Patent Publication Number: US-6213889-B1

Title: Adjustable golf club putter

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/072,187 filed Jan. 22, 1998, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/093,320 filed Jul. 20, 1998. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates in general to a golf club, and in particular to an improved golf club putter having a head which is adjustably mounted with respect to the shaft of the golf club. 
     Golf club putters generally include a shaft, a hand grip attached to one end of the shaft, and a putter head attached to the other end of the shaft. Commonly, hand grips include formations, such as a flattened area, formed thereon for proper positioning of a player&#39;s hands on the hand grip. The formations of the hand grip should be positioned correctly with respect to the putter head for accurate operation of the golf club putter. However, because of the varying grips, stances, and swings of different players, there is not one ideal shaft position which would accommodate every player. Also, the desired length of the shaft from the hand grip to the putter head differs from person to person. 
     In most golf club putters, the putter head is permanently attached to the shaft so that the axis of the shaft is at a predetermined lie angle. The lie angle is generally defined as the angle between the axis of the shaft and a plane defined by a bottom surface of the putter head in a direction towards or away from the player holding the golf club putter. However, due to differences in heights, stances, and swings of different players, there is not one ideal lie angle which would accommodate every player. Also, because the putter head is permanently attached to the shaft, the striking surface of the putter head is at a fixed loft angle. The loft angle is generally defined as the angle between the striking surface and the axis of the shaft. However, due to differences in heights, stances, and swings of different players, there is not one ideal loft angle which would accommodate every player. Also, it is sometimes desirable to adjust the orientation of the head of the putter relative to the shaft. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates in general to an improved golf club which can be adjusted to change the loft angle or the lie angle between the shaft and the putter head of the golf club. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, the golf club includes a head having a striking face and a shaft having first and second ends such that the shaft defines an axis. The club further includes a hosel assembly including a member having first and second ends. The first end of the member is fastened to the head. The hosel assembly also includes a hosel having first and second ends. The first end of the hosel is fastened to the shaft. The second end of the hosel is pivotally fastened to the second end of the member. A cam member is pivotally fastened to a first one of the hosel and the member about an axis. The cam member has a cam surface offset from the axis. The cam surface is engaged with a second one of the hosel and the member. The rotation of the cam member about the axis causes the cam surface to pivot the member relative to the hosel to change the lie or loft angle of the putter head relative to the shaft. 
     Various objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a golf club putter, in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an elevational end view of the golf club putter of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a partial exploded perspective view of the golf club putter of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial exploded end view illustrating the adjustable hosel of the golf club putter of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 is a partial elevational rear view of the upper end of the hosel of the golf club putter of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 6 is a partial elevational view of the shaft attachment member of the golf club putter of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of a golf club putter, in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of a third embodiment of a golf club putter, in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view of the golf club putter taken along Lines  9 — 9  in FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of the hosel of the golf club putter illustrated in FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 11 is a front elevational view of the attachment member of the golf club putter illustrated in FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of the disk of the golf club putter illustrated in FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 13 is a front elevational view of the golf club putter of FIG. 8 oriented in an alternate lie angle position. 
     FIG. 14 is a front elevational view of the golf club putter of FIG. 8 oriented in an alternate lie angle position. 
     FIG. 15 is a front elevational view of a fourth embodiment of a golf club putter, in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 16 is a side elevational view of the golf club putter illustrated in FIG.  15 . 
     FIG. 17 is a front elevational view of a fifth embodiment of a golf club putter, in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 18 is a partial sectional view of the golf club putter taken along Lines  18 — 18  in FIG.  17 . 
     FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the hosel of the golf club putter illustrated in FIG.  17 . 
     FIG. 20 is a front elevational view of the attachment member of the golf club putter illustrated in FIG.  17 . 
     FIG. 21 is an enlarged front elevational view of the cam member of the golf club putter illustrated in FIG.  17 . 
     FIG. 22 is a front elevational view of the golf club putter of FIG. 17 oriented in an alternate lie angle position. 
     FIG. 23 is a front elevational view of the golf club putter of FIG. 17 oriented in an alternate lie angle position. 
