Abstract:
A golf club which includes interconnected segments which can be added to extend the length thus providing an inexpensive alternative to buying new golf clubs. The segments are securely connected to achieve a rigid and sturdy golf club which can grow longer as a child grows taller. The segments preferably have a threaded male/female connection with epoxy applied to the threads followed by the added security of a roll pin inserted into the connection.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This is a continuation application of U.S. Application for Letters Patent Ser. No. 09/351,749, filed Jul. 8, 1999, which is a continuation of U.S. Application for Letters Patent Ser. No. 08/986,895, filed Dec. 8, 1997, now U.S Pat. No. 5,997,412, issued Dec. 7, 1999; both of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    This invention relates to a golf club which is extensible in length. This invention allows a child to start playing golf with a short golf club and to simply add new segments to lengthen the club as the child grows rather than buying new, longer clubs.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0005]    Golf is enjoyed as both a competitive sport and as an exercise activity. The age group of people taking up golf has become younger. This is particularly true due to the recent successes of young professional golfers which has made the game popular among children and parents. Manufacturers have responded to this demand by producing golf clubs in a variety of lengths which will accommodate people of all sizes. However, buying a club of a shorter length does not allow a child to use the club for very long. As the young golfer grows, he or she must continually replace the club as it becomes too short. There is accordingly a need for a golf club having an extensible length which can be increased as the child&#39;s height increases. This golf club must also be sturdy and rigid in order to provide maximum benefit to the child&#39;s game.  
           [0006]    Some U.S. patents which show variations to shafts of golf clubs are Nos. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,029,860; 5,609,336; 5,282,619; 5,328,174; 5,024,438; 5,496,029; 1,650,183; 3,102,726; and 3,424,464. None of the above patents disclose a device which uses a plurality of segments to increase the length of a golf club.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lower section of the upper shaft of the club ends with a collar which has a threaded male projection that can fit into a threaded female opening of a spacer segment. The connection is secured by a roll pin which is permanently inserted in a hole in the barrel of the spacer segment and through a hole in the threaded male projection, the end result being the addition of permanent growth or extension which cannot be disassembled. New spacer segments can continually be added by placing the threaded female opening of each new spacer segment over the threaded male projection of the last-attached spacer segment. A roll pin used as described above secures the connection. The upper section of the lower shaft of the club ends with a collar which has a threaded female opening to receive the threaded male projection of the bottom or last-attached spacer segment. This connection is secured with a removable roll pin which can be removed to permit the addition of more spacer segments as the child grows.  
           [0008]    In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the threaded male projections are about ¾ of an inch long and the male/female connections are further secured by the application of an epoxy to the threads prior to connection. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the golf club embodying the present invention with one spacer segment in place;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is an exploded fragmentary view with parts broken away of the upper and lower shaft portions of the invention connected by two spacer segments;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view depicting one spacer segment connecting the upper and lower shafts of the golf club; and.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in partial vertical section illustrating how the upper shaft, eight spacer segments, and the lower shaft are connected when the club is in its maximum extended form. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0013]    Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a golf club  10 . Broadly speaking, the golf club  10  includes a lower shaft  12 , a midsection  14 , and an upper shaft  16 .  
         [0014]    Upper shaft  16  of golf club  10  has a lower end  18  fitted with a first collar  20 . First collar  20  terminates in a threaded male projection  22  (shown in FIG. 2) which has a pin hole  23 . FIG. 1 illustrates an upper end  24  of upper shaft  16  covered with a handle  26 .  
         [0015]    Lower shaft  12  has an upper end  28  which terminates in a second collar  30 . Second collar  30  has a pin hole  31  and a threaded female opening  32  (shown in FIG. 2). FIG. 1 illustrates the club head  34  which is attached to a lower end  36  of the lower shaft  12 .  
