Hosel

The hosel is the cylindrical portion of a golf club head that joins the head to the shaft. It forms the joint between the clubhead and shaft and, in many models, contains the bore through which the shaft is inserted. The hosel’s geometry helps determine alignment, weight distribution around the face, and the club’s overall feel at impact.

Construction and variations: In most irons and woods, the shaft is bonded into the hosel with epoxy, and a ferrule may cap the joint for cosmetic reasons. Many modern drivers and some fairway woods feature adjustable hosels, allowing players to change loft, lie, and face angle by using different sleeves or inserts. This enables trajectory tuning without swapping shafts. Irons and other clubs may use fixed hosels, with design variations that affect forgiveness, weight placement, and how the club interacts with the ground at impact.

Performance and considerations: The hosel can influence alignment perception and the club’s moment of inertia through its shape and mass distribution. A mis-hit toward the hosel—contact with the neck of the club rather than the face—can produce off-center impact and unpredictable results. Some players seek hosel designs that promote stability or reduce feel from mis-hits, while others use adjustable or differently weighted hosels to tailor behavior to their swing.