Graphite shaft connection to golf club hosel

Claim 1

In a sports implement having a shaft, hosel, and means connecting said shaft to said hosel, comprising: said shaft being tubular and made from graphite fibers and resin, said hosel extending from the head of the sports implement for a predetermined first distance and a predetermined first outer diameter, a hosel step shoulder formed at the end of said predetermined first distance, said hosel extending from said shoulder a second predetermined distance and a second predetermined outer diameter less than said first outer diameter and terminating in an end surface, a bore formed in said second predetermined distance hosel portion and extending from said end surface inwardly thereinto to a predetermined distance less than said second predetermined distance, said Connecting means including a uniform diameter solid pin closely received in and adhesively bonded to the hosel bore wall, said pin occupying substantially the entire length of said bore and extending outwardly beyond said end surface a distance approximately equal to said predetermined distance, said shaft being positioned over and adhesively bonded to substantially the entire exposed pin portion and in end-to-end relation to said hosel at said end surface, the outer surface of said shaft being aligned with said second predetermined outer diameter hosel portion, said connecting means further including a sleeve telescopically received over and adhesively bonded to the shaft and second predetermined distance hosel portion, said sleeve extending endwise beyond both ends of said pin, the hosel end of said sleeve terminating adjacent said hosel step shoulder, the outer surface of said sleeve being aligned with said first predetermined outer diameter hosel portion.