     FIG. 24 is a front elevational view of a sixth embodiment of a golf club putter, in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 25 is a side view, shown partially in section, of the golf club putter illustrated in FIG.  24 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3 a first embodiment of a golf club putter, indicated generally at  10 , in accordance with the present invention. The putter  10  has a head  11  which generally includes a body  12  and a hosel extention member or a hosel  14  extending upward from an end of the body. Although the hosel  14  is shown as an integral portion of the body  12 , the hosel  14  can be a separate structure fastened to the body  12 . The body  12  has a striking face  15  for engagement with a golf ball (not shown) when the putter  10  is used. The body  12  and striking face  15  can have any desired shape suitable for striking a golf ball. As will be explained in detail below, the hosel  14  and the attachment member  20  define a hosel assembly for adjustably attaching the shaft  16  to the head  11 . 
     An end  18  of the hosel  14  includes a notched portion  22  having a threaded bore  24  formed therethrough. The notched portion  22  also includes a circular engagement surface  26  preferably having a textured face, the reason for which will be explained in detail below. 
     The hosel or attachment member  20  includes a tubular portion  28  having a bore  30 , as best shown in FIG. 3, which is formed therein. The bore  30  is adapted to receive the end of the shaft  16 . The end of the shaft  16  is fixably attached to the attachment member  20  by a suitable fastener, such as by a pair of set screws  32  in threaded engagement with threaded bores  34  formed through the tubular portion  28  of the attachment member  20 . The end of the shaft  16  can be fixably attached to the attachment member  20  by any suitable means, such as a band clamp assembly (not shown). 
     The end of the shaft  16  can be rotated to any desired rotational relationship with respect to the attachment member  20  prior to tightening of the set screws. For example, it is common for a shaft  16  to include a hand grip (not shown) having a flattened area for proper placement of the players hands. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3, the shaft  16  can be rotated prior to tightening the set screws so that the flattened area or the grip is at a desired rotational position relative to the head  10 . The set screws  32  are then tightened to fixably attach the shaft  16  to the attachment member  20 , and to the head  11  via the hosel  14 . 
     Preferably, the end of the shaft  16  has a generally constant diameter for a predetermined length of the shaft  16 . If the putter  10  of the present invention was provided with a shaft  16  having a relatively long length prior to attachment of the shaft  16  to the attachment member  20 , the end of the shaft  16  can be cut to a desired length, and then attached to the attachment member  20  by tightening the set screws  32 . Thus, the shaft  16  and the putter head  10  can be fastened together to accommodate the height, stance, and swing of virtually any player. 
     The attachment member  20  further includes a notched portion  36  having a bore  38  formed therethrough. The notched portion  36  also includes a circular engagement surface  38  engaged with the engagement surface  26  of the end  18  of the hosel  14 . The engagement between the engagement surface  38  of the attachment member  20  and the engagement surface  26  of the hosel  14  helps prevent rotational movement therebetween. The attachment member  20  and the end  18  of the hosel  14  are pivotally fastened together by a screw  40  disposed in the bore  38  of the attachment member  20 . The screw  40  is threadably engaged with the threaded bore  24  of the end  18  of the hosel  14 . The attachment member  20  and the shaft  16  can be fixed at a desired angle a with respect to the hosel  14 , as shown in FIG.  1 . Since the hosel  14  is an integral structure of the body  12 , the angle α is relative to an angle commonly referred to as the “lie angle”. The lie angle is generally defined as an angle between an axis  41  of the shaft  16  and a plane generally defined by a bottom surface  42  of the body  12  in a direction towards or away from the player as the player holds the putter  10 . Of course, the bottom surface  42  can have any suitable shape, such as a relatively flat shape or a curved shape. The attachment member  20  and the hosel  14  are preferably pivoted about a plane which is generally parallel to the axis of the shaft  16 . 
     Preferably, the circular engagement surfaces  26  and  38  have a textured face to provide for a high coefficient of friction therebetween so that the surfaces  26  and  38  are less likely to slide or rotate relative to one another when the screw  40  is tightened. Alternatively, the circular engagement surfaces  26  and  38  can have interlocking grooves or teeth  44 , as best shown in FIG.  4 . The teeth  44  help prevent the head  10  from pivoting with respect to the shaft  16 . The teeth  44  can be oriented in a radially extending manner so that the pitch or distance between adjacent teeth determines the incremental change of the lie angle. 
