HK1050302B - Golf shoe cleat and manufacturing method therefor - Google Patents

Description

Cleat for golf shoes and method for producing the same

Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to a cleat (clean). More particularly, the present invention relates to cleats for use on golf shoes. The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a plastic golf shoe cleat.

Background

Traditionally, thumbtack type sharp metal spikes or cleats are used on golf shoes. Some of the spikes or cleats are integrally formed with the sole of the golf shoe, while others are removably disposed on the sole of the golf shoe. Such metallic spikes can satisfactorily grip or bite into golf course grass or turf even when the grass or turf is wet.

Because long metal spikes penetrate deeply into the grass into the ground below the grass, they can catch and bite into the grass, but often damage the grass roots. Metal spikes also make the golf course quite rough. This problem is exacerbated when a lawn is to be applied. The subsequent players are often disturbed by a rough lawn. In addition, sharp metal spikes can damage floor tiles or carpets at the club house.

Sharp pushpin-type metal spikes are not very comfortable when walking, particularly on hard surfaces such as floors or sidewalks.

Metallic spikes give the wearer poor stability, mainly due to the limited number of contact points with the ground and the hardness of the contact points with the ground. The wearer of spiked shoes tends to lose physical balance on hard surfaces, particularly when the surface is wet or slippery. The metal spikes may damage the wearer's foot, knee or waist, and because the metal spikes cannot absorb the impact, the impact from the physical contact between the metal spikes and the hard ground may be directly transmitted to the wearer's foot.

In order to solve or alleviate the above-mentioned problems inherent in metallic studs, studs or cleats of the non-metallic type have been developed. These non-metallic spikes or cleats are mostly made of plastic. The projections of such plastic cleats are generally shorter than conventional metal spikes and are more comfortable for the wearer because they absorb to some extent the impact generated by hard surfaces. Because the cleat is shorter and there are more contact points on the sole than traditional metal studs, stability can be improved. Unlike metal spikes, plastic cleats do not damage turf, club house floors, or carpets.

However, the clasping or biting of such conventional plastic cleats on grass or turf is not as good as a metallic shoe. Good grips on grass are desirable for cleats and spikes. Conventional plastic cleats often fail to grip wet grass, withered grass or slopes.

Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 11-262401 discloses a plastic cleat 30 as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 of the drawings of the present specification. As shown, the conventional plastic cleat 30 includes a threaded shaft 31 and legs 32. The threaded shaft 31 is screwed into a threaded seat on the sole of the golf shoe. The leg 32 is flexible in construction.

A plurality of plastic cleats 30 are secured to the sole. These plastic cleats hardly damage grass or turf or carpet at club houses. However, due to the inherent vulnerability imposed by the design features, the legs 32 do not effectively support the weight of the wearer, the legs 32 tend to splay outward, as shown in FIG. 14, and do not grip the turf. The wearer does not necessarily feel comfortable on a hard surface due to the "unique softness" of the legs 32 as the plastic cleat deforms. The cleat 30 does not wear well and therefore wears out quickly. The legs 32 can be made more rigid, but in this way the cleat 30 will damage the grass being laid more or less.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved cleat for a golf shoe that is wear resistant and durable.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved cleat for golf shoes that provides a good grip or bite on grass.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved cleat for golf shoes that can effectively absorb physical impact generated from a hard surface and has excellent stability on the hard surface.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved cleat that does not damage turf or the floor of a club house.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved cleat for a golf shoe that indicates wear progression.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an economical method of making such an improved cleat.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

An important aspect of the present invention is that the cleat of the present invention, which is made of a plastic material, advantageously includes a plurality of flexible projections and a plurality of rigid projections, with the flexible projections being generally longer than the rigid projections. Typically, a plurality of such flexible projections and rigid projections are provided on the cleat along the perimeter of the cleat.

The cleat 10 according to the present invention includes: a cleat body 3, a plurality of flexible projections on the side of the cleat body along the periphery of the cleat, said flexible projections extending obliquely outward; and a plurality of rigid projections located on said side of said cleat body along the perimeter of the cleat; wherein the rigid protrusions are shorter than the flexible protrusions, and the flexible protrusions and the rigid protrusions are alternately arranged, the rigid protrusions mainly supporting a weight placed on the cleat when the flexible protrusions are bent outward on a hard surface.

