Abstract:
A golf shoe includes an outsole having a sole member. The sole member has a sole, a heel, and an arch disposed intermediate the sole and heel. The sole and heel each have a ground engagement surface. The heel has a centerline and left and right side portions disposed on either side of the centerline. The left side portion of the heel (the medial side portion for the right golf shoe and the lateral side portion for the left golf shoe) includes a flare having a ground engagement surface. The ground engagement surfaces of the flare and left side portion of the heel have an area which is greater than the area of the ground engagement surface of the right side portion of the heel.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to shoes, and more particularly to sports shoes intended for use while playing golf. 
     Golf shoes are typically comprised of a shoe upper which is attached to some or all of an inner sole, a mid-sole and an outsole. For many years, golf shoes have employed spikes to increase the traction between the shoe and the grass of the golf course and thereby improve the golfer&#39;s footing. More recent golf shoes have employed pyramid-shaped protrusions alone, or in combination with spikes to provide improved traction. 
     The improvement in traction which may be provided by such devices is limited by several factors. First, improving traction using such devices can result in decreased mobility. A device that tends to freeze the shoe in a set position on the surface of the golf course also resists the movement of the shoe that is required when the golfer walks from one place to another. For example, golf spikes have a length which is sufficiently long to improve traction between the shoe and the ground but is also sufficiently short to allow the spikes to be easily withdrawn from the ground. Second, the number of traction-enhancing devices which may be added to the golf shoe outsole is limited by the area of the shoe footprint. If the devices are crowded too closely together, the individual engagement surfaces of the devices will approximate a smooth engagement surface and support the shoe on the surface rather than penetrating the surface. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly stated, the invention in a preferred form is a golf shoe which includes an outsole including a sole member having a sole, a heel, and an arch disposed intermediate the sole and heel. The sole and heel each have a ground engagement surface. Multiple traction enhancing elements extending outwardly from the ground engagement surfaces of the heel and sole. The heel has a centerline and left and right side portions disposed on either side of the centerline. The left side portion of the heel (the medial side portion for the right golf shoe and the lateral side portion for the left golf shoe) includes a flare having a ground engagement surface. The ground engagement surfaces of the flare and left side portion of the heel have an area which is greater than the area of the ground engagement surface of the right side portion of the heel. 
     The flare has a first flare region defining a laterally extending ground engagement surface and a second flare region defining a ground engagement surface extending forward of the front surface of the right side portion. The side surface of the first flare region extends upwardly from the ground engagement surface and inwardly toward the centerline. At least a part of at least one of the traction enhancing elements extends from the ground engagement surface of the flare. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved golf shoe. 
     It is also an object of the invention to provide a golf shoe that has improved traction with the ground. 
     It is further an object of the invention to provide a golf shoe that provides greater stability during the golfer&#39;s downswing. 
    
    
     Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the drawings and specification. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention may be better understood and its numerous objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a rear view of a pair of golf shoes in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged bottom view of the right golf shoe of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged bottom view of the left golf shoe of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-section view, taken along line  4 — 4 , of the outsole of the right golf shoe of FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic bottom view of a golfer&#39;s left and right shoes illustrating the path of the center of pressure and the direction and relative magnitude of the forces exerted during the golfer&#39;s downswing. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to the drawings wherein like numerals represent like parts throughout the several figures, a golf shoe in accordance with the present invention is generally designated by the numeral  10 . As shown in FIG. 1, an outsole  12 ,  12 ′ is mounted to an inner sole (not shown) and an upper  14  to form a golf shoe  10 ,  10 ′. The shoe upper  14  and the shoe inner sole are well known in the art and may be comprised of any material suitable for use while playing golf. The golf shoe  10 ,  10 ′ may also include a mid-sole (not shown). 
     The traction between both the golfer&#39;s right and left shoes  10 ′,  10  is lowest during the golfer&#39;s downswing because shear forces acting parallel to the ground surface are high and vertical forces change as the weight is shifted from the right foot to the left foot (for a right-handed golfer). As the downswing progresses, the left shoe  10  rolls from the medial side  16  (inside) of the left foot toward the lateral side  18  (outside) while the right foot rolls from the lateral side  18  of the right foot toward the medial side  16 . In addition, the center of pressure  20  for the right shoe  10 ′ traverses the sole of the shoe from the lateral side to the medial side  16  and the center of pressure  22  for the left shoe  10  moves in a rough figure-8 shaped pattern extending from the lateral side  18  to the middle of the sole, as illustrated in FIG.  5 . 
