Tee Setting Accessory For A Golf Shoe

Abstract

A tee setting accessory for a golf shoe includes a setting spike which is attached to the heel of the golf shoe by means of a base plate and when so attached is capable of folding between extended and retracted positions. When in the retracted position the setting spike lies above the traction spikes on the golf shoe and does not interfere with normal use of the shoe. When in the extended position the setting spike projects downwardly from the underside of the shoe a distance greater than the projection of the traction spikes, and when so extended it may be forced into the ground to form a pilot hole to facilitate setting a golf tee.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention releates in general to golf shoes and, more particularly, to an accessory therefor which facilitates placement of golf tees in the ground.

The usual procedure for setting a golf tee in the ground is to place a golf ball against the upper concave surface of the tee and then press downwardly against the ball. The force applied to the ball is transmitted to the tee, and if the ground is soft enough, the pointed shank of the tee enters the ground, enabling the tee to remain upright and support the ball in an elevated position. While golf tees have pointed ends, they are nevertheless quite difficult to set in packed and dry soil, and soil of this nature is quite common in the summer months of the year. Often several tees are broken at their shanks before one is successfully set.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide an accessory for easily setting golf tees, even in extremely hard and compacted earth. Another object is to provide an accessory of the type stated which is easily attached to a golf shoe. A further object is to provide a golf shoe with an accessory having a retractable setting spike which makes pilot holes in the ground for setting golf tees. An additional object is to provide an accessory of the type stated which does not interfere with normal use of the golf shoe when the accessory is in its retracted position. Still another object is to provide an accessory which is simple in construction, easy to manufacture, and capable of fitting a wide variety of golf shoes. These and other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.

The present invention is embodied in an accessory which attaches to a golf shoe and includes a setting spike capable of being folded between extended and retracted positions. When in the retracted position, the setting spike does not interfere with normal use of the shoe. When in the extended position the setting spike projects downwardly from the underside of the shoe and may be forced into the ground to form a pilot hole to facilitate setting a golf tee. The invention also consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings which form part of the specification and wherein like numerals and letters refer to like parts wherever they occur:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a golf shoe provided with a tee setting accessory constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention, the accessory being shown with its spike in the extended position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the spike of the tee setting accessory in its retracted position;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view showing the accessory on the shoe and with its spike in the retracted position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged elevational view of the tee setting accessory detached from the shoe and with its setting spike extended;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the accessory with its setting spike extended.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, S designates a golf shoe to which an accessory A for facilitating placement of tees is attached. The accessory A is retractable and the retractable portion thereof normally lies along the bottom surface of the shoe heel where it does not interfere with normal use of the shoe.

The shoe S (FIGS. 1 and 2) is a conventional golf shoe having an outsole 2 and a heel 4. The outsole 2 is fitted with traction spikes 6 and beyond the spikes 6 it has a shank 8, the latter being located beneath the instep and immediately ahead of the heel 4. The heel 4 has a front face 10 which is located adjacent to the shank 8 of the outsole 2 and a bottom face 12 which contacts the ground when the S shoe is used in the conventional manner. The front face 10 may be squared off relative to the bottom face 12 or it may be canted with respect to the bottom face 12. The heel 4 is further provided with a plurality of steel inserts 14 which have downwardly opening threaded sockets, and threaded into the sockets of these inserts are traction spikes 16. The spikes 16 are conventional and have threaded studs which engage the threads of the sockets in the inserts 14. The spikes 16 also have flanges 18 which in conventional applications engage the bottom face 12 of the heel 4. Normally, four traction spikes 16 are provided in the heel 4, and these spikes are arranged with two on each side of the longitudinal center-line of the shoe S.

The accessory A attaches to the heel 4 of the shoe S and includes a base plate 20 which is preferably stamped from stainless steel or some other suitable metal and lies against the bottom face 12 of the heel 4, substantially covering the same (FIG. 3). The base plate 20 has apertures 22 which align with the threaded holes in the heel inserts 14. The apertures 22 are somewhat star shaped (FIG. 6), having elongated extensions extending both transversely and longitudinally of the shoe S. Each extension is slightly larger than the threaded studs of the spikes 16. The threaded studs of the spikes 16 fit through the apertures 22 and when threaded into the inserts 14, the flanges 18 of the spikes 16 bear against the base plate 20 and clamp it tightly thereto. Since the apertures 22 are star-shaped and consequently considerably larger than the threaded studs on the spikes 16, the plate 20 will fit a wide variety of heels 4, that is heels 4 having their spikes 16 in different locations. Along its forward margin the base plate 20 merges into a pair of mounting arms 24 which extend upwardly and are positioned adjacent to the front face 10 of the heel 4. The upper ends of the arms 24 are rolled into hinge knuckles 26 which are disposed near the juncture of the heel front face 10 and the outsole 2.