From which a plurality of flexible projections 1 and a plurality of rigid projections 2 project downwardly and generally obliquely outwardly. It should be noted that the direction "downwards" refers to the downward direction in the drawings, i.e. towards the grass or ground when using the cleat.

The flexible projections 1 are "flexible," however, they are designed to bend little over grass or turf, not penetrate into grass and grip grass well, but to bend or splay outward over hard surfaces (e.g., sidewalks) and effectively absorb the impact of the hard surfaces to mitigate physical damage that may occur.

The rigid projection 2 is generally made shorter than the flexible projection 1. The rigid projections 2, as expressed by their wording, cannot even be bent over a hard surface. When the flexible projection 1 is bent and further opened outward, its vertical height and ability to support a weight are reduced, and thus, the rigid projection 2 supports the remaining weight placed thereon. It should be noted that the curved flexible protrusions 1 still support part of the weight.

The rigid projections 2 press the grass from above and help grip and bite well on grass or turf. The rigid protruding part 2 prevents the flexible protruding part 1 from excessively deforming and wearing on a hard surface.

The present invention also provides a cleat for golf shoes, which includes: a cleat body; a fixing means on the top surface of said cleat body, the fixing means including engaging means by which the cleat body is engaged with the seat of the sole to removably secure said fixing means to the golf shoe sole; a plurality of flexible projections on a side of said cleat body along a periphery of the cleat, said flexible projections extending obliquely outward; and a plurality of rigid projections located on said side of said cleat body along the perimeter of the cleat, said rigid projections being shorter than said flexible projections; wherein the flexible projections and the rigid projections are alternately arranged, each cavity formed between the flexible projections and the rigid projections being large enough to prevent clogging with soil, whereby the rigid projections primarily support weight placed on the cleat when the flexible projections are flexed outwardly on a hard surface.

The cleat body 3 is fixed to the golf shoe sole by the fixing means 4. The overall shape of the cleat body 3 may be circular, oval, triangular, square or any other polygonal shape. It is also possible to use a plurality of cleats 10 or cleat bodies 3 (without the fixing means 4) integrally and directly on the sole.

The cleat 10 may be made of a synthetic rubber material, an ABS material, a polycarbonate material, a nylon material, or a polyurethane material, or any other suitable plastic material or non-plastic material. Polyurethane materials are preferred materials.

Each of the cleat body 3, the flexible protrusions 1 and the rigid protrusions 2 may be made of different plastic materials to form the composite cleat 10. The flexible projection 1 may be made of a flexible material and the rigid projection 2 may be made of a rigid material. Soft metallic or ceramic materials may be used, at least in part.

In an exemplary cleat 10, four flexible protrusions 1 and four rigid protrusions 2 are alternately arranged along the periphery of a cleat body 3.

The direction of the snap or bite can be controlled by suitably selecting the protrusion angle and/or shape and/or size and/or number of the flexible protrusions 1 and the rigid protrusions 2. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the latching force in the "A" direction is greater, while the latching force in the "B" direction is less.

With a "small" number of cleats 10, the turf or grass can be gripped and bitten in the best direction by most appropriately determining the location and orientation of such cleats 10 on the sole.

The number of flexible projections 1 and the number of rigid projections 2 used on one cleat 10 may be different from each other. For example, between two rigid projections 2, two flexible projections 1 may be provided. It should be noted that the term "alternating" configuration of the flexible protrusions 1 and the rigid protrusions 2 used in this specification, including the appended claims, includes configurations of the protrusions 1 and 2 different in number from each other.

The size, angle, shape, hardness or softness, number and location and orientation of the projections 1 and 2, as well as the material, are factors that are suitably selected in accordance with the desired performance and properties of the cleat 10.

The arrangement interval of the flexible protrusions 1 on the cleat body 3 may be different. The rigid projections 2 may be disposed on the cleat body 3 at a different interval from the flexible projections 1.

The cleat 10 grips and bites the turf well without flexing either the flexible projections 1 or the rigid projections 2. The flexible and rigid projections 1 and 2 are sufficiently entangled with the grass blades and grass stalks. The cleat 10 can stably support the weight placed thereon on a hard surface by its bent flexible protrusions 1 and rigid protrusions 2.

The flexible protrusions 1 of the cleat 10 according to the present invention are widely spread outward or in the radial direction, making the cavity between the flexible protrusions 1 and the rigid protrusions 2 larger. The large cavity is effectively prevented from being clogged with soil or grass. Such a flexible projection 1 is more likely to bend outwardly on a hard surface in use.

