Temporary golf club shaft-component connection

Abstract

A temporary shaft-component connection for assembling a selected golf club shaft with a club head and/or hand grip segment, to facilitate custom club design and fitting to suit the needs and preferences of an individual golfer. The temporary shaft-component connection is particularly designed for use with nonmetallic club shafts formed from a graphite-based composite material or the like having a range of different lengths and stiffness (whip) characteristics. In a shaft-head connection, a metal adapter insert is mounted onto a lower end of the club shaft and includes one or more flat surfaces for reception into a matingly shaped socket in the hosel of a selected club head to prevent relative rotation between the club shaft and head. A compression nut carried on the shaft is threaded onto the hosel to axially engage and retain a thrust flange on the shaft or adapter or adapter insert, to prevent axial separation of the club head and shaft.

1 . A temporary connection for connecting a golf club shaft with an additional club component, said temporary connection comprising: 
 an elongated adapter insert mounted on one of the golf club shaft and the additional club component;    a thrust flange carried by said one of the golf club shaft and the additional club component;    a socket member on the other of the golf club shaft and additional component, said socket member defining a socket having a size and shape for slide-fit reception of said adapter insert, said socket member further defining a thrust seat for substantially seated reception of said thrust flange when said adapter insert is slidably received into said socket, said adapter insert and socket member further including interengageable surfaces for substantially preventing relative rotation therebetween when said adapter insert is slidably received into said socket;    connection means for removably interconnecting said adapter insert and socket member with said thrust flange retained in seated reception upon said thrust seat;    said connection means comprising a compression nut carried by one of said adapter insert and socket member, said compression nut defining an internal thread and a thrust shoulder, and an external thread formed on the other of said adapter insert and socket member, said compression nut being threadably engageable with said external thread for urging said thrust shoulder against one of said thrust flange and thrust seat for axially displacing said thrust flange into seated engagement upon said thrust seat; and    further including a backstop reaction member on said one of said adapter insert and socket, said backstop reaction member being engageable by said compression nut upon unthreading thereof from said external thread for axially separating said adapter insert from said socket member.    
   
   
       2 . The temporary connection of  claim 1  wherein said adapter insert is formed from a metal material.  
   
   
       3 . The temporary connection of  claim 1  wherein said thrust flange is formed integrally with said adapter insert.  
   
   
       4 . The temporary connection of  claim 1  including adhesive means for mounting said thrust flange onto said one of the golf club shaft and the additional club component.  
   
   
       5 . The temporary connection of  claim 1  wherein the additional club component comprises a golf club head having a hosel.  
   
   
       6 . The temporary connection of  claim 1  wherein said adapter insert in mounted onto one end of the club shaft.  
   
   
       7 . The temporary connection of  claim 6  further including adhesive means for mounting said adapter insert onto said one end of the club shaft.  
   
   
       8 . Canceled.  
   
   
       9 . The temporary connection of  claim 5  wherein said socket member is formed integrally with said hosel.  
   
   
       10 . The temporary connection of  claim 5  wherein said socket member is mounted onto said hosel.  
   
   
       11 . The temporary connection of  claim 10  further including adhesive means for mounting said socket member onto said hosel.  
   
   
       12 . The temporary connection of  claim 1  wherein said interengageable surfaces comprise interengageable flat surfaces.  
   
   
       13 . The temporary connection of  claim 1  further including interengageable tapered surfaces formed on said adapter insert and said socket member.  
   
   
       14 . The temporary connection of  claim 1  wherein said interengageable surfaces comprise interengageable spline surfaces.  
   
   
       15 . Canceled.  
   
   
       16 . The temporary connection of  claim 1  wherein said compression nut is carried by said adapter insert, and said external thread is formed on said socket member.  
   
   
       17 . Canceled.  
   
   
       18 . The temporary connection of  claim 6  wherein said compression nut is carried by the golf club shaft, and said external thread is formed on said socket member.  
   
   
       19 . The temporary connection of  claim 18  further wherein said backstop reaction member is on the club shaft.  
   
