollow shaft to the lower end thereof within the hosel, as illustrated in Fig. 3, Fig. 3 also showing a specially formed locking plug designed to be inserted within the hollow steel shaft in the manner illustrated in F ig. 4 and finally driven to the locking position as shown by the relative position of the parts in Fig..

5, Figs. 3, 4 and f'being fragmental sectional views'similar to Fig` 2., l

Figs. 6 and 7 are views similar `to Figs. 2 to -r inc'lusive, illustrating the use of a rmodified form of locking device for Vsecuring the shaft in the hosel in the shank of the club head.v

The invention .is adapted only for use in connection with tubular metallic shafted clubs, the shaft of which isdesignated in the drawing by the reference character 10, the

same being provided with the usual wrapped handle portion 11.

The reference character 12 y'designates the iron head ofthe club provided withan integral shank or neck portion 13 providedwith acentral longitudinal opening or hosel 14" to receiveY the lower end-.of the conical or taperedv shaft .10. y, .The invention is applicabletothe hosel of any metallic necked club head but I prefer ,Y

togive the necklof the head the general shape 'ofthe frustum of a cone, that is,forbalancing purposes, making the diameter of the neck portion 13 largest near the upper end thereof and Vtapering lthe v'same downwardly in theA r usual manner to a point near where the blade t or head'portionbegins to provide the usual widened portion112which carries the striking face. l i 'i .Near the thickest portion of the neck-131 which-may be tapered at its upper extremity as indicated'at 15 for the sake of appearance and to provide a slight resiliency in the upper A'end' of the neck tofprevent a tendency to kinking or crystallization of the shaft whereA it enters the hosel, I provide a peripheral groove within the hosel -on the neck 13 as indicated at 16. 'd

17 is an anvil or wedge block that maybe formed at its kklower extremity at 18 to correspond with the shape of the hosel opening 14 at the bottom thereof, so that when the anvil 17 is in its normalposition vas illustrated in Figs. 3 to 5 inclusive, the lower end thereof will be frmlyseated on the bottomfof the hosel opening 14 iorovidingv an angular anvil surface at the upper end thereof in the transverse plane coi-incident with the groove-16, as is illustrated also in Figs. 8 to 5 inclusive, the conical wedging surface at the upper end of the anvil 17 being designated by the reference character 19.

The anvil block 17 may be of a diameter to form a cross drive t when it reaches the low-er end of the hosel opening in the. lower end ofthe tubular shaft. j

In assembling the parts to secure the shaft 10 to the head of the club, if the shank 13 is drilled to'provide the hosel opening 14: and the peripheral locking groove 16, the-lower slightly conical or tapered end of the shaft will be driven to the position of the parts shown in Fig. 2, after which the cylindrical .anvil plug 17 will be inserted in the enlarged .upper end of the shaft and, by means of a driving rod, will be forced downwardly until it seats on the bottom 'of' the hosel opening 14 kas illustrated in'Fig. 3 with the abruptly ytapered upper end 19 thereof adjacent the peripheral groove 16.v To secure thek best results the anvil block 17 will preferably be formed of a comparatively hard metal or at least the upper end. thereof adjacent vthe wedging surfaces 19 may be case-hardened in the usual manner. The tubular shafts 10 are generally constructed of steel and having a degree of hardness somewhat in excess of the material of the shank 13 of the head.

A cylindrical wedging block 2O of a diameter adapted to have a drive'fit intoy the interior of a tubularshaft 10 will be"v next introduced on the interior of the shaft. This block 20 which is shown in Figs. 3, to 5 inclusive, will be provided with acentral bore 21 atthe lower end thereof, andl this bore will be preferably enlarged at the lower extremity providing peripheral walls 22; When they cylindrical wedging block 20 is driven downwardly to seat upon the1 anvil block 17 by means of a driving rod, not shown, introduced through the open upper end of the tubular shaft 10, the peripheral widened portion 22 at the lower end of the block 2() will first contact with the angular portions 19 in the opening inthe end of the anvil block 17 as most clearly shown in Fig. 4, after which the wedging block 20 may be further Idriven to spread the peripheral wedging portions 16 around the upper end of the anvil Vwith the result that the vperipheral walls of the shaft 10 adjacent the groove 16 will be spread or' enlarged into the 'groove 16 thus securely locking the Yshaft 10 within the hosel 14 of the yneck 13. By the time the wedging block'20 has been driven to the position with parts occupied as shown in Fig. 5, which will become so firmly seated and embedded on the interior of the yshaft 10 within the peripheral grooved hosel opening that the shaft 10 may not be removed from the vshank of the club without fracturing the material of the shaft, thus securing a joint that will resistv allshocksvor strains incident to playing with-the club and making a locking joint that is 'completely hidden from the shaft and the club head neck are liable to become dislodged and to cut the material of the tubular steel shaft in a manner to promote crystallization yof a shaft at this point inthe hosel 1. i