These "radially" open flexible projections 1 may improve the cushioning effect on hard surfaces and may provide a more secure grip and bite on the turf because the cavity between the flexible projections 1 and the rigid projections 2 is less likely to be clogged by dirt or grass.

The cleat 10 according to the present invention is removable from the sole to facilitate replacement of the worn cleat 10.

In the cleat 10 according to the present invention, the fixing means 4 can attach and detach the cleat to and from the shoe sole.

The fixing means 4 may comprise an engaging protrusion 7 as shown in fig. 2 or a screw means as shown in fig. 3. Also, any suitable conventional engagement means may be used. A metal pin may be added to the fixture 4 to enhance the engagement of the fixture 4 with it. The cleat 10 can be easily attached to and detached from the sole to replace the cleat with a new one.

The cleat 10 according to the present invention further includes a central projection 5 on the bottom surface of the cleat body 3, which is generally as high or slightly shorter than the rigid projections 2. The central protrusion 5 supports the weight on the hard surface as the rigid protrusion 2 wears. The central protrusion 5 may improve stability on hard surfaces. However, the use of the central protrusion 5 is arbitrarily decided according to the present invention.

The free end of each rigid protrusion 2 of the cleat 10 according to the invention has a through slot 6, which indicates the degree of wear of the rigid protrusion 2 and acts like a "sliding marker" for a car tyre. Such grooves 6 may additionally also catch and bite into grass.

The flexible protrusions 1 and the rigid protrusions 2 of the plastic cleat 10 according to the invention, within limits, flare outwardly to a certain extent to facilitate the use of the "forced release molding" according to the invention. As used herein, "forced release molding" means "forcibly ejecting" the injected plastic material from the injection mold before the injected material has completely hardened in the mold. This process is schematically represented in fig. 7. The mold release opening of the injection mold is "narrower" than the widest portion of the designed cleat.

The forced-release molding used herein can be performed only in such a range that: the material forcibly pulled out of the mold through the narrow opening can spring back and return precisely to its designed shape before it has fully hardened on the outside of the mold. After the injected material has completely hardened inside the mold, it is not possible to push the designed material out of the mold from the mold with a "narrow" demolding opening.

The extracted material or cleat 10 eventually springs back and returns to its designed shape and hardens as designed. If the difference in size between the narrow ejection opening and the widest part of the mold interior is too large, it is not possible to use the forced ejection molding method of the present invention.

There is a large cavity between the projections 1 and 2 of the cleat 10 to facilitate use of the "forced release molding" method of the present invention. The flexible projections 1 and the rigid projections 2 are spaced apart from each other by a very "wide". Thus, the flexible projections 1 and the rigid projections 2 are susceptible to "jamming" or inward deformation; in this way, when the protruding portion is semi-hardened, it can slide through the small ejection opening of the mold. Thus, the projections 1 and 2 of the cleat 10 can be made of a more rigid material.

The manufacturing method of the plastic cleat 10 for golf shoes according to the present invention includes: preparing a mold having a demolding opening of a plastic cleat including a cleat body, fixing means provided on a top surface of said cleat body, the fixing means including engaging means by which said cleat body is engaged with a seat of a shoe sole, a plurality of flexible protrusions provided on side surfaces of said cleat body along a periphery of the cleat body, and a plurality of rigid protrusions provided on said side surfaces of said cleat body along the periphery of the cleat body; the flexible projection projecting obliquely outward, and the rigid projection being shorter than the flexible projection; the flexible projections and the rigid projections are alternately arranged, wherein the demolding opening is narrower than the widest portion of the cleat; injecting a plastic material into the mold and allowing the plastic material to semi-harden in the mold; forcibly extracting the semi-hardened plastic from the mold through the ejection opening before the material has completely hardened within the mold; and returning the extracted material outside the mold to the designed set wedge shape.

The "forced extraction" process can be carried out more easily if there is a large cavity between the flexible protrusions 1 and the rigid protrusions 2. The through slots 6 further assist in the forced extraction.

The angle of the flexible protrusion 1 with respect to the horizontal plane (or the sole) is 45 ° to 90 °. The preferred angle is about 67 deg. (exactly 66.9 deg.).

The advantage of the "forced demolding molding" is that, because the mold is simple in design and easy to manufacture, the cost of preparing the mold is reduced, resulting in a reduction in production costs, which is well known to those skilled in the molding art. The molding process is also simple.

