Connection for a golf club shaft

Abstract

This invention is a connection which can be used to secure a shaft in a hosel of a golf club head or a shaft extension in a golf club shaft. The connection uses tapered threads in its operation to expand a locking shaft inside a receptacle. This connection is easily-loosened and repositioned, readily allowing adjustment in total golf shaft length. It is especially suitable for use in converting a putter with a conventional shaft length into a longer shaft “belly putter”. It is low in cost to produce, requires few parts, and is easily adjusted using simple tooling.

1 . In a golf club having a first part and a second part, a connection which joins the first part to the second part, the connection comprising,
 a portion of the first part which is a locking shaft with internal threads,   a portion of the second part which is a receptacle in which the locking shaft is located,   a screw with external threads which is threadably engaged in the internal threads of the locking shaft,   a position of the screw relative to the locking shaft wherein an external thread of the screw has an interference with an internal thread of the locking shaft,   whereby the locking shaft is deformed and thereby held in the receptacle.   
   
   
       2 . The connection of  claim 1  wherein a portion of the internal threads are tapered. 
   
   
       3 . The connection of  claim 1  wherein a portion of the external threads of the screw is tapered. 
   
   
       4 . The connection of  claim 1  wherein the second part is a hollow golf club shaft. 
   
   
       5 . The connection of  claim 1  wherein the second part is a golf club head and the receptacle is a hosel of the golf club head. 
   
   
       6 . The connection of  claim 1  wherein the locking shaft can be held in a first position relative to the receptacle and the locking shaft can be held in a second position relative to the receptacle. 
   
   
       7 . The connection of  claim 1  wherein a wall of the locking shaft formed by an external diameter of the locking shaft and its internal threads has a slot. 
   
   
       8 . The connection of  claim 1  wherein the golf club is a putter and the receptacle is in a hollow putter shaft. 
   
   
       9 . The connection of  claim 8  wherein the putter shaft has a conventional length. 
   
   
       10 . The connection of  claim 8 , wherein the connection is used to extend the putter shaft. 
   
   
       11 . The connection of  claim 10  wherein the locking shaft can be held at a first position in the putter shaft and the locking shaft can be held at a second position in the putter shaft. 
   
   
       12 . The connection of  claim 7  wherein the receptacle has a spline and the spline is positioned in the slot whereby a rotation of the locking shaft relative to the receptacle is restricted. 
   
   
       13 . The connection of  claim 7  wherein the receptacle has a pin and the pin is positioned in the slot whereby a rotation of the locking shaft relative to the receptacle is restricted. 
   
   
       14 . The connection of  claim 1  wherein a portion of the locking shaft has a first diameter before it is deformed and a second larger diameter after it is deformed, and a portion of the receptacle has a smaller diameter than the second larger diameter of the locking shaft, and wherein the portion of the locking shaft must pass the portion of the receptacle to separate the locking shaft from the receptacle. 
   
   
       15 . The connection of  claim 14  wherein the receptacle contains a ring and the ring is the portion of the receptacle which has a smaller diameter than the second larger diameter of the locking shaft. 
   
   
       16 . The connection of  claim 14  wherein the receptacle has a contour in its diameter and the contour has a taper. 
   
   
       17 . The connection of  claim 14  wherein the receptacle has a contour in its diameter and the contour has a step.