In Figs. 6 and 7 we showa modified form 'of locking device for securing the `'shaft 10 within the hoselof the neck 13 of the club, the latter being provided with the interior peripheral groove 16'V as shown in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive and'if the shaft 10 is introduced Vinto the fhosel as before described andas shown in Fig. 6, a hardened steel ball 25 is introduced into the open enlarged end of the tapered tubular shaft and forcedy downwardly by means of a driving rod until the hardened ball 25 reaches the portion adjacent the peripheral groove 16 ,as shown in Fig. 7. The hardened steel ball) 25 will be of a prei determined size adapted to pass through the v opening in the shaft 10 with a drivefit in the upper end of the shaft 15 and by driving the Vvball further until it registers within the plane passing through the widest portion y-of the groove 16, it will spread the'materialoffthe tubular shaft 10 into the groove 16 as indiy cated at 26 in Fig. 7 rlhis will result in'an enlargement of the shaft .at this point that will effectively prevent the removal of the shaft by an outward pull since the portion expanded within Vthe groove 16 will be larger than the diameter of the hosel opening at the upper end of the groove 16 so that the shaffv will be permanently locked in the hosel in the shank portion of the club head and may not be removed without a failure of the material of the shaft when the locking ball is of the proper size before being driven into that portion of the shaft adjacent the peripheral looking opening 16.

In order that the invention might be understood, the preferred embodiments have been described but it is not desired'to be limited to the details except as set forth in the claims since it will be apparent that persons skilled in the art may resort to certain modifications without departing from the purpose and spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. In a golf club, a headportion provided with an elongated neck or shank having a central bore, there being an undercut peripheral groove on the interior of said bore or hosel opening, a tubular metallic handle shaft seated within the hosel opening, and means on the interior of the said tubular handle shaft for expanding the walls of said shaft into said peripheral undercut groove therein for locking said tubular shaft into permanent engagement with the said head of the club.

2. In a golf club, a head portion provided with an elongated neck or shank having a central bore, there being an undercut peripheral groove on the interior of said bore or hosel opening, a tubular metallichandle shaft seated within the hosel opening` and means on the interior of said tubular handle shaft for expanding the walls of said shaft into the said peripheral groove in thesaid bore or hosel opening for locking said tubular shaft into permanent engagement with the said head portion of the club, comprising a metallic anvil block substantially filling the interior of the tubular shaft from the lower end thereof and when seated upon the bottom of the hosel opening, having the upper end of Vsaid anvil block substantiallg7 registering with the under cut peripheral groove on the interior of said `bore or hosel opening, there being angular wedging surfaces provided on the upper extremity of the said anvil block, and a cylindrical wedging block provided with a bore in the lower end thereof adapted to cooperate with the upper reduced end of the anvil block when the wedging block is forced I downwardly thereupon, whereby to expand the adjacent walls of the tubular shaft into locking engagement with the said undercut peripheral groove on the .interior of the bore or hosel opening.

3. In a golf club, a head portion provided with an elongated neck or shank having a central tapered bore, there being an undercut peripheral groove on the interior of said bore or hosel opening, a tapered tubular metallic shaft seated within the hosel opening and means on the interior of said tubular handle shaft for expanding the walls of said shaft into said xperipheral undercut groove therein for locking said tubular shaft into permanent engagement with the said head of he club, comprising a spherical metallic all.

4. In a golfclub, a head portion provided i with an elongated neck or shank having a tapered-central bore, there being an undercut peripheral groove on the interior of said bore or hosel opening, handle shaft provided with a substantially uniform taper at the lower end thereof for co-operating withthe said central tapered bore or hosel opening, and a metallic wedging device adapted, when forced into the interior of the vlower end of the tubular shaft within the hosel opening, to expand the walls of said tapered shaft into locking engagement with the undercut peripheral groove in the tapered bore or hosel of said golf club head.

5. In a golf club, a head portion provided with an elongated neck or shank having a one of which is adapted to be deformed- -by contact with the other of said blocks to eX- pand the walls of said tubular member adjacent and into said peripheral undercut groove.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names. Y Y

' ALFRED E. B'UHRKE.

ALLEN F. HEETER.

a tubular metallic i

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