Jeffrey Kitchens

US Patent:

56348606, Jun 3, 1997

Filed:

Mar 13, 1996

Appl. No.:

8/614589

Inventors:

William R. McIntosh - Bartlett TN
Jeffrey E. Kitchens - Cordova TN

Assignee:

Emhart Inc. - Newark DE

International Classification:

A63B 5312

US Classification:

473318

Abstract:

A golf club 10 includes a shaft 12 with a grip 14 assembled on a butt end 16 of the shaft. A club head 18 is mounted on a tip end 20 of the shaft 12. The shaft 12 is composed of steel and is formed with an intermediate section 22 having a plurality of sections 22a through 22n of decreasing diameter from the butt end 16 toward the tip end 20. A bulge 24 is formed in the shaft 12 near an inboard extremity of the tip end 20. The bulge 24 is formed with a central cylindrical section 26 with three cylindrical step surfaces 30, 32 and 34 at one axial end of the section 26 and three step surfaces 36, 38 and 40 at the opposite axial end of the section 26. The diameter of the central section 26 is greater than the diameter of the immediately adjacent portions of the shaft 12. Also, the diameters of each set of the three step surfaces at each end of the central section 26, that is surfaces 30, 32 and 34 at one end and surfaces 36, 38 and 40 at the other end, are successively greater than the adjacent portion of the shaft, but less than the diameter of the central section 26.

US Patent:

58822682, Mar 16, 1999

Filed:

Mar 13, 1996

Appl. No.:

8/615353

Inventors:

William R. McIntosh - Bartlett TN
Jeffrey E. Kitchens - Cordova TN

Assignee:

True Temper Sports, Inc. - Wilmington DE

International Classification:

A63B 5310

US Classification:

473316

Abstract:

A golf club 10 includes a shaft 12 with a grip 18 assembled on a butt end 20 of the shaft. A club head 22 is mounted on a tip end 24 of the shaft 12. The shaft 12 is composed of a non-metallic material, such as fibers in a cured plastic matrix, and is formed with an tapered intermediate section 26. The section 26 includes two segments 28 and 30 which taper at different taper rates. A bulge 32 is formed in the shaft 12 near an inboard extremity of the tip end 24. The bulge 32 is formed with a central cylindrical section 34 and transition sections 36 and 38 on opposite axial ends of the central section. The diameter of the bulge 32 at any cross section thereof is greater than the diameter of the immediately adjacent portions of the shaft 12. Also, the bulge 32 is formed with an axial opening 16, the diameter of which is less than the diameter of the immediately adjacent portions of the shaft 12.