Without any internal debate, I’m going to tell you in no uncertain terms that the coolest…the requisite and proverbial game-changing technology of the 2016 PGA Show was found inside the FootJoy booth.
That’s right, the biggest technology…the biggest digital technology story of 2016 might very well come from a shoe company. Although, in the interest of covering all the bases, I should probably mention that FootJoy also makes both gloves and apparel.
Shoes. Gloves. Apparel. If that doesn’t scream DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY, well…I suppose it doesn’t.
Go Get Fitted
You already know you should get fitted for your clubs. Stronger and stronger cases are being made to get fitted for your ball. Now FootJoy is saying you should get fitted for your shoes.
I know what you’re thinking. I know my size, and there’s no way I’m wearing high tops, so we’re good, thanks.
Not so fast. There’s way more to this than most of us have ever imagined.
But before we get to that, let’s start with what, is to me, an absolutely remarkable stat.
70% of golfers are wearing the wrong size shoe
Not long ago FootJoy conducted a shoe fitting research project of sorts. They measured golfers in the US, the UK, and Japan. Approximately 10,000 golfers surveyed (and measured), and the results were consistent across all regions.
70% (Seven-Zero, no misplaced decimal) percent of golfers are wearing the wrong size shoe.
How is that even possible?
Man, you guys are idiots.
Not me, I wear the right size shoes, except the guys at FootJoy busted me wearing a too-narrow shoe, which is perhaps the textbook example that can help to explain how 70% of us end up in ill-fitting footwear.
As you might imagine, a substantial amount of our sizing errors can be traced to wearing shoes with the wrong width. My guess, either golfers aren’t fully aware that they have options when it comes to width, or that because of immediate availability and style preference, some of us are content to get by with close-enough.
The store only stocks regular? I’ve got a tee time in 20 minutes. These will do.
As a quick aside, this should be less of a problem with FootJoy. Their new FREESTYLE, for example, is available in astounding 47 size and width combinations. If you can’t find a FootJoy in your size, you should probably schedule a consult with a foot surgeon.
Me, I know I’m a 9.5 wide, but since wide isn’t always available, I often find myself in a 9.5 regular (especially since shoes just show up on my front porch). 9.5 regular is exactly the size I was wearing when FootJoy pointed out that my shoes don’t fit properly.
What About the Technology?
Buying the right size shoe isn’t exactly technology. Hell, I would probably have argued it’s common sense, but that 70% number looms large. Regardless…let’s say for the sake of this story that you’re actually smart enough to buy the right size.
How do you know which golf shoe is actually right for you?
The conventional wisdom is that you buy what you think looks cool and what feels good on your feet. FootJoy says that’s probably not the best way to do it.
Do any of us actually know anything about golf shoes?
Top Instructor, Footwear Revolutionary
Made curious by what he had observed using force plate technology during his lessons Michael Breed approached FootJoy and suggested there could be something to be gleaned by taking a closer look at how different golfers move within their shoes during the swing.
FootJoy is nothing if not committed to knowing every possible thing there is about golf shoes and so they embarked on another study to find out to what extent shoes matter on an individual basis.
What they found is compelling stuff.
Unstructured, or Mobile shoes as FootJoy calls them, work really well for one-third of golfers. Stable shoes…I guess what many of us would consider a traditional platform, work really well for another third. The final third ride the line and can get by just fine with either.
More importantly to you and me, FootJoy’s testing revealed that quantifiable and significant performance gains can be realized for golfers who switch from the wrong shoe platform to the right one. The company routinely sees driver swing speed gains of up to 3 MPH through no other voodoo than a shoe change. This is true for amateurs and FootJoy’s tour players alike.
Plug-in your own launch and spin numbers, but we’re talking about driver gains that could approach 10 yards. That’s right…upwards of 10 MORE YARDS…just from changing your shoes.