Tests and experiments have shown that the degree of grip and biting of the cleat 10 of the present invention on grass or turf is comparable to that of conventional metal spikes when an appropriate number of cleats 10 are fixedly mounted on a sole.

The test was conducted on an artificial turf measuring the horizontal force required to move a plurality of cleats 10 prepared according to an embodiment of the present invention and conventional metal spikes, which were mounted on the bottom surfaces of heavy metal plates, respectively.

Wear tests were also performed: a cleat 10 made in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention and a conventional plastic cleat were placed on a piece of sandpaper, a weight (1kg) was added to each cleat, and an "8" shape was pulled over the sandpaper. The test results show that the cleat 10 of the present invention is more resistant to wear than conventional plastic cleats.

The cleat of the present invention does not damage grass or floors, has good wear resistance, is stable in gripping grass, can sufficiently absorb physical impact generated by hard surfaces, and has good stability on hard surfaces.

Since the cleat of the present invention can be manufactured by a "forced release molding method" using an economical mold and processing method, mass production from plastic materials is easy and cost-effective.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleat 10 according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the cleat 10 shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a cleat 10 with a threaded securing device 4 according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the cleat 10 shown in FIG. 2, illustrating one example of deformation;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the cleat 10 shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing an exemplary application of the cleat 10 shown in FIG. 1 on a shoe sole;

FIG. 7 shows a process for manufacturing the cleat 10 according to the "forced release molding" of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a perspective view of the cleat 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a perspective view of a cleat 10 according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a perspective view of a cleat 10 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 11 is a perspective view of a cleat 10 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a conventional plastic cleat;

FIG. 13 is a side view of the conventional plastic cleat of FIG. 12; and

FIG. 14 is a side view of the conventional plastic cleat of FIG. 13, showing an example of deformation.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a plastic cleat 10 in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention. The cleat 10 is integrally injection molded from a polyurethane material using the "forced release molding" of the present invention. The cleat 10 comprises a circular cleat body 3, fixing means 4, four flexible protrusions 1 and four rigid protrusions 2. The protrusions 1 and 2 are alternately formed on the periphery of the cleat body 3. The cleat 10 further includes a circular central protrusion 5 formed on the cleat body 3.

It should be noted that, within the scope of the invention, more flexible protrusions 1 are provided on the cleat body 3 than rigid protrusions 2, and they are arranged "alternately" on the cleat body 3; that is, more than one flexible projections may be disposed between any two rigid projections, or fewer flexible projections than rigid projections 2 and disposed "alternately"; that is, at least one pair of adjacent rigid projections 2 does not meet the sides of any flexible projection 1.

It should also be noted that although a plurality of flexible protrusions 1 and a plurality of rigid protrusions 2 may advantageously be provided along the periphery of the cleat body 3, it is within the scope of the present invention to provide the protrusions 1 and 2 outside the periphery of the cleat body 3.

The cleat 10 is secured to a seat (not shown) of a shoe sole (not shown) using a securing device 4 having three engaging projections 7. In this embodiment the fixing means 4 is a short cylindrical projection and the engaging projection 7 engages a corresponding seat groove (not shown) in the interior of the seat. The cleat body 3 has two engaging recesses 8 on the bottom surface thereof, and can be used in the engaging step. The handle means (not shown) engages with the engaging recess 8 and rotates the cleat 10 on the seat with the engaging projection 7 firmly fixed in the seat. The fixing means 4 may be reinforced with metal.

Each flexible projection 1 is made such that the flexible projection 1 substantially retains its shape on grass, but curves outwardly on a hard surface such that it is substantially flush with the rigid projection 2 in vertical height.

The rigid projections 2 are shorter and thicker and therefore more resistant to deformation than the flexible projections 1. When the flexible projection 1 is deformed and its vertical height is reduced (still supporting a portion of the weight), the rigid projection 2 supports the weight placed on it. Each rigid projection 2 has a diametrically extending through slot 6 which indicates the respective time of replacement.

The height of the central protrusion 5 is roughly the same as the height of the deepest point of the through-groove 6 (measured from the bottom surface of the cleat body 3).

The flexible protrusions 1 penetrate the grass or turf and the rigid protrusions 2 are pressed from above against the grass. The protrusions 1 and 2 are entangled with the grass blades and stems to provide a good grip and bite on grass. The grass will not be damaged because the flexible protrusions 1 penetrate the ground below the grass to a minimum. The carpet is not damaged.

