Dorothy’s Ruby Red Shoes

This story is so great I couldn’t wait to tell you. Hi everyone. Remember the Wizard of Oz and how Dorothy’s shoes took her a long way from Kansas? Well this is a story of an equally magic journey.

Remember this name: "Kickspike Traction Technology". This is likely to be the paradigm shift in golf shoe technology for the next decade. It was invented by a golf course greens superintendent and his wife, Darrell and Colleen Bachman and it is so ingenious that we all will probably ask ourselves why we didn’t think of it first.

Here’s the background to the idea before I share it with you. Fact: 70% of the pros on the PGA Tour are wearing metal spikes. Why? Despite the advancements in softspike technology, the metal spikes still provide superior traction. Fact: softspikes now actually cause greater damage to greens than metal spikes. The pros still hate the fact that metal spikes tear up the greens and cause putting nightmares late in the round.

The damage to the greens is an environmental headache for greenskeepers whether the culprit is softspikes or metal ones. Cutting back on the wear and tear on greens reduces the need for increased watering, fertilisers and fungicides thereby providing a significant saving to overall maintenance costs.

Remember the old adage, "necessity is the mother of invention", well here is one mother of an invention. The Bachmans have invented a golf shoe with retractable metal spikes. There is a metal button on the heel of the shoe which you kick into the ground or any hard surface and the spikes pop out. When you don’t need them like when you are on the green, you hit the button again and they retract. Nifty, eh? An added benefit is that the spikes self clean when they retract. No more carrying 2 lbs of sod along with you.

The result. Pristine greens and a really big saving on green maintenance costs!

" I am 100% certain that the PGA tour will embrace this."

...USGA Greens Section

"I couldn't imagine anything better than softspikes… but this is!

...President of the GCSAA

Both Butch Harmon and Paul Azinger were impressed with the concept and the prototype when they saw it at the World Championship of Golf in Arizona.

You are likely among the first in your neck of the woods to hear about this game changing idea. It is a neat concept and I wish the Bachmans well as they look to launch this product.

The idea has attracted great interest from a quintet of millionaire/billionaire investors from Canada who are lending their considerable business expertise and acumen to developing and landing a licensing deal with a major golf and sport shoe manufacturer. That’s right, they are going to license their patent and have someone like Footjoy or Adidas produce the shoe.

I will give you updates on this story as it unfolds. I hear they are welcoming investors. This might be like investing in Callaway when Eli was just launching the company. Looks far more promising than shares in GM, Chrysler or Nortel, wouldn’t you say? If you want more info and video and pictures of the shoe, mosey over to www.kickspike.com for a look around.

Now where the heck did I bury that coffee can in the back yard?