Behind the HYPE: How FootJoy Became the Leader in Golf Footwear

With roots that date back to the 1800’s, FootJoy is an iconic American golf footwear brand that has dominated the space through a singular focus on golf and golf footwear innovation. FootJoy constantly delivers high-quality performance and golf-specific innovation with each model and their shoes have been worn at one point by virtually all of the best golfers throughout history, like Tiger, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, as well as contemporaries like Justin Thomas, Adam Scott and Ian Poulter. In fact, FootJoy shoes have been the most worn golf shoes at every PGA Tour tournament for 75 consecutive years. By balancing cutting edge functional development with quality design, FootJoy has become extremely popular with golf enthusiasts and pros — and will likely continue to do so for years to come. To give insight on why FootJoy’s signature golf shoe has been chosen by top players, the latest episode of Behind the HYPE unpacks what makes its footwear a consistent favorite.

The origins of FootJoy date back to 1857, when Frederick Packard founded the brand in Massachusettes and was making boots for Union soldiers during the Civil War. A partnership with an avid golfer named Perley Flint led to an expansion into golf footwear and the brand’s reputation for high-quality performance shoes grew rapidly. They developed their first golf shoe in 1910 and by 1927, FootJoy became the official shoe for the U.S. Ryder Cup team led by Walter Hagen. In 1945, FootJoy began its long, unbroken streak as the #1 Shoe on the PGA Tour.

FootJoy has introduced some of the most successful shoe franchises of all time with its Classics, DryJoys, Contour, DNA and current ProSL lines and continues to grow its presence in golf by adding additional wearable categories to its line of products. In 1979, FootJoy launched golf gloves with the iconic StaSof glove. Inspired by its shoes, FootJoy also created a line of DryJoys Performance rainwear in 1997. Now, FootJoy stocks a full lineup of golf apparel to both casual and professional players. This includes a line of women’s performance wear called GolfLeisure that is inspired by the incredibly popular athleisure trend.

Unlike big-brand competitors that manufacture shoes for a range of athletic activities, FootJoy has a singular focus on the game of golf. While the brand’s products are regularly among the top-rated golf footwear, all-time favorites include models like the Flex, Pro SL and Tour-X. With the ProSL, FootJoy became the first brand to introduce performance spikeless shoes which became best sellers for several years. As a brand of many firsts, FootJoy also introduced soft spikes to the golf shoe game which added comfort and durability compared to the metal spikes that were used before. Other notable innovations include the first customization of golf footwear with its MyJoys model and placing a shoelace alternative on a golf shoe with the BOA Fit System.

In 2021, FootJoy will continue to push its footwear category even further with the debut of its HyperFlex and Premiere Series models. The HyperFlex is the latest offering in its successful FLEX series line, which introduces a technical mesh finish for a contemporary and practical flair. To pay tribute to the classic golf silhouette, the Premiere Series includes three different timeless shoe designs, named after key figures from FootJoy’s history: The Packard, The Flint and The Tarlow. These shoes are laden with modern in features that complement the classic style. Tested with the best golfers in the world, the Premiere Series will be worn by more professional golfers than any other golf shoe in 2021. They’ll be available in both cleated and spikeless options, as well as full customization through the MyJoys program.

FootJoy’s designs span every aesthetic preference from modern to classic to a sleek athletic silhouette while keeping performance front-and-center. As the golf market continues to grow, the timeless, technical design from FootJoy continues to stay at the front of the pack.