Golf Shoe

Abstract

A golf shoe designed to aid a golfer in assuming a proper stance on a golf playing surface so that when addressing the ball the golfer pivots about a more or less stationary vertical line rather than swaying during his swing. The shoe includes a sole attached to an upper. The sole has opposed inner and outer sides, the outer side of said sole extending from the upper to a lower elevation than the inner side to create a toe-in effect when the golfer assumes his stance on a golf playing surface. A metal plate is fixed to the sole along the outer side thereof to preclude undue bending and wear of the sole edge during the pivotal portion of the golfer's swing. A plurality of cleats are attached to the sole and extend along the sole adjacent the outer and inner sides thereof. The cleats adjacent the outer side of the sole are smaller than the cleats adjacent the inner side of the sole by an amount approximately equal to the difference in elevation between the outer and inner sides of the sole so that when the golfer walks on a planar surface, his foot will be substantially level.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a golf shoe, and more particularly, a golf shoe designed to aid the golfer in assuming a proper stance on a golf playing surface so that during his swing the golfer will pivot in a proper manner to enhance the change of straight flight of the golf ball when struck.

2. Description of the Prior Art

One of the keys to an improved golf score is for the golfer to develop a proper and consistent swing when addressing the ball. This invention discloses a golf shoe which will aid the golfer to develop a more proper and consistent swing by causing the golfer to pivot properly during his swing about a more or less stationary vertical line, while minimizing the tendency of the golfer to "sway" during the swing which might result in the ball slicing off the golf club head.

While the golf shoe of the present invention is designed to meet this objective, it is also imperative to design the golf shoe so it can be worn and walked on for long periods of time under normal conditions, rendering it comfortable without undue strain being placed on the foot.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,218,734 illustrates a removable attachment for a golf shoe which can be attached to the sole thereof to assure proper pivoting of the golfer during the golf swing to minimize sway. The attachment comprises a wedge-shaped element which is secured to the spikes of the rearwardmost shoe worn by the golfer relative to the intended direction of the flight of the golf ball. With the attachment in place, the shoe is tilted inwardly, and it is believed that this tends to provide a more satisfactory weight distribution when hitting the ball. Furthermore, it has been found that a more desirable pivot will result. By tilting the foot inwardly or creating a toe-in effect, it is uncomfortable for the golfer to move his hips laterally and accordingly, there is a greater natural tendency toward proper pivoting about a more or less stationary vertical line during his swing. However, the design of the attachment of necessity must permit easy removal and replacement between shots so that the golfer can walk in a comfortable fashion between shots. As pointed out in this patent the golf shoe must have a natural feel when the attachment is not in place to minimize stress on the foot and permit normal ambulatory movement.

U.S. Pat. No. 2.847,769 illustrates a shoe to be worn by a golfer to aid the golfer in assuming a correct stance for his swing. The sole of the shoe illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,847,769 slopes upwardly rearwardly and downwardly inwardly so as to enable the golfer when he takes his stance to have a proper weight distribution when making contact with the ball. Yet, the shoe would be awkward for normal walking and would place a strain on the foot of the golfer.

The golf shoe of the present invention is designed to retain the advantages of the prior art shoes of training and automatically accustoming the golfer to assume a proper stance, but allows the golfer to walk normally when not in an assumed stance over the ball.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The golf shoe of the present invention includes a sole attached to a shoe upper in which the sole has opposed inner and outer sides. The outer side of the sole extends to a lower elevation than the inner side so that when the shoe is worn on the foot of the golfer and the golfer assumes his stance on a golf playing surface it will create a toe-in effect to aid the golfer during his swing to pivot about a more or less stationary vertical line rather than sway.