For those readying the just fix your swing argument, the 33/33/33 breakdown holds true on Tour as well. Rather than try and figure out which 2/3s are doing it wrong, we should probably accept that proper shoe fitting is as much about anatomy and DNA as it is the golf swing itself.
How It Works
It only takes 3 swings on top of an iPad-connected BodiTrak Pressure Mapping Sensor (which measures how your feet work with and against the ground and how your weight shifts during your swing) for FootJoy’s fitters to classify your feet and then make the appropriate shoe recommendation.
My footwear mechanics show what FootJoy calls the fishhook pattern. It’s the telltale digital signature of a guy who should be in a mobile shoe.
The new Freestyle and the HyperFlex are among my ideal choices. Sufficed to say that Moby the Frog and I will spend some time getting to know each other this season.
For guys who benefit from Stable shoes, DryJoys and the Icon Black are among your choices.
Coming Soon
FootJoy will be rolling the Performance Fitting System this spring. You’re likely to find it at top FootJoy accounts as well as special fitting events all over the country.
We’re not ready to say that the Performance Fitting System will revolutionize shoe fitting, but given what golfers have historically done in pursuit of more yardage, getting you guys to take 5 minutes out of your day to figure out what type of shoe is ideal for your swing should be an easy sell.
More Information on the Performance Fitting System will be available on the FootJoy Website soon.
Bob Pegram
5 years agoYears ago Sketchers used to custom make sneakers right in each store. They measured your feet and made the shoes while you waited. Apparently some stupid employees burned themselves due to the heat needed for vulcanization of the rubber soles, sued, and the company lawyers then recommended getting rid of that great service.
Too bad they don’t start that with the Sketchers golf shoes – or even just doing the measuring in the store and having the shoes made at the factory for pick up in the store later. With all the computerized equipment in lots of industries there has to be a way for the feet to be measured by a computerized device, the measurements sent to the factory after payment by the customer, and the shoes made by a computer controlled machine. They would then be shipped to the local store for pickup. Sketchers, are you listening?
barry
5 years agoYeah. Why don’t they just use those big grey boxes that looked like cigarette machines where you stepped up, put your feet in, mashed the button, waited for the machine to hum for a bit, and then looked at the screen displaying your foot bones and how they fit in the shoe(s). It was magic then and could certainly help the big box guys today.
Garth L Chapman
5 years agoPhoenix?
Daniela Cote
5 years agoYup. Coming to a city near you…??
Dave S
5 years agoToo damn bad the shoes are so ugly. If Nike had this I’d hop on in a second.
Bob Pegram
5 years agoThe ratio of heel width to ball of the foot width is something most golf shoe manufacturers don’t do well with. It sounds like these shoes do better.
Some people have “duck feet” – way wider in the front than the heel.
I found a pair of Foot-joy 8.5EEE Classics on sale a long time ago (1998). I still use them. They don’t squash my feet like almost all other golf shoes. High end classic designs last a lot longer.
Joe Golfer
5 years agoI agree with you about the differences in heel and toe widths in some makes/models or brands of shoes.
I recall that when Callaway first entered the shoe market, they used the roomier toe area as a selling point. Unfortunately, the heel also was wider, too wide for me. Hope they’ve changed it since, though I haven’t tried on their shoes in a while.
When Nike first started making golf shoes, I found them to be rather narrow throughout the entire shoe, but later they seemed to improve on that.
Footjoy has always worked well for me as far as sizing, and I’ve always liked the lateral stability needed on my left (front) foot as one braces against it on the downswing.
Haven’t tried many of the newer stuff from Adidas, Puma, etc…
David Helter
5 years agoThis is a very interesting article. Not sure I buy into this shoe making a 3 MPH difference in swing speed. Was this an independent study?
Regarding the mobility or stable concept, this is not revolutionary. The running industry has been selling stability, cushioning and minimalist (or mobility) technology for many years. The entire golf industry launched minimalist styles several years ago (like Adidas Adizero and FJ M-Project) and it was only a fleeting trend.