Between the flexible protrusions 1 and the rigid protrusions 2 there is a wide cavity enough to prevent clogging by cut grass blades or dirt. This maintains a constant and reliable satisfactory grip or bite on grass.

On hard surfaces, the flexible protrusions 1 have a good cushioning effect. When used on a hard surface, the flexible protrusion portion 1 smoothly and comfortably absorbs physical impact generated from the hard surface. Such a cleat 10 provides good stability on hard surfaces because there are multiple points of contact with the hard surface.

A plastic cleat 10 in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention is shown in fig. 8. The cleat 10 is integrally formed of polyurethane material using a "forced release molding process". The cleat 10 includes a circular cleat body 3, a fixing device 4 (not shown), three flexible protrusions 1 and three rigid protrusions 2. The projections 1 and 2 are alternately arranged on the periphery of the cleat body 3. The cleat 10 also includes a central projection 5.

The cleat 10 may be secured in a seat (not shown) of a shoe sole (not shown) using a securing device 4 having an engaging projection 7 (not shown) as described in the above embodiments. Two engagement recesses 8 are formed in the bottom surface of the cleat body 3. The handle means (not shown) is engaged with the engaging recess 8 and rotated so that the engaging projection 7 is firmly engaged with the seat. The fixing means 4 are reinforced with metal means.

The fixing means 4 can be a seating means which receives a projecting portion provided on the sole; and the engaging projection 7 may be an engaging seat means that receives an engaging projection formed on the projection.

The flexible protrusions 1 are designed so that they do not bend over grass or turf, but bend outwardly over a hard surface so that their vertical height is practically flush with the rigid protrusions 2.

The rigid projection 2 is designed shorter and thicker and is therefore more resistant to deformation than the flexible projection 1. The rigid projections 2 can support the weight placed thereon on a hard surface without bending. In this embodiment, each rigid projection 2 has a diametrically extending through slot 6 which indicates the respective time for replacing the cleat 10.

The height of the central protrusion 5 is roughly the same as the vertical height of the deepest point of the through-groove 6.

The flexible protrusions 1 penetrate the grass and the rigid protrusions 2 press the grass from above. The protrusions 1 and 2 effectively entangle with the grass blades and stalks and provide a good grip and bite on grass. The grass will not be damaged because the flexible protrusions 1 penetrate the ground below the grass to a minimum, if any.

The cavity between the flexible projection 1 and the rigid projection 2 is larger than the corresponding cavity of the previous embodiment, and thus clogging of the cut grass blades or dirt can be prevented more effectively.

The production of this form of plastic cleat 10 is easier than the previous forms of cleats because the wider cavity between the projections 1 and 2 of this cleat 10 facilitates easy removal of the injected material from the mold through a "narrow" demolding opening.

Fig. 9 shows a third embodiment of a plastic cleat 10, which comprises a circular cleat body 3 having a fixing means 4 (not shown) with engaging projections 7 (not shown), four flexible projections 1 and four rigid projections 2 and a central projection 5. The cleat 10 is made of a polyurethane material using a "forced release molding process".

The fixing means 4 may have the same characteristics as those of the fixing means of the previous fixing wedge 10. Another form of securing means 4 may be used as well. Two engagement recesses 8 are also provided for securing the cleat 10 to the sole (not shown). The fixture 4 is reinforced with metal pins (not shown).

Both the flexible projections 1 and the rigid projections 2 project downwardly and outwardly at 66.9 deg. to the horizontal. In this embodiment, each flexible projection 1 is provided with two through slots 6, while the rigid projections 2 are not provided with through slots 6. These through grooves 6 are entangled with the grass blades and stalks and can additionally grip the grass.

The rigid protruding portion 2 is shorter than the flexible protruding portion 1, and the height of the central protruding portion 5 is roughly flush with the height of the deepest portion of the through-groove 6.

The plastic cleat 10 depicted in fig. 10 has three flexible projections 1 and three rigid projections 2. The through slots 6 are formed on the rigid projections 2. In this embodiment (fourth embodiment), the top portion of the cavity which is in contact with the bottom surface of the cleat body 3 is made "flat".

In order to additionally grip and bite grass, ribs R extend between the flexible protrusions 1 and the central protrusion 5, and between the rigid protrusions 2 and the central protrusion 5, which ribs R may also further increase the rigidity of the cleat 10.