Connected to the base plate 20 by means of a hinge pin 30, which extends through the knuckles 26 thereof, is a tee setting spike 40 which is also formed from stainless steel or some other suitable metal of relatively high strength. The setting spike 40 folds between a retracted position (FIG. 2) wherein it lies along the underside of the heel 4 and an extended position (FIG. 1) wherein it is positioned against the shank 8 of the outsole 2 and projects downwardly generally perpendicular to the shank 8. More specifically, the tee setting spike 40 includes a shank 42 which tapers to a reduced free end 44. The taper of the shank 42 corresponds generally to the taper of a conventional golf tee, but the diameter thereof is slightly less than that of a conventional golf tee. The tapered shank 42 is long enough to extend a substantial distance beyond the traction spikes 6 and 16 on the outsole 2 and heel 4, respectively, when the opposite end of the shank 42 is positioned against the outsole 2 (FIG. 1).

The opposite or upper end of the tapered shank 42 merges into a hinge arm 46 which is disposed at a substantial angle with respect to the axis of the tapered shank 42, that is, at an angle approaching 90.degree.. The hinge arm 46 is narrower than the spacing between mounting arms 24 on the base plate 20 to enable it to fit between those arms 24, and at its ends it is rolled into a cylindrical hinge knuckle 48 (FIGS. 5 and 6) which fits between and aligns with the hinge knuckles 26 on the base plate 20. Indeed, the hinge pin 30 also extends through the knuckle 48 so that the setting spike 40 is hinged to base plate 20. the length of the hinge arm 46 on the spike 40 is only slightly longer than the length of the mounting arms 24 on the base plate 20 so that when the spike 40 is folded backwardly, the tapered shank 42 will lie against the bottom face 12 of the base plate 20 between the heel spikes 16 on each side thereof. The length of the hinge arm 46 is also such that when the spike 40 is folded forwardly the arm 46 will bear against the shank 8 of the outsole 2 and present the tapered shank 42 in a generally perpendicular disposition with respect to the outsole 2. When the tapered shank 42 lies against the base plate 20 and heel 4 (FIGS. 2 and 3), the setting spike 40 is in its retracted position. On the other hand, when the tapered shank 42 is disposed generally perpendicular to the outsole 2 (FIG. 1), the setting spike 40 is in its extended substantially vertical position.

The setting spike 40 is a unitary construction and may be stamped from stainless steel sheet stock with the blank so formed being subsequently bent to form the angle between the hinge arm 46 and shank 42 and also rolled to form the tapered shank 42 and hinge knuckle 48.

The hinge pin 30 should fit tightly in the hinge knuckles 26 of the base plate 20 and also in the hinge knuckle 48 of the spike 40 so that the position of the spike 40 remains unaltered unless it is manually grasped and moved.

OPERATION

The accessory A is installed on the conventional golf shoe S by removing the heel spikes 16 from the heel 4 and then placing the base plate 20 against the bottom face 12 of the heel 4 with its mounting arms 24 extended along the heel front face 10. Thereupon, the threaded studs of the heel spikes 16 are inserted through the apertures 22 in the base plate 20 and are engaged with the threads of the threaded inserts 14. Since the apertures 22 are star-shaped and somewhat larger than the threaded studs on the spikes 16, the plate 20 will fit heels of varying size. Once the plate 20 is positioned properly with its mounting arms 24 against the heel front face 10, the spikes 16 are threaded down against the base plate 20 until the flanges 18 on the spikes 16 clamp the base plate 20 tightly against the heel bottom face 12.

