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FIELDREPORT


Starting on the right foot


December 2014 marks the end of Skechers’ first foray into golf footwear. UK and Ireland MD Peter Youell explains why the brand has gone into golf, how the first year has gone, and reveals what we can expect from the brand in 2015


routinely weighed in at 32oz, or 2lb… and that was if it hadn’t been raining. A Skechers GoBionic golf shoe, in contrast, is under 11oz. Lightness – along with stability, style


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and affordability – is at the core of the brand’s golf shoe proposition. The three shoes they launched in February – GOgolf Drive, GOgolf and GObionic – all weigh about the same as half-a- dozen golf balls, yet manage to add support and traction to the brand’s distinctive styling. Priced at £79, £89 and £99, the trio have avoided head- on competition with both high-volume and high-end rivals. A 2015 prebook that has already doubled this year’s – plus the opening of 125 UK and Ireland accounts – suggests they’ve nailed their product, and its positioning. But then Skechers are not exactly rookies. They’ve have been making shoes since 1991. Originating from just south of Los Angeles, they arrived in the UK in the mid 90s, retailing footwear originally through distributorships before a UK subsidiary was founded in 1999. Focusing on lifestyle and family cues, and developing comfortable, striking shoes for casual living, the brand steadily built its global presence. Today it is the second biggest footwear retailer in the US, and has more than 1,000 stores worldwide. The brand’s decision to get into golf is rooted in the performance


division it launched a little under four years ago. “Originally it focused on running shoes,” says Peter Youell, MD of Skechers in the UK and Ireland. “The division became very successful very quickly, winning multiple awards.


hile we marvel at the skill of Hogan and his cronies wielding butterknife blades and minuscule drivers, spare a thought for their endurance. The solid old leather brogues they favoured


“We realised there were thousands of golfers already in our shoes – as


spectators at golf events – and we were also getting enquiries about whether we were going to make golf shoes. Ultimately, it was the logical next step.” The brand’s first golf shoes share the values of those successful running shoes – light, sure-footed comfort, offered with value and in eye-catching styles – but they also obey the Skechers mandate of encouraging your foot to work naturally. “Before shoes, people would run on their midfoot, but big, cushioned soles have encouraged heel-strike,” Youell adds. “This is not so good for your hips, knees and ankles; a more midfoot strike pattern reduces joint strain and injury, but it seems it might also increase speed and performance. Long-distance runner Meb Keflezighi, who is basically our face of running in the States, keeps running personal bests aged 39 and won the Boston Marathon this year.” Youell concedes the crossover between running and golf may not be


apparent, but insists there is common ground. “The lightweight comfort and support is a common theme in our golf and running product, and so too is that flatter footbed. In golf, balance and traction are improved by having your feet in a more spread, natural position, and lower to the ground. Along with the sole units we have created, our designs will help the golfer’s feet grip the turf, as well as reducing joint issues through walking more naturally over the four miles of the course.” Indeed the youthful GObionic is the only one of Skechers’ original three


golf shoes designed with the heel lower than the forefoot, and only then by 4mm. For the more traditional GOgolf and classic GOdrive there is no heel drop at all. All three aim to further boost stability through the presence of ‘Impulse sensors’ – another technology borrowed from running. On the sole, but made from a different density material to the molded spikes, these are designed to give instant feedback on the footbed conditions, and help the golfer adapt their stance or balance.


26 SGBGOLF


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