Golf club with different shaft orientations and method of making same

Abstract

A golf club is comprised of a head including a hollow body having a top wall, a bottom wall, and a front wall arranged for impacting a golf ball. A bore is disposed in the head adjacent a heel end thereof behind the body front wall extending downwardly from the body top wall toward the body bottom wall. A hosel having a generally lengthwise passage is inserted into the bore. The hosel passage is oriented at a predetermined angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the bore, and a tip end of a shaft is received in the hosel passage so that the shaft is disposed at a desired orientation with respect to the head. The hosel is selected from a plurality of hosels with passages disposed at different predetermined angles relative to the bore longitudinal axis. This allows adjustment of the desired orientation of the shaft so that the golf club may be custom fit to a particular golfer.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A golf club in combination with a plurality of hosels wherein each of said hosels has a passage extending generally lengthwise thereof, said passage being disposed at a different predetermined angle for each of said hosels, said golf club comprising: 
       a head including a hollow body having a top wall, a bottom wall, and a front wall arranged for impacting a golf ball, said head further including a heel end and a toe end, said head also having a bore disposed in said heel end behind said front wall extending downwardly from said body top wall toward said body bottom wall, said bore having a longitudinal axis and a top end flush with said body top wall, said head being made of a first material having an associated shear modulus of elasticity;  
       a hosel selected from said plurality of hosels inserted into said bore, said selected hosel being made of a second material having an associated shear modulus of elasticity lower than that of said first material for causing said selected hosel to absorb shock resulting from said head striking a golf ball on said body front wall and having an outer surface which mates with said head so as to position said hosel relative to said bore, said hosel passage being oriented at a selected angle relative to said longitudinal axis of said bore;  
       a shaft having a tip end received in said selected hosel passage and extending through said hosel passage into said bore below said body top wall, said shaft being disposed at a desired orientation with respect to said head; and  
       said selected hosel providing the desired orientation of said shaft with respect to said head and extending unsupported by said head above said body top wall.  
     
     
       2. The golf club of  claim 1  wherein said hollow body further includes a sidewall connecting said top and bottom walls. 
     
     
       3. The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein said bore has a top end which is open and a bottom end which is closed. 
     
     
       4. The golf club of  claim 3 , wherein said bore top end is substantially flush with said body top wall and wherein said bore bottom end is spaced from said body bottom wall. 
     
     
       5. The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein said hosel has a lower portion received in said bore and an upper portion extending upwardly from said body top wall. 
     
     
       6. A method of making a golf club comprising the steps of: 
       forming a head having a heel end to a toe and wherein said head includes a hollow body having a top wall, a bottom wall, and a front wall arranged for impacting a golf ball, said head being made of a first material having an associated shear modulus of elasticity;  
       forming a bore having a longitudinal axis  in said heel end of said head being said front face having a longitudinal axis and a top end flush with said top wall so that said bore extends downwardly from said top wall toward said bottom wall;  
       providing a plurality of hosels wherein each of said hosels has  is made of a second material having an associated shear modules of elasticity lower than that of said first material for causing said selected hosel to absorb shock resulting from said head striking a golf ball on said front wall and having an outer surface which mates with said head so as to position said hosel relative to said bore, each of said hosels having a passage extending generally lengthwise thereof and disposed at a predetermined angle, said predetermined angle being different for each of said hosels;  
       selecting a hosel from said plurality of hosels;  
       inserting said selected hosel into said bore so that its passage is oriented at a selected angle relative to said longitudinal axis of said bore and so that it extends unsupported by said head above said top wall of said head; and  
       inserting a tip end of a shaft into said bore below said top wall of said head through said passage of said selected hosel so that said shaft is disposed at a desired orientation with respect to said head.  
     
     
       7. The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein said hosel is made of plastic.  
     
     
       8. The golf club of  claim 7 , wherein said head is made of titanium.  
     
     
       9. The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein said head is made of titanium.  
     
     
       10. The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein a front wall of said bore is spaced from said front wall of said body of said head.  
     
     
       11. A golf club in combination with a plurality of hosels wherein each of said hosels has a passage extending generally lengthwise thereof, said passage being disposed at a different angle for each of said hosels, said golf club including a shaft, a head and a hosel selected from said plurality of hosels inserted in a bore in said head, with an end of said shaft inserted in said selected hosel, wherein said head comprises a hollow body having a top wall, a bottom wall, and a front wall arranged for impacting a golf ball, said bore having a top end which is substantially flush with said body top wall and a bottom end which is spaced from said body bottom wall, said head further including a heel end and a toe end and a wall structure disposed in said heel end and defining said bore, said wall structure extending downwardly from said body top wall toward said body bottom wall and having a front side which is spaced apart from a rear side of said front wall of said body for disposing said bore in a position with said bottom end above said body bottom wall and rearwardly away from said rear side of said front wall while supporting said shaft above said bottom wall with said selected hosel which extends unsupported by said head above said body top wall.  
     
     
       12. A golf club as in  claim 11 , wherein said bore top end is open and said bore bottom end is closed.  
     
     
       13. A golf club as in  claim 11 , wherein said selected hosel inserted in said bore has said passage oriented at an angle relative to a longitudinal axis of said bore, wherein said bore is shaped so as to establish a fixed angular position of said hosel passage relative to said bore longitudinal axis when said selected hosel is inserted in said bore.  
     
     
       14. A golf club as in  claim 11 , wherein said passage of said selected hosel has a longitudinal axis which is at an angle relative to a longitudinal axis of said bore.  
     
     
       15. A golf club as in  claim 11 , wherein each of said hosels is made of plastic and said head is made of titanium.