SHAFT ADAPTER
On January 1, 1930 the USGA made steel shafted golf clubs legal in the US. This change posed a dilemma for the golf club manufacturers. How could the golf club manufacturers fit the smaller diameter steel shafts into the larger hosels found in the hickory iron golf clubs?
It appears each manufacturer developed their own unique shaft adapter to overcome the difference in the diameters.
In Vancouver British Columbia the PRO-MADE GOLF CO. patented a wooden plug. The wooden plug fitted over the smaller diameter steel shaft. The plug tapered to appoint that was inserted into the larger diameter hosel. This tapered wooden plug looked very similar to the tapered end of a hickory shaft.
Another manufacturer actually heated the hosels on the irons and hammered the heated hosel into a smaller diameter hosel. This new hosel accepted the smaller diameter steel shaft.
The accompanying photographs illustrate examples of metal shaft adapters.