     There is illustrated in FIG. 7 a second embodiment of a golf club putter, indicated generally at  60 , in accordance with the present invention. The putter  60  has a head  61  including a body  62 . The body  62  has a striking face  64 . Of course, the body  62  and the striking face  64  can have any suitable shape. As will be described below, the body  62  is adjustably attached to a golf club shaft  66  by the cooperation of a hosel extention member or a hosel  68  and, a hosel or an attachment member  70  which define a hosel assembly, indicated generally at  71 . 
     The hosel  68  has a first end  72  fixably attached to the body  62 . The first end  72  can be fixably attached to the body  62  by any suitable method, such as by a press fit, a threaded connection, or a weld. The hosel  68  has a second end  74  having a threaded bore  76  formed therethrough. The hose  68  further includes an engagement surface  78  having a plurality of grooves  80  formed therein. 
     When the golf club putter  60  is assembled, the attachment member  70  is pivotally connected to the second end  74  of the hosel  68  by the cooperation of the threaded bore  76  and a bolt  82  disposed in a bore  84  formed through the attachment member  70 . The shaft  66  is attached to a first arm  86  of the attachment member  70  by a pair of set screws  88 , in a similar arrangement as the shaft  16  and attachment member  20  of the golf club putter head  10  illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 6. Of course, the shaft  66  of the putter  60  can be attached to the attachment member  70  by any suitable means. The attachment member  70  further includes a second arm  90  having an engagement surface  92 . The engagement surface  92  faces the hosel  68 . Preferably, the engagement surface  92  has a plurality of grooves  94  formed therein. The engagement surfaces  92  and  78  are engaged with one another and cooperate to maintain the selected lie angle between the head  64  and the shaft  66  when the bolt  82  is tightened. The second arm  90  may also include a cut-out window  96  formed therethrough for viewing and aligning indicia (not shown) representing the relative lie angle between the head  64  and the shaft  66 . 
     There is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 a third embodiment of a golf club putter, indicated generally at  100 . The putter  100  has a head  102  having a body  104 . The body  104  has a striking face  106  for engagement with a golf ball (not shown) when the putter  100  is used. The body  104  and striking face  106  can have any desired shape. A hosel extention member  108 , also shown in FIG. 10, is fastened to and extends upwardly from the body  104 . The hosel extention member  108  can be fastened to the body  104  by any suitable manner. As best shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the hosel extention member extention member  108  has an upper end  108   a  having first and second threaded bores  110  and  112  formed therethrough. 
     The putter  100  further includes a hosel or  114 , which is also shown in FIG.  11 . The, attachment member  114  has first and second arms  114   a  and  114   b . The first arm  114   a  has a bore  116  formed therein for receiving the end of a shaft  118 . The end of the shaft  118  is fixably attached to the hosel  114  by a suitable fastener, such as by a pair of set screws  120  in threaded engagement with threaded bores  122  formed through the first arm  114   a  of the hosel  114 . The end of the shaft  118  can be fixably attached to the hosel  114  by any suitable means, such as a band clamp assembly (not shown). The shaft  118  can be rotated to any desirable position and cut to any desirable length in a similar manner as described above with respect to the putter  10  illustrated in FIG.  1 . If desired, the shaft  118  can be permanently attached to the hosel  114 . 
     The hosel  114  has a bore  124  formed therethrough located between the first and second arms  114   a  and  114   b . The hosel  114  and the hosel extention member  108  are pivotally fastened together by a bolt  126  inserted in the bore  124  of the hosel  114  and the threaded bore  110  of the hosel extention member  108 . Thus, the bores  110  and  124  and the bolt  126  define a pivot axis for rotation of the shaft  118  with respect to the hosel extention member  108 . The hosel  108  and the hosel  114  define a hosel extention member assembly, indicated generally at  127  for adjustment of the shaft  118  relative to the head  102 . Since the hosel extention member  108  is fastened to the body  104 , rotation of the hosel  114  relative to the hosel extention member  108  changes the lie angle of the putter  100 . 