         [0016]    Midsection  14  is composed of spacer segment  38 ( a ) in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, midsection  14  contains spacer segment  38 ( a ) and spacer segment  38 ( b ). Referring to FIG. 4, the midsection  14  has spacer segments  38 ( a ) through  38 ( h ). Turning to FIG. 2, spacer segment  38 ( a ) has a threaded female opening  40  and a threaded male projection (not shown). Spacer Segment  38 ( b ) has a threaded female opening (not shown) and a threaded male projection  42 . Each spacer segment added to the golf club  10  has a similar structure and further includes a pin hole  44  on its threaded male projection, a pin hole  46  on its barrel  48 , and a wrench flat  49 .  
         [0017]    Referring to FIG. 2, spacer segment  38 ( a ) has a threaded female opening  40  which threadably receives threaded male projection  22 . A roll pin  50  is inserted through pin hole  46  of spacer segment  38 ( a ) and pin hole  23  of the threaded male projection  22 , thus reinforcing the connection.  
         [0018]    Still referring to FIG. 2, second collar  30  has a threaded female opening  32  for threadably receiving the threaded male projection  42  of second spacer segment  38 ( b ). Threaded male projection  42  has a pin hole  44  through its entire diameter, and second collar  30  has a pinhole  31  which is reflected across the threaded female opening  32  (shown in breakaway) thus permitting a removable roll pin  52  to be inserted when threaded male projection  42  is threadably received by threaded female opening  32 . This secures second spacer segment  38 ( b ) to second collar  30  of lower shaft  12 .  
         [0019]    In a preferred embodiment, each threaded male projection is about ¾ of an inch in length, and the barrel  48  has a length (l) of about 1 inch. The spacer segments can be of varying sizes and lengths, but preferably they are substantially similar to one another.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 2 also illustrates how the spacer segments look when connected to one another. Spacer segment  38 ( b ) has a threaded female opening (not shown) which receives the threaded male projection (not shown) of spacer segment  38 ( a ). A roll pin  54  is inserted through spacer segment  38 ( b ) and the male projection (not shown) of spacer segment  38 ( a ) resulting in a secure connection between the two spacer segments. This connection can be repeated numerous times between many spacer segments. Flat  49  is provides a gripping surface for tightening the connections.  
         [0021]    In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the golf club length can be potentially increased by up to eight spacer segments as shown in FIG. 4 where spacer segments  38 ( a )- 38 ( h ) are interconnected by the same male/female and roll pin connection described above. Spacer segment  38 ( a ) is secured to a first collar  20  by a roll pin  50 . Eighth spacer segment  38 ( h ) is secured to a second collar  30  by a removable pin  52 .  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the connections when the golf club is lengthened by only one spacer segment. An upper shaft  16  is covered by a handle  14 . A lower end  18  of upper shaft  16  ends in a first collar  20 . An upper end  28  of lower shaft  12  is fitted with a second collar  30 . A spacer segment  38 ( a ) has a threaded female opening  40  which threadably receives a threaded male projection  22  of first collar  20 . This connection is secured by a roll pin  50 . Second collar  30  has a threaded female opening  32  which threadably receives a threaded male projection  56  of spacer segment  38 ( a ). This connection is secured by a removable roll pin  52 . Each time a user wishes to lengthen the golf club, he or she can withdraw removable roll pin  52  and add another spacer segment by putting the new spacer segment&#39;s threaded female opening over the threaded male projection of the most recently attached spacer segments. The user then connects the new spacer segment&#39;s threaded male projection to second collar  30  by way of the above described male/female connection followed by reinsertion of removable roll pin  52 .  
         [0023]    It will be appreciated that this unusual feature of adding segments permits a child to use the same golf club for quite some time. Furthermore, club head  34  (FIG. 1) could be any golf head that the user desires, not just the one shown. Placing an amount of epoxy on the male/female connection and inserting a roll pin through that connection provides the same strong, rigid shaft of a one piece golf club. These features save money for the families of children who play golf and give children from a wide range of economic backgrounds the ability to afford quality equipment.