Interchangable Golf Shaft Adapters

Abstract

Golf shaft adapters of two different types, a skewed shim shaft adapter and an elemental shaft adapter, are interchangeable in their connection to a head. These interchangeable shaft adapters are particularly useful in retrofitting the elemental shaft adapter to a head which is manufactured to be fitted with the skewed shim shaft adapter. An assemblage, comprising the head, the skewed shim shaft adapter, and the elemental shaft adapter, provides a technician a choice between a skewed shim shaft adapter and head assembly comprising the head and the skewed shim shaft adapter, or an elemental shaft adapter and head assembly comprising the head and the elemental shaft adapter. This assemblage allows the technician to choose the shaft adapter which is more beneficial to his customer.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A golf club head assembly comprising:
 a head,   and an elemental shaft adapter,   wherein the head comprises a neck which embodies a neck indexing structure,   wherein the head is manufactured to be fitted with a skewed shim shaft adapter comprising a skewed shim which embodies a shim indexing structure,   wherein the shim indexing structure is engageable with the neck indexing structure, thereby providing for the skewed shim to be restrained from rotation with respect to the neck,   wherein the elemental shaft adapter comprises an elemental shaft adapter fitting which embodies an elemental shaft adapter fitting indexing structure,   wherein the elemental shaft adapter is retrofitted to the head with the elemental shaft adapter fitting indexing structure engaged with the neck indexing structure to restrain rotation of the elemental shaft adapter fitting with respect to the neck,   whereby the golf club head assembly, by having the elemental shaft adapter retrofitted to the head rather than having the skewed shim shaft adapter fitted to the head, employs the elemental shaft adapter to secure a shaft to the head rather than employing the skewed shim shaft adapter.   
     
     
         2 . The golf club head assembly of  claim 1  wherein the skewed shim is a proximal skewed shim and the skewed shim indexing structure is a proximal skewed shim indexing structure, and wherein the skewed shim shaft adapter further comprises a distal skewed shim, which embodies a distal skewed shim indexing structure, and a skewed shim shaft adapter fitting, which embodies a skewed shim shaft adapter fitting indexing structure, and wherein, in addition to the proximal skewed shim indexing structure being engageable with the neck indexing structure, the proximal skewed shim indexing structure is also engageable with the distal skewed shim indexing structure, and the distal skewed shim indexing structure is also engageable with the skewed shim shaft adapter fitting indexing structure, thereby providing for the skewed shim shaft adapter fitting to be restrained from rotation with respect to the neck. 
     
     
         3 . The golf club head assembly of  claim 1  wherein the elemental shaft adapter is a skewed axis elemental shaft adapter. 
     
     
         4 . The golf club head assembly of  claim 1  wherein the elemental shaft adapter is a straight axis elemental shaft adapter. 
     
     
         5 . The golf club head assembly of  claim 1  wherein the skewed shim shaft adapter further comprises a fastener which provides for the skewed shim shaft adapter to be fitted to the head, and the fastener is employed to retrofit the elemental shaft adapter to the head. 
     
     
         6 . The golf club head assembly of  claim 1  wherein the skewed shim shaft adapter further comprises a first fastener which provides for the skewed shim shaft adapter to be fitted to the head, and the elemental shaft adapter further comprises a second fastener which is employed to retrofit the elemental shaft adapter to the head. 
     
     
         7 . The golf club head assembly of  claim 2  wherein the skewed shim shaft adapter, when fitted to the head, establishes a distance between a distal end of the skewed shim shaft adapter fitting and a distal end of the neck, and the elemental shaft adapter, when retrofitted to the head, establishes substantially the same distance between a distal end of the elemental shaft adapter fitting and the distal end of the neck. 
     
     
         8 . The golf club head assembly of  claim 2  wherein the skewed shim shaft adapter, when fitted to the head, establishes a first distance between a distal end of the skewed shim shaft adapter fitting and a distal end of the neck, and the elemental shaft adapter, when retrofitted to the head, establishes a second distance between a distal end of the elemental shaft adapter fitting and the distal end of the neck. 
     
     
         9 . The golf club head assembly of  claim 8  wherein the second distance is shorter than the first distance. 
     
     
         10 . The golf club head assembly of  claim 2  wherein the skewed shim shaft adapter further comprises a first fastener which provides for the skewed shim shaft adapter to be fitted to the head, wherein the elemental shaft adapter further comprises a second fastener which is employed to retrofit the elemental shaft adapter to the head, and wherein the skewed shim shaft adapter and the elemental shaft adapter have substantially equal masses. 
     
     
         11 . The golf club head assembly of  claim 2  wherein the skewed shim shaft adapter further comprises a first fastener which provides for the skewed shim shaft adapter to be fitted to the head, wherein the elemental shaft adapter further comprises a second fastener which is employed to retrofit the elemental shaft adapter to the head, wherein the skewed shim shaft adapter has a first mass and the elemental shaft adapter has a second mass, and wherein the first mass is greater than the second mass. 
     
