Interchangeable shaft system

Abstract

A golf club incorporating an interchangeable shaft system includes a shaft, a shaft sleeve, a club head and a fastener. The shaft sleeve is coupled to an end of the shaft and is received in a hosel included in the club head. The fastener retains the shaft sleeve in the hosel. Hosel and shaft sleeve alignment features are provided that provide discreet orientations between the shaft and club head.

1 . A method of fitting a golf club, comprising:
 providing a golf club to a user in a first configuration, the golf club including a club head, a shaft, a shaft sleeve and a fastener releasably coupling the shaft sleeve to the club head, wherein the club head includes a hosel defining a sleeve bore and a plurality of hosel alignment features that extend through at least a portion of a sidewall of the hosel adjacent a proximal end of the hosel, wherein the shaft sleeve includes a sleeve body and a plurality of sleeve alignment features that extend laterally outward from the sleeve body, wherein indicia are provided on an outer surface of the shaft sleeve and an outer surface of the hosel, wherein a plurality of the indicia indicate a configuration of the golf club, wherein at least a portion of the shaft sleeve is received in the sleeve bore, and wherein the hosel alignment features and the sleeve alignment features are tapered in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the sleeve bore;   analyzing at least one swing of the golf club in the first configuration by the user;   disassembling the golf club from the first configuration by at least partially disengaging the fastener from the shaft sleeve and at least partially disengaging the shaft sleeve from the sleeve bore of the hosel;   re-assembling the golf club in a second configuration that is different than the first configuration;   analyzing at least one swing of the golf club in the second configuration by the user; and   determining a proper configuration of the golf club for the user.   
     
     
         2 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of hosel alignment features are notches extending through only a portion of a side wall of the hosel so that they do not intersect an outer surface of the hosel. 
     
     
         3 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the hosel alignment features are generally trapezoidal in a cross-section taken in a plane that is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the hosel. 
     
     
         4 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 3 , wherein the hosel alignment features taper so that they define a narrowest portion oriented toward a sole of the golf club head. 
     
     
         5 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve alignment features are generally trapezoidal in a cross-section taken in a plane that is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the sleeve body. 
     
     
         6 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 5 , wherein the sleeve alignment features taper so that they define a narrowest portion oriented toward a distal end of the sleeve. 
     
     
         7 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the hosel alignment features define engagement side walls that extend generally radially outward from the sleeve bore. 
     
     
         8 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 7 , wherein the golf club is assembled in the second configuration by rotating the shaft sleeve relative to the hosel to a second orientation that is different than a first orientation corresponding to the first configuration of the golf club, inserting the shaft sleeve into the hosel so that the plurality of sleeve alignment features abut the engagement side walls of the hosel alignment features and fastening the shaft sleeve to the club head with the fastener. 
     
     
         9 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the indicia include letters that directly correspond to the configuration of the golf club related to at least one of face angle, lie angle and loft angle. 
     
     
         10 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 disassembling the golf club from the second configuration by at least partially disengaging the fastener from the shaft sleeve and at least partially disengaging the shaft sleeve from the hosel;   re-assembling the golf club in a third configuration; and   analyzing a swing of the golf club in a third configuration by the user.   
     
     
         11 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 1 , wherein in the first configuration the golf club has a first face angle and in the second configuration the golf club has a second face angle. 
     
     
         12 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 1 , wherein in the first configuration the golf club has a first lie angle and in the second configuration the golf club has a second lie angle. 
     
     
         13 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 1 , wherein in the first configuration the golf club has a first loft angle and in the second configuration the golf club has a second loft angle. 
     
     
         14 . A method of fitting a golf club, comprising:
 providing a golf club to a user in a first configuration, the golf club including a club head, a shaft, a shaft sleeve and a fastener releasably coupling the shaft sleeve to the club head, wherein the club head includes a hosel defining a sleeve bore and a plurality of hosel alignment features that extend through at least a portion of a sidewall of the hosel adjacent a proximal end of the hosel, wherein the shaft sleeve includes a sleeve body and a plurality of sleeve alignment features that extend laterally outward from the sleeve body, wherein indicia are provided on an outer surface of the shaft sleeve and an outer surface of the hosel, wherein at least a portion of the shaft sleeve is received in the sleeve bore, wherein the hosel alignment features and the sleeve alignment features are tapered in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the hosel bore, wherein the hosel alignment features are generally trapezoidal in a cross-section taken in a plane that is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the hosel, and wherein the sleeve alignment features are generally trapezoidal in a cross-section taken in a plane that is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the sleeve body;   analyzing at least one swing of the golf club in the first configuration by the user;   disassembling the golf club from the first configuration by at least partially disengaging the fastener from the shaft sleeve and at least partially disengaging the shaft sleeve from the sleeve bore of the hosel;   re-assembling the golf club in a second configuration that is different than the first configuration;   analyzing at least one swing of the golf club in the second configuration by the user; and   determining a proper configuration of the golf club for the user.   
     
     
         15 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of hosel alignment features are notches extending through only a portion of a side wall of the hosel so that they do not intersect an outer surface of the hosel. 
     
     
         16 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 14 , wherein the hosel alignment features taper so that they define a narrowest portion oriented toward a sole of the golf club head. 
     
     
         17 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 14 , wherein the sleeve alignment features taper so that they define a narrowest portion oriented toward a distal end of the shaft sleeve. 
     
     
         18 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 14 , wherein the golf club is assembled in the second configuration by rotating the shaft sleeve relative to the hosel to a second orientation that is different than a first orientation corresponding to the first configuration of the golf club, inserting the shaft sleeve into the hosel and fastening the shaft sleeve to the club head with the fastener. 
     
     
         19 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 disassembling the golf club from the second configuration by at least partially disengaging the fastener from the shaft sleeve and at least partially disengaging the shaft sleeve from the sleeve bore of the hosel;   re-assembling the golf club in a third configuration; and   analyzing a swing of the golf club in a third configuration by the user.   
     
     
         20 . The method of fitting a golf club of  claim 14 , wherein a plurality of the indicia include letters that directly correspond to the configuration of the golf club related to at least one of face angle, lie angle and loft angle.