US2102060A - Golf shaft - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 14, 1937.

. R. H. COWDERY ET AL GOLF SHAFT Filed Nov. 50, 1935 I INVENTOR. Faber-7, HCawc/ery and Car/h/r' "f ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 14, 1937 FATE GOLF

SHAFT Robert H. Co-wdery and Carl Wright, Geneva, @hio, assignors to The American Fork & Hoe

Company, Cleveland,

Ohio, a corporation of Application November 30, 1935, Serial No. 52,396

Claims.

This invention relates to tubular metal shafts for golf clubs, and more particularly to tubular metal shafts for golf clubs provided with an improved metallic ferrule integral therewith.

5 We are familiar with prior metal tubular shafts for golf clubs wherein the tip of the shaft is projected into the hosel of the club head, and a ferrule of celluloid or the like is disposed on the shaft above and adjacent the club head hosel to effect a smooth juncture of the shaft with the club head. The juncture of the ferrule and hosel is generally sealed by a ring appropriately colored. However, ferrules of this type are primarily for appearance and 5, lend little in improving the balance of the club and strengthening the same in that area.

We have found. that by providing a relatively sharp taper upwardly in the hosel portion of irons club and providing a corresponding swell in the shaft that the club is considerably strengthened in this area which is the area where rupture or deformation normally occurs. Additionally, this construction achieves a better balance of the club generally.

It is an object of our invention, therefore, to provide an improved golf club of the metallic shaft class.

Another object of our invention is to provide, in a golf club of the type comprising a tubular metallic shaft inserted into a club head hosel, improved means for effecting a gradual merging of the hosel and the shaft.

Another object of our invention is to provide a golf club comprising a tubular metallic shaft and head wherein the hosel portion of the head tapers relatively sharply and the shaft is provided with a relatively enlarged tapered portion merging with the hosel.

Another object of our invention is to provide n improved means for effecting the juncture of the of a golf club with the metallic shaft by providing a shaft with a relatively thickened tip.

Other objects of the invention and the invention itself will become increasingly". apparent from the following description and drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a golf shaft embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View of a portion of the club of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view generally similar to Fig. 2, showing the ferrule in finished form;

Fig. 4 is a view generally similar to Fig. 2, showing a modification of our invention; and

Fig. 5 is a view generally similar to Figs. 2

and 3, showing a further modification of our invention.

Referring now to the drawing, and particularly to Fig. 1, we have indicated generally at i a golf club shaft preferably tapering from a hand grip portion 2, at the large end of the shaft towards the club head 3 secured to a small or tip end of the shaft. The taper of the shaft l constitutes no essential part of the present invention, and in the embodiment illustrated the shaft is of plain surface construction although it is understood that the surface may be corrugated or step-tapered. The lower end of the shaft, as indicated at d, is preferably gradually tapered, and the shaft is secured to the head 3 by driving the tapered portion i into a corresponding tapering bore in the tubular hosel 5 of the club head 3, and secured against displacement therefrom by a transverse pin 6.

The hosel portion 5 is preferably sharply tapered or increases relatively rapidly in diameter in the upper portion of the hosel, providing a relatively thick transverse shoulder l. Abutting the hosel shoulder portion i is a corresponding shoulder provided on a ferrule 3 integrally secured to. the shaft in a manner hereinafter described.

The ferrule 8, as best illustrated in Fig. 2, is preferably formed of brass and counter-bored to provide tapering wall portions maintained spaced from the tube wall proper by means of an annular shoulder 9. The ferrule upper portion, as indicated at iii, engages the tube wall and is secured thereto by brazing, soldering, welding or the like. After the brazing operation, the ferrule is ground to conform to the contour indicated by the dotted line l l.

The shoulder 9 is preferably somewhat thicke than the ferrule walls since it will be subjected to considerable stress during use of the club and. also provides sufficient area to braze or otherwise rigidly secure the inner peripheral shoulder portion to the tube. The counter-bored ferrule provides considerable strength without undue weight. Although we preferably secure the shoulder 9 to the tube, we contemplate that this may be omitted.

The juncture of the upper ferrule end with the tube provides a smooth merging of the ferrule and tube, and thus a ferrule relatively light in weight due to the counter-bore and suficiently strong so that it will not dent or cave at the butt end is provided integral with the tube.