     The second arm  114   b  has a semi-circular slot or recess  128  forming a generally U-shaped wall  129 . The second arm  114   b  also has an arcuate slot  130  formed therethrough. A circular generally flat disk  132 , also shown in FIG. 12, is disposed in the recess  128 . The disk  132  has an outer cylindrical surface  133 . The disk  132  is pivotally fastened to the hosel  114  by a bolt  134  which is inserted through a hole  136  formed through the disk  132 , the arcuate slot  130  of the hosel  114 , and threaded into the threaded bore  112  of the hosel extention member  108 . The hole  136  is positioned off-center with respect to the center of the disk  132 . When properly tightened, the cooperation of the bolt  134 , the disk  132 , and the hosel  114  frictionally prevents the hosel  114  from rotating relative to the hosel extention member  108 . 
     To adjust the lie angle, the bolt  134  is loosened so that the disk  132  can be rotated. Preferably, the diameter of the disk  132  is just slightly smaller than a width W, as shown in FIG. 11, of the recess  128  so that the disk  132  can travel in a generally vertical direction, as viewing FIG. 8, within the recess  128 . Rotation of the disk  132  causes the bolt  134  to move within in an arcuate path within the arcuate slot  130 , thereby adjusting the lie angle. The hosel  114  rotates relative to the hosel extention member  108  about a pivot point defined by the bolt  126 . Since the hole  136  and the bolt  134  are off-center with respect to the center of the disk  132 , and the disk  132  is confined in the recess  128 , the rotation of the disk  132  functions as a cam member such that a portion of the outer cylindrical surface  132  of the disk  132  engages and pushes against a portion of the wall  129 . The outer cylindrical surface  133  functions as a cam surface acting against the wall  129 . The outer cylindrical surface of the bolt  134  also functions as a cam surface acting against the inner wall of the arcuate slot  130 . Thus, the rotation of the disk  132  changes the angular relationship between the hosel extention member  108  and the hosel  114 . For example, rotation of the disk  132  in a clockwise direction form the position shown in FIG. 8, causes the bolt  134  to move leftwardly, as viewing FIG. 8, within the arcuate slot  130 , causing the disk  132  to move generally downwardly to a position shown in FIG.  13 . Since the bolt  134  is fixed relative to the hosel extention member  108 , except rotationally within the bore  112 , movement of the disk  132  causes movement of the hosel  114 , thereby adjusting the lie angle. If the disk  132  was rotated counter-clockwise, as viewing FIG. 8, the hosel  114  would be moved to a position illustrated in FIG.  14 . After the disk  132  has been properly rotated, the bolt  126  can then be tightened, thereby frictionally fixing the hosel extention member  108  relative to the hosel  114 . 
     The disk  132  can be rotated by any suitable mechanism. For example, the disk  132  can have a non-cylindrical bore  138  formed therein for receiving a lever arm  140  to assist in rotating the disk. For example, the bore  138  could have a hexagonal shape. Appropriate movement or rotation of the lever arm  140 , causes rotation of the disk  132 . Preferably, the bore  138  and the openings formed in the heads of the bolts  126  and  134  have the same size and non-cylindrical shape, so that a common lever arm  140  can be used to manipulate them. 
     Although the hosel  114  is shown and described as being attached to the shaft  118 , and the hosel extention member  108  is shown and described as being attached to the head  102 , the hosel  114  and hosel extention member  108  can be interchanged. For example, the hosel  114  could be adapted to be fastened to the head  102 , and the hosel extention member  108  could be adapted to be fastened to the shaft  118 . 
     There is illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16 a fourth embodiment of a golf club putter, indicated generally at  150 . The putter  150  has a head  152  having a body  154  and a striking face  156 . The putter  150  has a first hosel assembly, indicated generally at  157 , similar to the hosel assembly  127  of the putter  100  of FIG. 8. A shaft  158  is fastened to hosel  160  in a similar manner as the putter  100  illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. The hosel  160  and a circular disk  162  which provides means for changing the lie angle, as described above with respect to the putter  100 . 
