New Product Spotlight – Cleatskins Golf

Sometimes a product comes along that makes you think to yourself: “Damn! Why didn’t I think of that?!?” One of those products appeared to me at the PGA Show this year, and from the impressions I got, it will be well received by consumers. The company is called Cleatskins, and they make rubbers. OK, we don’t call them that any more. Back in the good ‘ol days in the snowy North East, my dad used to go off to work with his nice Italian leather shoes on, and to avoid destroying them with snow, dirt and road salt, he slipped some rubber coverings (we called them rubbers) over the shoes to protect them from the elements. One day many years later at my golf club, I observed some poor sap slip and fall on the golf club’s hardwood floors because his plastic spikes had no traction on the wood floor. Suddenly, I had a thought that it would be great if you could slip on some rubbers over your golf shoes! Well, that random thought got lost in my head, as did many other thoughts in my twenties…

Enter a company called Cleatskins. They sell an accessory designed to slip over cleated footwear so people can go from the course, pitch, field or wherever without changing shoes. Made of compression molded rubber, Cleatskins started in 2008 making their shoe covers for sports like soccer, baseball, football, wrestling, rugby, field hockey, and others. In 2009 the company debuted the new golf line. Golfers now don’t have to change shoes simply to grab a beer with the boys after the round, or struggle with golf shoes in the parking lot before your round. Just slip some Cleatskins over your shoes, drive to the course, take them off prior to starting play and slip them back on when you are done. That’s exactly what I did last week when I gave my pair a test run at Falcon’s Fire Golf club while playing with fellow golf bloggers Dave Lair and Tony Korologos.

Cleatskins are available for men and women in all sizes, and in 6 different colors to match your golf shoes. Like a slipper for your shoes, they go on and off pretty easy when sized right. Since they are sized to fit several different shoe makes and all sizing is different, I got the large, which accommodate size 8.5-10.5. Since my golf shoes are 10.5, they go on a little tight and take a little work, but once on they don’t come off and add only a little weight to the shoe. It was nice to just get out of the car and walk into the clubhouse, leaving my playing partners to their shoe bags and scuffed car bumpers. Arriving at the first tee, I simply pulled them off and went about my business. Slipping them on after we finished, I could walk anywhere around the clubhouse and not worry about slipping or tracking dirt all over the place, including in my car.

Priced at $24.95 a pair, this product is pretty much a no-brainer for me – the ultimate slacker. If I can save 5 minutes every time I play golf by not having to change shoes, these babies are worth it. Plus, the durable rubber will last at least as long as a set of tires on your car, and they won’t track dirt and grass all over the house and locker room either. To clean them, just hose them off or throw them in the wash. All in all, Cleatskins are a simple and effective product that do what they advertise very well. Pick up a pair today and you’ll see what I mean! Cleatskins are available at select retailers, or direct from their website at www.cleatskins.com.