     To reduce the probability of slippage between the golf shoe  10 ,  10 ′ and the course surface, the outsole  12 ,  12 ′ includes a variety of traction-enhancing elements  24  that extend downwardly from the outer surface  26  of the sole member  28 . Such traction-enhancing elements  24  generally distinguish golf shoes  10 ,  10 ′ from regular street shoes. The traction-enhancing elements  24  include soft spikes  30  and pyramid-shaped protrusions  32 . The tips  34  of the spikes and/or protrusions penetrate the surface of the ground to increase the traction between the shoe  10 ,  10 ′ and the ground and to resist shear forces to which the shoe  10 ,  10 ′ may be subjected. 
     In a conventional golf shoe, the medial and lateral halves of the heel are generally mirror images and have substantially equal surface areas for contacting the ground. In a heel  36 ,  36 ′ in accordance with the subject invention, flares  38 ,  38 ′ have been added to the left portion  40  of the heel  38 ,  38 ′ of each shoe  10 ,  10 ′ (the lateral portion  41  of the heel  36  of the left shoe  10  and the medial portion  43  of the heel  36 ′ of the right shoe  10 ′). 
     The flares  38 ,  38 ′ are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 as the heel structure which extends between the front and side surfaces  42 ,  42 ′ of a conventional heel left portion (shown in dotted line) and the front surface  44 ,  44 ′ and side surface  46 ,  46 ′ of the subject heel left portion (shown in solid line). The flares  38 ,  38 ′ provide additional surface area to the left of the heel centerline  48 ,  48 ′ for contacting the ground. The ground contacting surface area  50 ,  50 ′,  52 ,  52 ′ of the flares  38 ,  38 ′ provide greater stability and further improve the traction between the shoes  10 ,  10 ′ and the ground surface. 
     With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the heel  36 ′ of the right shoe  10 ′ includes a first flare region  54 ′ which has a bottom surface  50 ′ which extends laterally outward from what would have been side  10  surface  42 ′ in a traditional golf shoe. The medial side  56  of the heel  36 ′ slopes upward from the medial edge  58  of the first flare region  54 ′ to the top  60 ′ of the heel  36 ′ to reduce the total amount of material which is added to the heel  36 ′. A second flare region  62 ′ extends forward from what would have been front surface  42 ′ of the traditional heel and beyond the front surface  66 ′ of the right part  68 ′ of the heel  36 ′ (the right part  68 ′ of the heel  36 ′ of the right shoe  10 ′ is also the lateral part  69  of the heel  36 ′) into the arch area  64 ′. 
     With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, the heel of the left shoe  10  also includes first and second flare regions  54 ,  62 . The first flare region  54  has a bottom surface  50  which extends laterally outward from what would have been the side surface  42  in a traditional golf shoe. The lateral side  70  of the heel  36  slopes upward from the lateral edge  72  of the first flare region  54  to the top  60  of the heel  36  to reduce the total amount of material which is added to the heel  36 . The second flare region  62  extends forward beyond the front surface  66  of the right part  68  of the heel  36  (the right part  68  of the heel  36  of the left shoe  10  is also the medial part  71 ) forward into the arch area  64 . 
     As stated above, the right foot rolls from the lateral side of the right foot toward the medial side during the downswing. As the foot rolls off the outside of the shoe  10 ′ toward the inside, the surface area  50 ′,  52 ′ of the first and second flare regions  54 ′,  62 ′ provides a greater surface area which remains in contact with the ground surface. Similarly, the surface area  50 ,  52  of the first and second flare regions  54 ,  62  of the left shoe  10  provide a greater surface area-which remains in contact with the ground surface as the left shoe  10  rolls from the inside of the left foot toward the outside of the left foot. The flares  38 ,  38 ′ also provide a place an additional area in which spikes  30  and protrusions  32  may be positioned. Essentially, the flares  38 ,  38 ′ extend the base of support for both shoes  10 ,  10 ′ in the direction that the golfer&#39;s weight shifts during the downswing. 
     Flares are not required on the medial side  16  of the left shoe  10  and the lateral side  18  of the right shoe  10 ′ (that is the right side of either shoe). During the downswing the medial side  16  of the left shoe  10  and the lateral side  18  of the right shoe  10 ′ support very little of the golfer&#39;s weight. In fact, the golfer lifts the heel  36 ′ of the right shoe  10 ′ off of the ground at the end of the downswing. Flares on the medial side  16  of the left shoe  10  and the lateral side  18  of the right shoe  10 ′ would provide more support to the golfer during the golfer&#39;s upswing. However, due to the nature of the upswing, such extra support would provide little or no benefit to the golfer. Consequently flares are not added to these two sides of the shoe  10 ,  10 ′ to prevent the addition of unnecessary weight to the shoes  10 ,  10 ′. 
     While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation.