I’ve recently been trying a product called Cleatskins, designed to slip onto the bottom of golf shoes for wear to and from the course, or even within a round of golf.

Now, before you think “iron covers” – a product that most avid golfers avoid like the plague – let me tell you that I was skeptical at first too. After all, “alternative spikes” are not very expensive, and their life is fairly good.

But lately I have been playing and practicing more and find it easy to slip on my golf shoes at home on my way to the range or the course that is just around the corner from my house. The first time I tried Cleatskins, I realized that I was more comfortable driving the car, and hiking down the long cart path to the range once I arrived.

A week later, I played a practice round for a USGA qualifier where walking was going to be a requirement. The distance from the 3rd green to the 4th tee was a seemingly straight uphill 200 yards. In the practice round I had a cart, but the light bulb went on to throw the Cleatskins in for the tournament.

So, after playing the third hole in the qualifier, I pulled them out of the bag, dropped the sturdy, but flexible Cleatskins onto the ground (I’m getting pretty good at just putting the toe in and quickly stretching the heel on) and walked up the hill next to a guy who slipped twice on the cart path.

To be sure, mid-round use isn’t the primary reason I would recommend Cleatskins, but in this case it worked out well. And next time I need to stop at the store after practicing, I will feel confident walking the aisles with my Cleatskins on.

This reminds me to tell you a bit about the company, which was founded by husband and wife team Rick and Marianne Kay in Southern California. Their “a ha” moment came when Rick was changing the spikes on a pair of his son’s muddy baseball cleats. Rick imagined a product that slipped over the shoes to use to and from games which would also save time and money on spike maintenance. Golf was a natural sport to embrace, and avid golfers, teaching pros, and even PGA Tour player John Senden are vocal advocates of Cleatskins.

It’s a really cool entrepreneurial story, especially in this economy. I see a lot of ideas at the PGA Merchandise show, but less than five percent of them look like winners. With $1.5 Million of sales estimated for 2009, count Cleatskins as one of those five percent.

If I could leave you with anything, it would be to give them a try. At $30 retail, and available in several colors to coordinate with your shoes, you can’t go wrong. You might just get accused of being a trendsetter.

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