     The putter  150  further includes a second hosel assembly, indicated generally at  164 , which is attached to the hosel assembly  157 . The second hosel assembly  164  can adjustably change the angle between the striking face  156  and the shaft  158  in a transverse direction to the player holding the putter  150 , commonly referred to as the “loft angle”. Preferably, the second hosel assembly  164  is pivoted in a plane which is generally perpendicular to a second plane generally defined by the striking face  156  of the head  152 . The loft angle is changed by rotating the head  152  about a pivot point defined by a bolt  176 . As stated above, the second hosel assembly  164  is similar in structure and function as the hosel assembly  127  of the putter  100  of FIG.  8 . However, the orientation of the second hosel assembly  164  is offset by  90  degrees, compared to the first hosel assembly  157 . The second hosel assembly  164  includes a first portion  166  adjustably fastened to the hosel  160 , and a second portion  168  fastened to the body  154 . The first portion  166  has a pair of threaded bores  170  and  172  for receiving a bolt  174  and the bolt  176 , respectively. The second portion  168  includes a recess  178  and an arcuate slot  180  formed therethrough. The second hosel assembly  164  operates in a similar manner as described above with respect to the hosel assembly  127  of the putter  100 . 
     There is illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 18 a fifth embodiment of a golf club putter, indicated generally at  200 . The putter  200  has a head  202  having a body  204 . The body  204  has a striking face  206  for engagement with a golf ball (not shown) when the putter  200  is used. The body  204  and striking face  206  can have any desired shape. The putter  200  further includes a hosel assembly, indicated generally at  208 . The hosel assembly  208  includes an hosel  210  and a hosel extention member  212 . The hosel extention member  212 , which is also shown in FIG. 19, is fastened to and extends upwardly from the body  204 . The hosel extention member  212  can be fastened to the body  204  by any suitable manner. As best shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the hosel extention member  212  has an upper end  212   a  having first and second bores  214  and  216  formed therethrough. Preferably, the bore  214  is internally threaded, and the bore  216  has a relatively smooth surface. 
     The hosel  210 , which is also shown in FIG. 20, has first and second arms  210   a  and  210   b  extending at an angle to one another. The first arm  210   a  has a bore  218  formed therein for receiving the end of a shaft  220 . The end of the shaft  220  can be attached to the hosel  210  by any suitable manner, such as for example, a press-fit or permanently adhered thereto. If desired, the shaft  220  can be adjustably attached to the hosel  210  by fasteners, such as by a pair of set screws (not shown) or by a band clamp assembly (not shown). 
     The hosel  210  has a bore  222  formed therethrough located between the first and second arms  210   a  and  210   b . The hosel  210  and the hosel extention member  212  are pivotally fastened together by a bolt  224  inserted in the bore  222  of the hosel  210  and threaded into the bore  214  of the hosel extention member  212 . Thus, the bores  214  and  222  and the bolt  224  define a pivot axis for rotation of the shaft  220  with respect to the hosel extention member  212 . The hosel extention member  212  and the hosel  210  of the hosel assembly  208  provide for adjustment of the shaft  220  relative to the head  202 . Since the hosel extention member  212  is fastened to the body  204 , rotation of the hosel  210  relative to the hosel extention member  212  changes the lie angle of the putter  200 . 
     The second arm  210   b  of the hosel  210  has a semicircular recess  226  and an arcuate slot  228  formed therethrough. A cam member  230 , which is also shown in FIG. 21, is disposed in the arcuate slot  228  and the recess  226 . The cam member  230  includes a cylindrical portion or head  232  having a slot  234  defining an axis  236 . The slot  234  can be any suitable shape for receiving a tool (not shown) to assist in rotating the cam member. For example, the slot  234  can have a six-sided star shaped cross-section for receiving a conventional “torx” type wrench (not shown). Of course, the slot  234  can have any suitable cross-sectional shape. The cam member  230  further includes a cylindrically shaped arm  238  extending from the head  232 . The arm  238  extends along an axis  240  which is preferably parallel to but offset from the axis  236  by a distance “D”, as shown in FIG. 21, the reason for which will be explained below. The arm  238  extends into the bore  216  of the hosel extention member  212 , as best shown in FIG.  18 . The head  232  of the cam member  230  is disposed in the recess  226  of the hosel  210 . The outer cylindrical surface of the head  232  engages a U-shaped wall  239  defined by the recess  226 . 