In use the tee setting spike 40 is normally folded rearwardly and disposed in its retracted position (FIG. 2), in which case the tapered shank 42 of the spike 40 will lie against the underside of the base plate 20 and between the spikes 16 on each side of the shoe heel 4. When so disposed, the setting spike 40 does not interfere with the heel spikes 16 and they perform their normal function. The spike 40 remains in its retracted position by reason of the tight fit between the pin 30 and the hinge knuckles 26 and 48.

Should the golfer desire to insert a golf tee in extremely hard and compacted soil without breaking several tees, he merely raises his foot to the extent that he can grasp the tee setting spike 40 with his fingers and folds that spike outwardly to its extended substantially vertical position (FIG. 1). In that position, the hinge arm 46 contacts the shank 8 of the outsole 2 and the tapered shank 42 projects downwardly therefrom such that the reduced end portion 44 of the shank 42 extends considerably beyond the ends of the traction spikes 6 and 16. Once the setting spike 40 is folded to its extended position, the golfer lowers his foot and steps downwardly against the ground at the location he desires to emplace his tee. The force applied to the shoe S is transmitted to the tapered shank 42 through the outsole 2, and the tapered shank 42 is forced into the hard ground. When the golfer lifts his foot upwardly and withdraws the tapered shank 42 of the setting spike 40 from the ground, a tapered pilot hole remains in the ground. This pilot hole snugly accepts a golf tee without the exertion of excessive force on the tee.

To retract the tee setting spike 40 so that the shoe S may again be used in the conventional manner, the golfer merely lifts his foot and with his finger folds the spike 40 back to its retracted position (FIG. 1). Alternatively, the golfer may merely slide his foot forwardly with reduced end 44 of the setting spike 40, but not the traction spikes 6 and 16, engaged with the ground, so that the tapered shank 42 moves to its retracted position between the heel spikes 16.

This invention is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. For use with a shoe having an outsole and a heel and being suitable for playing golf, an accessory for forming a pilot hole in the ground to facilitate placement of a golf tee in the ground, said accessory comprising a base plate sized and configured for placement against the bottom face of the heel and a tee setting spike hinged to the base plate adjacent to the forward end of the heel for movement about a transversely extending axis between a retracted position wherein it will not impede walking and an extended position wherein it will project downwardly from the bottom of the shoe so that it may be used to form a pilot hole in the ground.

2. An accessory according to claim 1 wherein said base plate has at least two apertures therein in registering relation with the holes which receive spikes on the golf shoe, said accessory being capable of being attached to the golf shoe by means of the spikes on said golf shoe extending through the apertures in said base plate and into the holes in said golf shoes for receiving said spikes.

3. An accessory according to claim 2 wherein said apertures are elongated in a transverse direction with respect to the shoe to permit said accessory to be applied to shoes whose spikes are positioned at various transverse distances.

4. An accessory according to claim 1 wherein the setting spike lies substantially parallel to and along the underside of the heel and is within the periphery of the heel when in its retracted position.

5. An accessory according to claim 4 wherein the base plate has at least one mounting arm which extends upwardly beyond the bottom face of the heel and is disposed in front of the heel; and wherein the setting spike is hinged to the mounting arm above the bottom face of the heel.

6. An accessory according to claim 5 wherein the setting spike includes a shank and a hinge arm disposed at a substantial angle with respect to the shank, the hinge arm being hinged to the mounting arm on the base plate and engaging the outsole of the shoe when the spike is in its extended position.

7. An accessory according to claim 6 wherein the mounting arm of the base plate and the hinge arm of the setting spike have knuckles which align; and wherein a hinge pin extends through the aligned knuckles.

8. A golf shoe comprising an outsole, a heel, traction spikes projecting downwardly from the heel and outsole, and a tee setting spike hinged with respect to the outsole and heel for movement between a retracted position wherein it lies above the traction spikes and does not interfere with the ability of the traction spikes to engage the ground and an extended position wherein it projects downwardly beyond the traction spikes to enable the wearer to make a pilot hole in the ground for setting a golf tee.

9. A golf shoe according to claim 9 wherein the setting spike is hinged about an axis extending transversely of the outsole and lies adjacent to the underside of the heel when in its retracted position.

10. A golf shoe according to claim 9 and further characterized by a base plate held against the heel by the traction spikes which project from the heel, the setting spike being hinged to the base plate.

11. A golf shoe according to claim 10 wherein the spike bears against the outsole when in its extended position.