Producing performance-driven socks

Cov's been manufacturing footwear for over 25 years and knows that producing performance-driven socks engineered for your comfort is an art and a science.

It's an art because he melds the innovative use of quality yarns and advances in knitting technology to produce socks that make your feet feel and perform better. It's a science because you have to know the anatomy of a foot and something about biomechanics to design socks for "lively feet," which, as Nicklaus said, are critical to a successful golf game.

The foot is an intricate structure. In addition to tendons, which hold it together and allow it to move in a variety of ways, it has:

• 26 bones
• 33 joints
• 107 ligaments
• 19 muscles

It's no wonder that, according to the American Podiatric Medical Association, 75 percent of Americans experience foot health problems at some point in their lives.

Blue Chip Socks won't solve your foot health problems or cut a stroke or two off your handicap, but they will deliver you to the 19th hole in the custom to which you should be accustomed: comfort.

Here's why:

Blue Chip Socks are 108-needle socks (very high quality) constructed of 75% acrylic, 20% nylon and 5% elastic. Acrylic fibers are long wearing and add cushiony softness. We use CoolMax®, a high-tech acrylic fiber created by Dupont.

These materials make the sock breathe, which minimizes that hot, squishy feeling your feet get after just a few holes of golf. They also minimize the production of excessive perspiration and bacteria growth, conditions that usually lead to athlete's foot or tinea pedis.

Aside from wearing ill-fitting shoes, one of the quickest routes to blistered feet is to purchase socks without CoolMax. There are approximately 250,000 sweat glands in your feet and they excrete as much as half a pint of moisture each day. When perspiration remains next to your foot, it can cause cold feet, abrasion and blisters. Without CoolMax, the sock gets wet and stays wet, holding moisture close to your skin. Your feet become hot and tender.

CoolMax fabric is made of four channel fiber that allows for better evaporation of moisture. The fibers contain large spaces between the filaments. CoolMax fabrics move moisture quickly away from the skin into the outer layer of the sock, drying the moisture faster than any fabric on the market. These properties help keep your feet dry and regulate body temperatures to keep your feet cool in warm weather.

The proprietary tetra-channel fibers in CoolMax pull moisture away from your skin to the outer layer of the fabric. This is called "wicking." Once the moisture is in the outer layer, the larger surface area of the tetra-channel fibers cause the moisture to evaporate quickly. The result of these two actions, wicking and evaporation, is that your feet stay dry and comfortable. The wicking action itself reduces the potential for foot odor and athlete's foot.

Here's a drawing of the proprietary tetra-channel fibers in CoolMax.

Blue Chip Socks also have Amicor® anti-microbial finish. This special finish reduces bacteria growth and the potential for foot odor. In addition, it controls the fungus associated with athlete's foot. The finish is durable and remains after repeated launderings.

The pressure on your foot when you are walking often exceeds your body weight. And if you're running to get out of the way of an errant golf cart driver, the pressure on your foot can be three or four times your weight. That's one of the reasons our socks are designed with Blue Chip Socks's knitted-in Arch Support System. The Arch Support System keeps the sock in place and adds to your comfort by relieving some of the common soreness that comes with 18 holes.

Blue Chip Socks have extra padding in the ball and heel of the foot. This provides protection against impact while absorbing shock from heavy foot strikes and protects your feet against abrasion and blisters.

Corns and calluses are caused by friction and pressure from skin rubbing against bony areas when wearing shoes. If the first signs of soreness are ignored, corns and calluses rise up as nature's way of protecting sensitive areas.

The extra padding is engineered into the sock where the most wear occurs, so, in addition to protecting your foot, our socks last a lot longer than ordinary socks. Did you know that the average person take 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day? According to the The American Podiatric Medial Association, that adds up to about 115,000 miles in a lifetime -- more than four times the circumference of the globe.

Some short sock styles slip down into the back of the shoe, causing discomfort, or constantly fall down, which is very annoying. Blue Chip Socks won't slip or fall down. We designed the sock with a wide, non-ravel welt top and Spandex® rib construction. Socks without Spandex rib construction and too narrow a band at the top tend to roll over, curl at the top or slip down inside your shoe.

Toe seams are placed high over the toe so that the seam does not dig into your foot and cause pain.

Blue Chip Socks are easy to care for: they're washable, dryable and non-chafing. They also resist shrinkage, odors and mildew.

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Producing performance-driven socks