As for 70% of players wearing the wrong size, fitting a shoe is part science, part art and a lot of experience. Therefore it is quite subjective. Go to two different good running specialty stores and you are liable to be fit in two different sizes of the same style. The problem in the golf industry is most golf specialty retailers are equipped with the science and personnel to properly fit clubs but very few have the same resources to properly fit footwear.
Interesting in that footwear is as much “equipment” and as important to the comfort and performance of the game as any club or ball.
While Nordstrom is certainly more of a fit expert than most golf specialty retailers, they don’t have enough selection to equip most serious golfers.
While I applaud FJ’s strive to find new technology, I question their findings and results.
Calvin Rhodes
5 years agoYour comment lost all credibility when you said golf retailers have the personnel to properly fit golf clubs.
Regis
5 years agoI’m old enough to remember being taken to the “shoe store” to be fit for shoes. There were no Malls let alone internet sales so that’s where you went to get shoes-the shoe store. A couple of years ago I tried the FJ M project. Incredible shoe. Changed my way of thinking with respect to golf shoes. If the FJ Performance Fitting System becomes available in my area, you bet I’ll go and I’ll happily pay MSRP (for the first time in 50 years) to get my shoes
Allen
5 years agoDarwin,
Myjoys are available in different sizes for each foot through the Footboy website. My feet are a size apart; I order my left shoe shorter and wider than the right.
If you go through the Myjoy process, on the page for entering shoe size, there is a box on the screen to check if your feet are different sizes. You can then enter a size for each foot.
Andrew
5 years agoThis is totally an extention of what I tell people who say they don’t want to buy golf shoes just “a few rounds a month”…
leo
5 years agoHi. I’ve seen this improvement in swing speed occur regularly over the years by either teaching the player to stabilise their feet correctly in the set or by using the correct insole / orthotic. If a golfer can’t maintain stability in their trail leg they cannot pivot correctly through their back swing or transfer weight on to their lead leg pre – impact. This can be seen using the TruBalance insoles from TruGolf or a force plate. Its a great idea and one that was a long time coming I think
Curt Poe
5 years agoThis is why I wear tennis shoes when the weather permits.
Darwin
5 years agoThis all great but this doesn’t help that my left foot is a size and a half larger than my right foot. Thank goodness for Nordstrom even with the limited golf shoe offering.
Jacob
5 years agomyjoys offers ordering different sizes
Joe Golfer
5 years agoDarwin:
The Footjoy website lets you order shoes in different sizes/widths for each foot.
It is their MyJoys section.
You can choose any style, any color combination you want from those available.
But you won’t get any sale prices.
That said, I seriously doubt you’d be paying more than you would for shoes from Nordstroms.
Steve
5 years agoWow, never saw this coming. It does make sense that a proper base to your swing is important. But I wonder what the mean/mid-point is for the gains in MPH. “up to 3MPH” says that the midpoint is somewhere around 1.5 MPH which is 5 yards and for my swing that means almost nothing since my inconsistency hitting the middle of the club face has more to do with my driver results than swing speed. All that said it is still pretty cool they were able to map that.
I often wondered if I played barefoot if I’d do better. I haven’t had the guts to try it on the course or the range. As kids we used to do everything barefoot. Bottoms of my feet were tough. Not so much now.
Uhit
5 years agoI’m looking forward of trying the new freestyle shoe,
because my experiments with barefoot (golf) shoes from VivoBareFoot,
were very promising…
…not only because of the very high flexibility, but also because of the foot being much closer to the ground than with normal golf shoes…
…which helped to increase my stability and confidence, during my swing, considerably.
Tyler
5 years agoSo I played a round barefoot at a course called Old Works in Ananconda Montana, great course. I was surprised at how fun it was. I thought I would be slipping everywhere but I felt very secure. I wouldn’t hesitate to play barefoot again. The only thing that I was told by a club fitter is that playing barefoot flattens out your swing as you are lower to the ground but I can’t imagine it make that much of a difference.