The ferrule may be suitably plated to conform in finish to the club head itself, such as chromium plated; or as illustrated in Fig. 5, a thin protective sheath l3 formed of Celluloid or like material may encase the ferrule prior to assembly of the shaft with the club head. The sheath I3 is provided at its enlarged lower end with a radially inwardly extending flange I4 abutting the shoulder El of the ferrule whereby, upon assembly of the shaft and club head, the flange M will be tightly gripped intermediate the upper transverse face of an annular ring 19 and the shoulder 9 of the ferrule, thus maintaining the sheath in a desired position. The ring I9 is preferably formed of resilient material, and acts as a shock absorber in insuring a tight fit during assembly of the shaft and club head and also, functions in use of the club preventing undue strains in this portion.

We thus provide a relatively strong connection at the club head, and due to the outward flaring of both the hosel and the ferrule, strains are distributed longitudinally of the shaft without danger of a rupture at the point of greatest strain in the shaft, namely, the ferrule portion of the shaft.

Additionally, the feel of the shaft is improved, due to the extra strength provided at the shaft tip.

We have indicated in Fig. 4, a modification of our invention, wherein a generally similar construction is shown but the ferrule indicated at i5 comprises two parts, a generally frusto-conical portion 16 formed of brass and brazed to the tube, and a washer or bushing H. The washer or bushing may be formed of any suitable material, such as brass, and is preferably also connected to the tube by brazing, the frusto-conical portion I6 and washer ll being undercut to provide mutually engageable shoulder portions as indicated at i8. The ferrule portions i6 and I? may be integrally joined by welding, brazing, or

I the like, at the shoulder portion, although the gives a new distribution of the forces in a golf club and that imparts an improved resiliency to the club, as well as a new feel, and insures economy in manufacture, in the matter of reduction of parts, assembly, time labor and cost.

Although we have shown and described modifications of our invention, we contemplate that numerous and extensive departures may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit of our invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

l. A tubular metallic golf club shaft having a metallic ferrule encasing the tip portion of said shaft, a substantial longitudinal portion of said ferrule being integrally metallically joined with said shaft, and the lower portion of said ferrule being disconnected and spaced away from said shaft, said ferrule increasing in diameter beyond said area of juncture and terminating in a metallic annular shoulder, said shoulder extending inwardly and engaging the shaft at the inner periphery of said shoulder and at the area of maximum ferrule diameter, said ferrule having a cavity above said shoulder surrounding said tubular shaft, said shoulder being integral with said ferrule.

2. A tubular metallic golf club shaft having in combination a metallic ferrule generally of a frusto-conical shape formed to provide toward the head of the club internal walls progressively spaced from the encircled shaft portion along the lower portion of said ferrule, and terminating at the portion of maximum diameter in a trans verse inwardly extending annular metallic shoulder engaging said shaft, the upper ferrule portion being metallically united with said shaft for a substantial distance, and the shaft tip portion extending beyond said shoulder, said shoulder being metallically joined along its outer diameter to said ferrule and being metallically joined along its inner diameter directly to said shaft.

3. A tubular metallic golf club shaft provided with a metallic ferrule generally of frusto-conical shape and metallically united with the shaft for a substantial upper portion of the ferrule length, the ferrule lower portion being spaced from the encircled shaft portion and terminating in a portion of maximum diameter comprising an inwardly extending integral shoulder adapted to engage with the hosel end portion ofthe club head and providing a cavity above said shoulder intermediate the inner walls of the ferrule and the shaft, and a tip portion of the shaft of reduced diameter and extending beyond said shoulder being adapted to be projected within the club head hosel.

4. In a golf club, a club head including a hosel, a tubular metallic shaft having a tip portion projected into the hosel and secured thereto, a metallic ferrule including an upper portion metallically joined with the shaft for a substantial distance and a lower portion having walls of substantially uniform thickness and of increasing diameter, the lower ferrule portion terminating in the zone of maximum diameter in an integral inwardly extending shoulder engaging the shaft and providing a cavity above the shoulder intermediate the internal walls of the ferrule and the external walls of the shaft, and a sheath of relatively thin material encasing the ferrule having an integral radially inwardly extending annular flange and maintained in abutting relation with said ferrule shoulder to prevent movement of the sheath longitudinally of the shaft.

5. The golf club as described in claim 4 and wherein an annular ring of resilient material is disposed intermediate the sheath flange and the hosel upper end portion.

ROBERT H. COWDERY. CARL WRIGHT.

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