Southside Sentinel, Urbanna, VA by Tom Hardin Richard Blackwell was playing a round of golf with friends in October of 2001 when it happened-he got the idea that would change his life, and the life of his family, forever. Blackwell was playing golf at Piankatank River Golf Club with Francis and Ellis Hall that day, and Francis had forgotten his golf shoes. On the tee box at the ninth hole, Francis slipped as he was hitting his drive and the ball sliced out of bounds to the right. Trying to console his friend, Blackwell told Francis, "Someone ought to invent some type of portable golf cleats a person could wear when he forgot his golf shoes." That's when the "lightbulb went off" in Blackwell's brain. Why couldn't he invent this portable golf cleat that could be attached to any shoe, not just golf shoes. For the next four years Blackwell devoted a large part of his life to inventing this self-adhesive golf cleat. He studied and tinkered with several types of plastics and adhesives and, finally, in 2005 he patented the finished product-a red-colored, e-shaped (hence the name "Rede") plastic cleat called "Rede Golf Round Savers," which can simply be attached to the bottom of any shoe, provided the shoe's surface is clean and dry. The cleats can also be removed and replaced with relative ease. The product was so readily accepted in golf circles that Blackwell's company, "Rede Golf," began an intense marketing campaign and has manufacturers ready to mass produce the cleat. He introduced the product to the golfing public in the New Product Center at the annual PGA Golf Show in Orlando, Florida, in January. The response was overwhelming," said Blackwell. "Golf experts told me I had a revolutionary product." Blackwell's twin 17-year-old daughters, Rachel and Liza, helped display and explain the product at their booth in Orlando. "We were overwhelmed," said Blackwell. "The girls were great. We were mobbed and I never could have done this without them. This has certainly been a family effort." Why is the product so revolutionary? Because with regular golf shoes, plastic cleats must be screwed into preset sockets on the bottom of the shoes, and replaced regularly as they wear down. Blackwell's cleat also wears down and may even come loose on occasion, but it is not screwed in; it is glued on the bottom of "any shoe" with an adhesive that is already on the cleat. The golfer simply peels the cleat from the package and places it on the bottom of his shoe. Twenty cleats come in a package, and the retail cost is about $20. The real attraction of the disposable, portable cleat is that it can be attached to a person's favorite shoe. "Golf shoes can be uncomfortable, and I know many golfers who would love to play in their Rockports, Topsiders or tennis shoes," said Blackwell. "Now, they can." The Rede Golf cleat has been met with such enthusiasm that Blackwell has been interviewed on the Golf Channel, and several golf magazines plan to do stories on his revolutionary new product. Last week Business Week magazine photographed and interviewed Blackwell at Piankatank River Golf Club. The Blackwells worked on developing the cleat for over four years in the basement of their home on Howard Street in Urbanna. The work had to be kept a secret until the patent was secured. Now, Mr. Blackwell travels across the country promoting his product at golf shows and other gatherings of the golfing public. "The Rede cleat is allowed under the rules of golf and what golf pros and course superintendents really like is that it is so 'golf course friendly,' " said Blackwell. In other words, the Rede cleat does not damage greens or tee boxes like some conventional cleats. The cleat is also self-cleaning in that it flexes with the shoe, causing dirt and grass to be discarded as the golfer walks. Typical golf cleats have to be cleaned with a brush. Jimmy Poplin, the pro at Piankatank River Golf Club, said he was skeptical at first of the idea of stick-on disposable cleats, but changed his mind once he tried them. "I think they are great. I tested them on my tennis shoes and was very impressed. Everything about them is very cool," he said. The Rede cleat also provides cushioning for the golfer's feet. The cleats can also be used for soccer, softball and other youth and adult sports. " I can envision some day a man going into a shoe store and, after buying a new pair of shoes, also buying a set of the Rede cleats, said Blackwell. "It's satisfying to me that we brought something to the market that people really seem to want and are going to use. I believe, and others have told me the same thing, that it is the future of golf cleats." For a firsthand look at the Rede Golf cleat, see Poplin at Piankatank River Golf Club or log onto <Redegolf.com>. In the near future, the cleats should be in sports stores and golf pro shops across the country.