     To adjust the lie angle of the putter  200 , the bolt  224  is loosened so that the hosel extention member  212  is not frictionally fastened to the hosel  210 . Unloosening of the bolt  224  also allows the cam member  230  to be freely rotated. Preferably, the diameter of the head  232  of the cam member  230  is just slightly smaller than a width W′, as shown in FIG. 20, of the recess  226  of the hosel  210 . The head  232  of the cam member  230  functions similarly to the disk  132  of the putter  100  illustrated in FIG.  8 . Rotation of the head  232  of the cam member  230  about the axis  236  causes the arm  238  to move within in an arcuate path within the arcuate slot  228  of the hosel  210 , thereby adjusting the lie angle. The hosel  210  rotates relative to the hosel extention member  212  about a pivot point defined by the bolt  224 . Since the axis  240  of the arm  238  is off-center with respect to the axis  236  of the head  232 , and the head  232  is confined in the recess  226 , the rotation of the cam member  230  functions as a cam, the rotation of which changes the angular relationship between the hose extention member  212  and the hosel  210 . For example, rotation of the cam member  230  in a clockwise direction form the position shown in FIG. 17, causes the bolt arm  238  to move leftwardly, as viewing FIG. 17, within the arcuate slot  228 , causing the cam member  230  to move downwardly within the recess  226  to a position shown in FIG.  22 . Since the arm  238  is fixed relative to the hosel extention member  212 , except rotationally within the bore  216 , movement of the cam member  230  causes movement of the hosel  210 , thereby adjusting the lie angle of the putter  200 . If the cam member  230  was rotated counter-clockwise, as viewing FIG. 17, the hosel  210  would be moved to a position illustrated in FIG.  23 . After the cam member  230  has been properly rotated to achieve the desired lie angle, the bolt  224  can than be tightened, thereby frictionally fixing the hosel  212  relative to the hosel  210 . 
     There is illustrated in FIGS. 24 and 25 a sixth embodiment of a golf club putter, indicated generally at  300 . The putter  300  has a head  302  having a body  304  and a striking face  306 . The putter  300  has a hosel assembly, indicated generally at  308 , similar in structure and function as the hosel assembly  208  of the putter  200  of FIG.  17 . The hosel assembly  308  includes an attachment member  310  and a hosel  312 . A shaft  314  is fastened to the attachment member  310 . The hosel assembly  308  provides means for adjustably changing the loft angle of the putter  300 , i.e., the angle between the striking face  306  and the shaft  314  in a transverse direction to the player holding the putter  300 . As stated above, the hosel assembly  308  is similar in structure and function as the hosel assembly  208  of the putter  200  of FIG. 17, except that the plane of rotation is offset by 90 degrees. 
     As shown in FIG. 24, the hosel assembly  308  includes a bolt  316  and a cam member  318  having an generally cylindrical arm  320  extending from the cam member  318 . The bolt  316  is threadably engaged with a threaded bore  322  formed in the attachment member  310 . The arm  320  is disposed in a bore  324  formed in the attachment member  310 . The bolt  316  and the arm  320  are similar in structure and function as the bolt  224  and the arm  238 , respectively, of the hosel assembly  208  of the putter  200  illustrated in FIG.  18 . To retain the bolt  316  and the arm  320  in the bores  322  and  324 , respectively, the bolt  316  and the arm  320  preferably have ends  316   a  and  320   a ,respectively, which are “peened” or capped so that they are prevented from substantially moving in a rightward direction, as viewing FIG.  24 . The ends  316   a  and  320   a  have radially outwardly extending portions which are trapped by shoulders  322   a  and  324   a  formed in the bores  322  and  324 , respectively. 
     It should be understood that all of the embodiments of the putters described throughout this specification, can be configured differently to include or exclude features which are described and shown with other embodiments. For example, the putter  300  of FIG. 24 can be configured to further include the hosel assembly  208  of the putter  200  of FIG.  17 . 
     It should also be understood that although the above described embodiments are illustrated and described as golf club putters, the present invention relates to any suitable golf club structure suitable for striking a ball, such as for example, “drivers”, “woods”, “irons”, and “wedges”. 
     In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the principle and mode of operation of this invention have been explained and illustrated in its preferred embodiment. However, it must be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope.