Nike Patents Golf Shirt That Doubles as Coach, Aims at Correcting Golfers' Form

tiger woods Nike made another stride in its never-ending quest for innovation this week.

The sports apparel giant patented a new type of golf shirt that, the company says, allows golfers to correct flaws in their swing without the aid of coaching.

“A coach or trainer can greatly improve an athlete’s form or body positioning, which can result in improved athletic performances,” Nike said in a patent filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (via Bloomberg.com). “For most people, however, a coach or trainer is not always available.”

That’s where, in theory, the new Nike threads come in. The clothing reportedly features tighter material in certain areas, aiming to keep a golfer’s body in the correct position for an ideal swing (which, in Nikespeak, translates to: “articles of apparel providing enhanced body position feedback”).

It’s an intriguing idea, but on the surface, Nike’s design doesn’t seem all that different from the high-tech compression apparel that has become prevalent in nearly all sports recently. It could still take months or years for these new shirts to hit stores, though, allowing the designers plenty of time for modification and improvement.