The sole also includes a plurality of cleats attached to and depending from the sole for anchoring the foot and shoe in the proper stance. The cleats extend along the bottom of the sole adjacent the outer and inner sides of the sole. However, the cleats adjacent the outer side of the sole are smaller than the cleats adjacent the inner side of the sole by an amount approximately equal to the difference in elevation between the outer and inner sides of the sole so that when the golfer walks his foot will be substantially level. This overcomes some of the deficiencies noted above in connection with the prior art in that the golfer can walk normally on a non-playing surface without undue strain on his foot.

The golf shoe of the instant invention includes additional features to aid the golfer once the proper stance has been assumed. A metal plate is inserted in the outer side of the sole to preclude undue bending of the shoe and roll of the golfer's foot. The metal plate also precludes wear of the edge of the built-up portion of the sole, which wear will defeat the purpose of the shoe. It has also been found desirable to mold the sole in one integral piece with the upper to rigidify it.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification and claims, and from the accompanying drawing, wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the golf shoe forming the subject metter of the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view in elevation of the shoe shown in FIG. 1 and further illustrates the position of the shoe when worn by a golfer on a non-playing surface;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the shoe shown in FIG. 1 but illustrating the bottom of the sole; and

FIG. 4 is a front view in elevation of the shoe similar to FIG. 2, but illustrating the position of the shoe when the golfer has assumed his stance over a golf ball on a golf-playing surface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawing in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements throughout several views, the golf shoe comprising the subject of the instant invention is indicated by the numeral 10.

Shoe 10 includes a conventional upper 12 and a sole 14 which can be molded integrally with upper 12 from such material as poly vinyl chloride. Sole 14 should be sufficiently flexible to enable the wearer latitude to flex the shoe when walking but yet rigid enough to preclude undue roll of the shoe when used by the golfer once he has assumed a proper stance over a golf ball. A conventional heel 16 is also molded integrally with sole 14.

As shown more clearly in FIGS. 2 and 4, sole 14 has an outer side 18 and an inner side 20. The term "outer" is used to identify the outermost surface of sole 14 on the rearmost foot positioned when the golfer takes his stance over the ball. For example, the shoe 10 depicted in the drawings will be worn on the right foot of the golfer, assuming that he is right handed.

The outer side 18 of sole 14 extends downwardly from the shoe upper 12 to a lower elevation than the inner side 20 of sole 14. The sole portion 14 of shoe 10 will therefore have the appearance of having a built-up sole along outer side 18 so that the planar bottom of sole 14 will converge towards inner side 20 of sole 14. Experimentation with different sized soles has revealed that the optimum extension of outer side 18 of sole 14 should not exceed 3/8 of an inch. 1/16th of an inch under would be permissable, but not much less or it will defeat the purpose of the toe-in effect which will be described hereinafter. If outer side 18 is over 3/8 of an inch long it has been found that too much strain would be placed on the foot for any prolonged period of walking.

Projecting downwardly from the bottom of sole 14 are a plurality of cleats 22. Cleats 22 serve to anchor the foot of the golfer in position once he has assumed his stance on a golf playing surface. Cleats 22 extend along the bottom of sole 14 adjacent both the outer side 18 and inner side 20 of the sole 14. Cleats 22 adjacent the outer side 18 of the sole 14 are smaller than the cleats adjacent the inner side 20 of the sole 14 by an amount approximately equal to the difference in elevation between the outer side 18 and inner side 20 of the sole 14 so that when the wearer walks on a non-playing surface, such as a concrete deck 24 as illustrated in FIG. 2, the foot of the wearer will be substantially level. A centrally located cleat 22 at the toe portion of sole 14 should be approximately one-half the difference of the lengths of the cleats adjacent the outer and inner sides of the sole 14.

A substantially portion of the outer side 18 of the sole 14 is grouted or cut out to receive an arcuate metal plate 26 flush with the surface of the outer side 18 of the sole 14. Plate 26 is secured to the sole 14 by means of conventional fasteners such as nails or screws 28.