   
       20 . The temporary connection of  claim 1  further including a compressible spring element positioned generally within a base end of said socket and being at least partially compressed when said thrust flange is seated upon said thrust seat.  
   
   
       21 . A temporary connection for connecting a golf club shaft with an additional club component, said temporary connection comprising: 
 an elongated adapter insert mounted on the golf club shaft;    a thrust flange carried by said the golf club shaft;    a socket member on the additional component, said socket member defining a socket having a size and shape for slide-fit reception of said adapter insert, said socket member further defining a thrust seat for substantially seated reception of said thrust flange when said adapter insert is slidably received into said socket, said adapter insert and socket member further including interengageable surfaces for substantially preventing relative rotation therebetween when said adapter insert is slidably received into said socket;    connection means for removably interconnecting said adapter insert and socket member with said thrust flange seated upon said thrust seat, said connection means comprising a compression nut carried by the golf club shaft and defining an internal thread and a thrust shoulder, and an external thread formed on said socket member, said compression nut being threadably engageable with said external thread for urging said thrust shoulder against said thrust flange and for axially displacing and retaining said thrust flange into seated engagement upon said thrust seat; and    a backstop reaction member carried by the club shaft, said backstop reaction member being engagable by said compression nut upon unthreading thereof from said external thread for axially separating said adapter insert from said socket member.    
   
   
       22 . The temporary connection of  claim 21  wherein said adapter insert is formed from a metal material.  
   
   
       23 . The temporary connection of  claim 21  wherein said thrust flange is formed integrally with said adapter insert.  
   
   
       24 . The temporary connection of  claim 21  wherein the additional club component comprises a golf club head having a hosel.  
   
   
       25 . The temporary connection of  claim 24  wherein said socket member is formed integrally with said hosel.  
   
   
       26 . The temporary connection of  claim 24  wherein said socket member is mounted onto said hosel.  
   
   
       27 . The temporary connection of  claim 21  wherein said interengageable surfaces comprise interengageable flat surfaces.  
   
   
       28 . Canceled.  
   
   
       29 . A golf club, comprising: 
 an elongated club shaft having a lower end;    an elongated adapter insert mounted onto said club shaft lower end;    a thrust flange carried by said club shaft at a position generally adjacent to said club shaft lower end;    a club head having a hosel;    a socket member on said hosel, said socket member defining a socket having a size and shape for slide-fit reception of said adapter insert, said socket member further defining a thrust seat for substantially seated reception of said thrust flange when said adapter insert is slidably received into said socket, said adapter insert and socket member further including interengageable surfaces for substantially preventing relative rotation therebetween when said adapter insert is slidably received into said socket;    connection means for removably interconnecting said adapter insert and socket member with said thrust flange retained in seated reception upon said thrust seat;    said connection means comprising a compression nut carried on one of said adapter insert and said socket member, said compression nut defining an internal thread and a thrust shoulder, and an external thread formed on the other of said adapter insert and said socket member, said compression nut being threadably engageable with said external thread for urging said thrust shoulder against one of said thrust flange and thrust seat for axially displacing and retaining said thrust flange into seated engagement upon said thrust seat; and    a backstop reaction member carried on one of said club shaft and said socket member, said backstop reaction member being engageable by said compression nut upon unthreading thereof from said external thread for axially separating said adapter insert from said socket member.    
   
   
       30 . The golf club of  claim 29  wherein said adapter insert is formed from a metal material.  
   
   
       31 . The golf club of  claim 30  wherein said club shaft is formed from a nonmetallic material.  
   
   
       32 . The golf club of  claim 29  wherein said thrust flange is formed integrally with said adapter insert.  
   
   
       33 . The golf club of  claim 29  wherein said socket member is formed integrally with said hosel.  
   
   
       34 . The golf club of  claim 29  wherein said socket member is mounted onto said hosel.  
   
   
       35 . The golf club of  claim 29  wherein said interengageable surfaces comprise interengageable flat surfaces.  
   
   
       36 . Canceled.  
   
   
       37 . Canceled.  
   
   
       38 . Canceled.