A golf club (10) shaft is provided including a metal tip section (18) and a composite butt section (20). The butt section (20) includes a reduced diameter portion (32) telescopically received within an axial bore of the tip section (18). An adhesive (31) is disposed between the tip section (18) and the butt section (20) to secure the two together. An insulating layer may be disposed between the tip section (18) and the butt section (20) to prevent galvanic corrosion.

A shaft for an item of sporting equipment, the shaft being formed from metal, being elongate, hollow, and of generally circular cross-section, and, the shaft containing an insert (15) and being characterised in that the insert (15) is a foamed synthetic resin material and is in intimate contact with the inner surface of the shaft.

The invention further resides in methods of introducing an insert into a predetermined location within a shaft.

The present invention relates to a sinter and a casting comprising a high-hardness glassy alloy containing at least Fe and at least a metalloid element and having a temperature interval ΔTx alloy as expressed by ΔTx = Tx - Tg (where, Tx is a crystallization temperature and Tg is a glass transition temperature) of at least 20°C, this property allowing the alloy to be effectively formed into a part with an intricate shape.

A sports equipment having a handle, a head and a shaft connecting the handle and the head, wherein along the length of the sports eqiuipment beginnig from the butt end of the handle to the head, there is at least one shaft segment (1) that is at least partially hollow, has an insertion point (3), and comprises an assembly, wherein the assembly comprises: (a) a central member (6), at least partially disposed within the hollow portion of the shaft segment (1) through the insertion point (3) of the shaft segment, wherein the central member is associated with the portion (2) of the sports equipment disposed beyond the insertion point, and there is provided sufficient spacing around at least a portion of the central member disposed within the hollow portion of the shaft segment to allow lateral movement of at least a portion of the central member relative to the shaft segment during bending of the shaft; and (b) means for associating the central member (6) to the shaft segment (1).

A wood golf club shaft (10) adapted to receive a wood club head (18) is about 44 to 45 in. total length from a butt end (20) to a tip end (28) thereof. The shaft comprises a butt section (12), a tip section (14), and a tapered section (16) interconnecting the butt and tip sections. The tapered section (16) tapers down toward the tip section at a rate of 0.021 in./in. The tapered section has a length shorter than a length of the butt section, longer than a length of the tip section, and no longer than about 13 in. The shaft has a low kick point disposed at a distance of at least about 29 inches from the butt end.

A tapered wall shaft with a reinforced tip includes a rear portion, a front portion and an interconnecting portion. The interconnecting portion has a smoothly decreasing outer diameter and a smoothly increasing wall thickness. The tapered wall shaft with a reinforced tip is formed by a rotary swaging operation, a sink drawing operation and a rotary swaging operation.

The present invention relates to a new method of making sporting products such as golf club shafts which is less susceptible to deformation. The shaft is given a constant wall thickness by exercising a three-step method including a first step of rotary-swaging a second step of sink-drawing and a third step of rotary-swaging. The shaft is thereby given constant wall thickness over a substantial length of the shaft.

A metal shaft (3) includes a hollow tube (3A) made of metal, capable of having hardness varying in a longitudinal direction of the metal shaft (3) while preventing increase in the number of variations on a shape of the metal shaft (3). The tube (3A) has a hardness pattern exhibited by hardness of the tube (3A) varying in a longitudinal direction of the tube (3A) according to Young's modulus or tensile strength of the metal varying in the longitudinal direction.

Articles for automotive, aerospace, manufacturing and defence industry applications including shafts or tubes used, for example, as golf club shafts, ski and hiking poles, fishing rods or bicycle frames, skate blades and snowboards are at least partially coated with an electrodeposited metal, metal alloy or metal matrix composite coating layer. The coating layer having a quasi-isotropic microstructure, a thickness of higher than 30µm and an average grain size between 0.004µm and 10µm. The coating layer provides articles of high resilience, high yield strength, scratch and wear resistance and hardness, and appealing appearance.