Patent ID: 7887431

Claim:
A golf club assembly comprising: a shaft having a lower end portion; a club head having a hosel defining a hosel opening and an upper bearing surface, the club head also having a sole defining an opening that is in communication with the hosel opening and an internal bearing surface; a hosel insert mounted in the hosel opening and having internal splines on an inner surface thereof; a screw having a head defining a bearing surface adapted to engage the internal bearing surface of the club head; a sleeve mounted on the lower end portion of the shaft and adapted to be inserted into the hosel opening, the sleeve having an upper portion defining a thrust surface adapted to engage the bearing surface of the hosel, a threaded lower opening for receiving the screw, and a lower portion having eight longitudinally extending external splines protruding from an external surface thereof, the external splines having a configuration complementary to the splines on the inner surface of the hosel insert; wherein the external splines are located below a lower end of the shaft, the external splines having a height between about 0.5 mm to about 1.0 mm and a width between about 1.0 mm to about 2.0 mm; and wherein the shaft can be secured to the club head by inserting the sleeve into the hosel opening so that the external splines on the sleeve engage the internal splines on the hosel insert and inserting the screw through the opening in the sole and into the threaded opening of the sleeve, and then tightening the screw so that the bearing surface of the screw head engages the internal bearing surface of the club head.