Multi-piece driver with separately cast hosel

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a multi-piece golf club head having a metal hosel with adjustability features that is cast separately from a face component, sole, and crown, and then is permanently affixed to those other parts after casting is complete. The face component, sole, and crown may be composed of any suitable materials, but preferably each of the face component, the sole, and the crown are stamped from a metal material and are welded to the hosel.

We claim as our invention: 
     
         1 . A wood-type golf club head comprising a crown, a sole, a face component, and a hosel,
 wherein the hosel is cast from a metal material,   wherein the hosel is not integrally formed with any other part of the golf club head, and   wherein the hosel is permanently affixed to at least one of the crown, sole, and face component after casting is complete.   
     
     
         2 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the golf club head is a driver head. 
     
     
         3 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the hosel is cast from a titanium alloy. 
     
     
         4 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein each of the crown, sole, and face component is stamped from a metal sheet, and wherein the hosel is permanently affixed to each of the crown, sole, and face component by welding. 
     
     
         5 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the hosel comprises an adjustability feature. 
     
     
         6 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 5 , wherein the adjustability feature is selected from the group consisting of a plurality of teeth, a plurality of pins, a plurality of holes, and a plurality of ridges. 
     
     
         7 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 6 , wherein the adjustability feature is a plurality of teeth. 
     
     
         8 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the hosel comprises a hosel tube, and wherein the hosel tube comprises a hosel bore sized to receive a shaft. 
     
     
         9 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 8 , wherein the hosel tube comprises an internal flange. 
     
     
         10 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 8 , wherein the hosel tube comprises an upper end and a lower end, wherein the sole comprises a sole opening, and wherein the lower end is disposed proximate the sole opening. 
     
     
         11 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the face component and the sole are integrally cast from a metal material, and wherein the face component comprises a cut-out sized to receive at least a part of the hosel. 
     
     
         12 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the face component is composed of a metal alloy, wherein the sole is composed of a composite material, and wherein the crown is composed of a composite material. 
     
     
         13 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the face component comprises a striking face and a return portion, and wherein the return portion comprises a through bore sized to receive at least a part of the hosel. 
     
     
         14 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the hosel comprises a first extension composed of portion of the face component, a second extension composed of a portion of the crown, and a third extension composed of a portion of the sole, wherein the face component has a first cutout that mates with the first extension, wherein the crown has a second cutout that mates with the second extension, and wherein the sole has a third cutout that mates with the third extension. 
     
     
         15 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the face component comprises a striking surface having a variable thickness pattern. 
     
     
         16 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the sole comprises at least one weight port. 
     
     
         17 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 18 , further comprising at least one removable weight. 
     
     
         18 . A driver-type golf club head comprising:
 a face component comprising a striking face, a return portion, and a first cutout, the face component composed of a metal material;   a sole comprising a second cutout, the sole composed of a metal material;   a crown comprising a third cutout, the crown composed of a metal material; and   a metal hosel comprising a hosel tube, an adjustability feature, a first extension, a second extension, and a third extension, the hosel cast separately from all other parts of the golf club head,   wherein the first extension mates with the first cutout, the second extension mates with the second cutout, and the third extension mates with the third cutout,   wherein the metal hosel is welded to the face component, the sole, and the crown.   
     
     
         19 . The driver-type golf club head of  claim 18 , wherein each of the face component, the sole, and the crown are stamped from a metal sheet. 
     
     
         20 . The driver-type golf club head of  claim 18 , wherein the hosel is composed of 6-4 titanium.