     
         12 . An assemblage which provides for a golf club head assembly, the assemblage comprising:
 a head,   a skewed shim shaft adapter,   and an elemental shaft adapter,   wherein the head comprises a neck which embodies a neck indexing structure,   wherein the skewed shim shaft adapter comprises a skewed shim which embodies a shim indexing structure,   wherein the elemental shaft adapter comprises an elemental shaft adapter fitting which embodies an elemental shaft adapter fitting indexing structure,   wherein the assemblage provides for the golf club head assembly to be a first golf club head assembly which is absent the elemental shaft adapter but comprises the head and the skewed shim shaft adapter, and the skewed shim shaft adapter is secured to the head with the shim indexing structure engaged with the neck indexing structure to restrain rotation of the skewed shim with respect to the neck,   and wherein the assemblage also provides for the golf club head assembly to be a second golf club head assembly which is absent the skewed shim shaft adapter but which comprises the head and the elemental shaft adapter, and the elemental shaft adapter is secured to the head with the elemental shaft adapter fitting indexing structure engaged with the neck indexing structure to restrain rotation of the elemental shaft adapter fitting with respect to the neck,   whereby the assemblage allows a technician to choose between the skewed shim shaft adapter and the elemental shaft adapter for securing a shaft to the head.   
     
     
         13 . The assemblage of  claim 12  wherein the head is manufactured to be fitted with the skewed shim shaft adapter, and therefore, in the second golf club head assembly, the elemental shaft adapter, in being secured to the head, is retrofitted to the head. 
     
     
         14 . The assemblage of  claim 12  wherein the skewed shim shaft adapter further comprises a skewed shim shaft adapter fitting which embodies a skewed shim shaft adapter fitting indexing structure, and in the first golf club head assembly, in addition to the engagement of the shim indexing structure with the neck indexing structure, the shim indexing structure is also engaged with the skewed shim shaft adapter fitting indexing structure, thereby restraining rotation of the skewed shim shaft adapter fitting with respect to the neck. 
     
     
         15 . The assemblage of  claim 12  wherein the skewed shim is a proximal skewed shim and the shim indexing structure is a proximal shim indexing structure, and the skewed shim shaft adapter further comprises a distal skewed shim, which embodies a distal shim indexing structure, and a skewed shim shaft adapter fitting, which embodies a skewed shim shaft adapter fitting indexing structure, and in the first golf club head assembly, in addition to the engagement of the proximal shim indexing structure with the neck indexing structure, the proximal shim indexing structure is also engaged with the distal shim indexing structure and the distal shim indexing structure is also engaged with the skewed shim shaft adapter fitting indexing structure, whereby the skewed shim shaft adapter fitting is restrained from rotation with respect to the neck. 
     
     
         16 . The assemblage of  claim 12  wherein the skewed shim shaft adapter further comprises a first fastener which is employed in the first golf club head assembly to secure the skewed shim shaft adapter to the head, and wherein the elemental shaft adapter further comprises a second fastener which is employed in the second set of golf club head assembly to secure the elemental shaft adapter to the head. 
     
     
         17 . In a golf club head to which a skewed shim shaft adapter is finable, an elemental shaft adapter which is retrofittable to the golf club head, the elemental shaft adapter comprising;
 an elemental shaft adapter fitting,   and an elemental shaft adapter fitting indexing structure which is embodied in the elemental shaft adapter fitting,   wherein the golf club head embodies a head indexing structure,   wherein the skewed shim shaft adapter comprises a skewed shim,   wherein the skewed shim embodies a shim indexing structure which is engageable with the head indexing structure to restrain their relative rotation,   and wherein the elemental shaft adapter fitting indexing structure is engageable with the head indexing structure to restrain their relative rotation,   whereby, in providing for shaft attachment to the golf club head, the elemental shaft adapter is interchangeable with the skewed shim shaft adapter.   
     
     
         18 . The elemental shaft adapter of  claim 17  wherein the head has a neck and the head indexing structure is embodied in the neck. 
     
     
         19 . The elemental shaft adapter of  claim 17  wherein the head further comprises a hosel which has an axis, and the shim indexing structure is engageable with the head indexing structure to restrain rotation of the skewed shim with respect to the axis and the elemental shaft adapter fitting indexing structure is engageable with the head indexing structure to restrain rotation of the elemental shaft adapter fitting with respect to the axis. 
     
     
         20 . The elemental shaft adapter of  claim 17  wherein the skewed shim is a proximal skewed shim and the shim indexing structure is a proximal shim indexing structure, and wherein the skewed shim shaft adapter further comprises a distal skewed shim, which embodies a distal shim indexing structure, and a skewed shim shaft adapter fitting, which embodies a skewed shim shaft adapter fitting indexing structure.