Metal plate 26 serves a number of functional purposes. First, plate 26 will serve to stiffen the sole 14 to preclude undue bending or roll of the foot of the golfer during his swing. Further, metal plate 26 will prevent wear of the lower edge 30 of the outer side 18 of sole 14, which would defeat the purpose for which the shoe 10 was designed. Finally, the metal insert will serve to attract a potential purchaser to inquire about the functional features of the design of the shoe and thus will increase its sales appeal.

FIGS. 2 and 4 illustrate the manner of use of the shoe 10. Specifically, in FIG. 4, the golfer will imbed cleats 22 in a golf playing surface 32 when addressing a golf ball. Thee rearwardmost foot of the golfer will be tilted inwardly because of the wedge-shaped sole 14 of shoe 10. This will tend to provide a more satisfactory weight distribution when hitting the ball. Furthermore, it has been found that a more desirable pivot will result when a golfer assumes the stance illustrated in FIG. 4. It has been recognized that many golfers tend to sway during the golf swing rather than to pivot about a more or less stationary vertical line. By using the shoe 10 of the instant invention, it is uncomfortable to move the hips laterally and accordingly, there is a greater natural tendency towards proper pivoting.

In between shots, and when walking on other planar surfaces, shoe 10 on the foot of the golfer will remain substantially level as illustrated in FIG. 2. This is due to the difference in sizes of the cleats 22 and will preclude undue strain on the golfer's foot.

Metal plate 26, when the golfer assumes his stance as illustrated in FIG. 4 will preclude undue bending and roll of the foot. In addition, plate 26, if some roll does occur will preclude wear of edge 30 to any substantial degree.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A golf shoe for aiding a golfer to assume a proper stance on a golf playing surface, said shoe comprising

a shoe upper,

a sole attached to said shoe upper, said sole having opposed inner and outer sides, the outer side of said sole extending from said shoe upper to a lower elevation than the inner side so that when said shoe is worn on the foot of a golfer and the golfer assumes his stance on a golf playing surface it will create a toe-in effect to aid the golfer during his swing to pivot about a more or less stationary vertical line rather than swaying; and

a metal plate inserted into said sole along the outer side thereof so as to be substantially flush therewith and to preclude undue bending and wear of the sole edge during the pivotal portion of the golfer's swing.

2. A golf shoe in accordance with claim 1 wherein

said sole is molded integral with said shoe upper from plastic material.

3. A golf shoe in accordance with claim 2 including

a plurality of cleats attached to and depending from said sole for insertion into a golf playing surface,

said cleats extending along the bottom of said sole adjacent the outer and inner sides of said sole, the cleats adjacent the outer side of said sole being smaller than the cleats adjacent the inner side of said sole an amount approximately equal to the difference in elevation between said outer and inner sides of said sole so that when the wearer walks on a planar surface his foot will be substantially level.

4. A golf shoe for aiding a golfer to assume a proper stance on a golf playing surface, said shoe comprising

a shoe upper,

a sole attached to said shoe upper, said sole having opposed inner and outer sides, the outer side of said sole extending from said shoe upper to a lower elevation than the inner side so that when said shoe is worn on the foot of a golfer and the golfer assumes his stance on a golf playing surface it will create a toe-in effect to aid the golfer during his swing to pivot about a more or less stationary vertical line rather than swaying, and

a plurality of cleats attached to and depending from said sole for insertion into a golf playing surface,

said cleats extending along the bottom of said sole adjacent the outer and inner sides of said sole, the cleats adjacent the outer side of said sole being smaller than the cleats adjacent the inner side of said sole an amount approximately equal to the difference in elevation between said outer and inner sides of said sole so that when the wearer walks on a planar surface his foot will be substantially level.

5. A golf shoe in accordance with claim 4 including

a metal plate fixed to said sole along the outer side thereof to preclude undue bending and wear of the edge of said sole during the pivotal portion of the golfer's swing.

6. A golf shoe in accordance with claim 4 wherein

said sole is molded integral with said shoe upper from plastic material.