The plastic cleat 10 shown in FIG. 11 also carries ribs R. As shown in the drawing, in this embodiment (fifth embodiment), the rib R spans the bottom of the cleat body 3, between the flexible projections 1. There is no central projection 5. The ribs R may additionally grip and bite into grass and may strengthen the cleat 10.

The invention has been described in connection with various embodiments. It should be understood that various modifications and changes may be made to the embodiments by those skilled in the art. For example, the "central protrusion 5" may be deleted from the second to fourth embodiments, or the number of "flexible protrusions 1" and/or "rigid portions 2" may be changed.

Such modifications and variations are included in the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (9)

1. A cleat for a golf shoe, comprising:

a cleat body;

a plurality of flexible projections on the side of the cleat body along the periphery of the cleat, said flexible projections extending obliquely outward; and

a plurality of rigid projections located on said side of said cleat body along the perimeter of the cleat;

wherein the rigid protrusions are shorter than the flexible protrusions, and the flexible protrusions and the rigid protrusions are alternately arranged, the rigid protrusions mainly supporting a weight placed on the cleat when the flexible protrusions are bent outward on a hard surface.

2. The cleat of claim 1, wherein each of the cavities formed between the flexible projections and the rigid projections is large enough to prevent clogging with soil.

3. The cleat of a golf shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cleat body is detachably placed in a seating means provided on a sole of a golf shoe.

4. A cleat for a golf shoe, comprising:

a cleat body;

a fixing means on the top surface of said cleat body, the fixing means including engaging means by which the cleat body is engaged with the seat of the sole to removably secure said fixing means to the golf shoe sole;

a plurality of flexible projections on a side of said cleat body along a periphery of the cleat, said flexible projections extending obliquely outward; and

a plurality of rigid projections located on said side of said cleat body along the perimeter of the cleat, said rigid projections being shorter than said flexible projections;

wherein the flexible projections and the rigid projections are alternately arranged, each of the cavities formed between the flexible projections and the rigid projections being large enough to prevent clogging with soil,

thus, when the flexible projections are flexed outwardly on a hard surface, the rigid projections primarily support the weight placed on the cleat.

5. The cleat according to any of claims 1 to 4 further comprising a central projection provided at the center of the bottom surface of said cleat body, said central projection being as high as or less than the rigid projections and assisting said rigid projection arms in bearing the weight placed on said cleat.

6. A cleat according to claim 3 or 4 wherein each of said rigid projections is formed with a through slot at its free end portion.

7. A plastic cleat for a golf shoe, comprising:

a cleat body;

a fixing means provided on a top surface of the cleat body, the fixing means including an engaging means by which the cleat body is engaged with the seat of the sole to detachably fix the fixing means to the golf sole;

a plurality of flexible projections provided on the side face of the cleat body along the periphery of the cleat, the flexible projections extending obliquely outward; and

a plurality of rigid projections provided on the side face of the cleat body along the periphery of the cleat, the rigid projections being shorter than the flexible projections;

wherein the flexible protrusions and the rigid protrusions are alternately arranged,

thus, when the flexible projections are bent outward on a hard surface, the rigid projections primarily support the weight placed on the cleat,

wherein the obliquely outward projection of the flexible projection from the cleat body is limited to a limit to facilitate the use of a forced demolding molding process, i.e. the forced ejection of the injected plastic material from the injection mold before the injected material has completely hardened in the mold.

8. The cleat of claim 7 wherein the space between the flexible projections and the rigid projections is wide enough to facilitate forced release molding.

9. A method of producing a plastic cleat for golf shoes, comprising:

preparing a mold having a demolding opening of a plastic cleat including a cleat body, fixing means provided on a top surface of said cleat body, the fixing means including engaging means by which said cleat body is engaged with a seat of a shoe sole, a plurality of flexible protrusions provided on side surfaces of said cleat body along a periphery of the cleat body, and a plurality of rigid protrusions provided on said side surfaces of said cleat body along the periphery of the cleat body; the flexible projection projecting obliquely outward, and the rigid projection being shorter than the flexible projection; said flexible projections and said rigid projections being alternately arranged, said rigid projections supporting mainly a weight placed on said cleat when said flexible projections are bent outward on a hard surface, wherein said demolding opening is narrower than a widest portion of said cleat;

injecting a plastic material into the mold and allowing the plastic material to semi-harden in the mold;

forcibly extracting the semi-hardened plastic from the mold through the ejection opening before the material has completely hardened within the mold; and

and enabling the pulled material to return to the designed fixed wedge shape outside the model.