Cranbrook RCMP officer Francis Houle showcases Blysters Ring invention at PGA Expo in Las Vegas

Blysters Ring means blisters no more

Francis Houle, 28,  of Cranbrook works not only as a police officer, but also as an inventor and golf entrepreneur. His invention is something that he calls the Blysters Ring, an idea that he came up with about two years ago.

For years, Houle has suffered from blisters on his hands from golfing, caused by the friction between his hand and the club grip. Blysters Ring helps to both protect the hand and heal already formed blisters.

“I had a blisters problem, and I was trying everything to get the pain to go away,” said Houle. “Then this one day—you know the rubber finger you have for flipping pages? Well, I was looking at it, and I decided to cut off the tip and slide it on my finger, and that just took care of it. I played with that for the longest time and it just took care of the problem, and my friends started doing it as well.

“I know from playing for a long time and being around the course that people develop blisters a lot when they’re playing. So, I just decided to develop something to take care of that.”

What’s it made of?

Though the modified rubber finger worked for Houle for a while, the material wasn’t quite optimal for his golf game. Its inflexible structure has a habit of inhibiting movement, so he set about a way to protect and prevent blisters with a different material.

“The problem I had with the rubber, though, is that it was so tough and not really flexible, and so I thought about using silicone for the same thing,” he said. “It works perfect and it feels like nothing, you can bend your fingers like you’re not wearing anything.”

The Blysters Ring is composed of high-tensile silicone and is approximately 2.5 centimetres tall and one millimetre thick. The ring comes in small, medium, and large sizes, so it is perfectly suited to all who want to use it, on any finger. The silicone cylinder is designed to slip easily onto your finger and replace band aids, tape or any other device that you may use to help with blisters.

A comfortable feel

“You really need to feel it to understand how it feels and how flexible it is,” said Houle. “It’s just something for say, someone who gets blisters on their finger joint. You just put the ring over top of it, and with three sizes, you can put it on every finger. It’s just like a thin layer of skin covering the surface, and you just put it on just like a regular ring, just slide it on.”

The ring doesn’t interfere with golf gloves, either, and can even work as a replacement for them.

“Some people are even not using the golf glove anymore, they just use the ring,” said Houle. “You can wear it under your glove or wear it on your bare hand, it works both ways.”

Putting the idea forward

Houle came up with the concept for the Blysters Ring several years ago, but he did not put his plan into motion until just this year. Using his days off from his four-on/four-off work schedule, he finally had the time to push the project forward.

“It has sat in my computer for a long time, and I’ve just been working on it on and off, but not really going anywhere with it,” said Houle. “Then with the time that I have, my friend kind of gave me a kick in the butt and said, ‘It’s a great idea and you should start it and see where it goes’.”

Houle took knowledge from his marketing background and experience, and set to work to find a company overseas that would be able to make the exact silicone product that he wanted. Once he found a business that could do so, he applied for a patent in both Canada and the United States, and now has patent pending status in both countries. Once the full patent goes through, it will be good for ten years.

“I’ve done lots of patent research and market research,” said Houle, “and there’s nothing on the market like this, so I think that it’s something really unique.”

Las Vegas PGA Expo

Houle plans on selling the rings in packages of three for just under $10 and will be beginning his first large distribution of the Blysters Ring in September. He is showcasing his invention at the PGA Expo in Las Vegas in August. Before the show he said that he was feeling nervous, but in a good way.

“I don’t have any expectations, but you do want to do well,” he said. “It’s going to have a good element of surprise, because no one has seen anything like this before. I’ve been around to quite a few golf courses, and people just think it’s phenomenal—which is something I honestly thought I would never hear. The people who are playing with it just keep using it and can’t let go, so I think that it’s a really good thing.”