PAYNTR golf shoes?
Never heard of them? Neither had we until a few weeks ago.
They are the brainchild of a former British professional cricketer and an American footwear expert who has worked with some of the most notable players in the game. The PAYNTR X 001F Golf Shoes pack a technological punch and bring a technology that could make these the “fastest” shoes in the sport.
TRANSATLANTIC START
Even as an Englishman, I don’t really understand cricket. You wear a lot of white, you whack a red ball around a field, you stop for tea and sandwiches midway through the afternoon and you get to down a dozen pints after the game. It’s kind of like baseball without the hotdogs but it’s played over five days. Whatever. Cricket is where PAYNTR started.
David Paynter is a former professional cricketer who was frustrated by the dearth of quality footwear. He started modifying sneakers and adding spikes to existing footwear. Other players wanted him to modify their shoes. Eventually, he created his own shoes and launched PAYNTR in 2017.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Mike Forsey had spent 30 years in the golf industry designing performance footwear. Working for some of the biggest brands including FootJoy, NIKE and, more recently, Under Armour, Forsey also worked with some iconic players including Greg Norman, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods. The two got together through LinkedIn. These guys know footwear and golf.
PAYNTR see themselves as the ultimate performance brand in golf footwear, targeting what they term the ‘passionate’ golfer; golfers who play eight or more times per year. According to their data those golfers make up 56 percent of the golfing population but a formidable 94 percent of rounds played and 94 percent of the overall spend.
PAYNTR is embracing a technological leap that they believe has been truly game-changing with the PAYNTR X 001F Golf Shoes. NIKE made headlines with their Vaporfly NEXT% long-distance running shoes which helped Eliud Kipchoge run a marathon in less than two hours. An internal carbon-fiber plate helps the runner get back more of the energy from each stride. Now all the major running brands offer a carbon-fiber model. PAYNTR applied this proven tech to the golf shoe. It’s an integral part of their “Performance Multiplied” philosophy.
3D TRACTION
Golf courses are still closed on my side of the pond but I have given these a “lockdown waddle” around the house. They are comfy. PAYNTR have focused on traction as their calling card. Or, as they call it, “3D Traction.”
These details on the PAYNTR X 001F Golf Shoes are from their marketing materials:
Rotational Dimension — a lightweight, supportive “Thermoplastic Urethane” (TPU) Outsole — designed with traction nubs in the medial forefoot and lateral heel to prevent rotational slippage.
Horizontal Dimension — the Dual Durometer Midsole — supports the horizontal weight shift with its firmer Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA) in the lateral heel and medial forefoot to enhance flexibility and keep the foot on the ground as long as possible. There is a softer EVA in the lateral and medial heel.
Vertical Dimension — a responsive Graphite Power Plate/Midsole Cavity provides a responsive energy return that allows golfers to harness ground reaction forces during the golf swing.
WHAT DOES ALL THAT JARGON MEAN?
“Every part of the outsole and midsole has been designed to enhance traction and, in turn, help you generate more power in the golf swing,” says Forsey. “The outsole has been designed for maximum traction with different traction nubs used in different areas to maximize that. We’ve also got flex grooves in the right places to allow your feet to move as required during the swing.”
The midsole has four distinct areas: two grey, two white. “The grey area is firmer and offers more support as you load up throughout the swing,” says Forsey. “The white areas are softer and enhance comfort when walking. And the separate materials are on a diagonal because that’s how the weight shifts throughout the swing and where your foot needs the most support.”
The graphite power plate is where we think the real potential of this shoe is to stand out from the pack.
“In running, they talk about the transition: the transition from step to step and how a carbon plate makes the runner faster because of this added propulsion,” says Forsey. “In golf, it’s more about harnessing ground reaction forces so that energy can move up through the leg of the golfer.” Importantly it adds visual technology to the shoe, and golfers love to see what they are buying into.
That just leaves the upper. “It’s actually a textile base with a microfiber skin on top of it. You get the flexibility and the lightweight characteristics of a textile and you get the permeability of a microfiber. But both materials are fully breathable. The black colorway is a technical jacquard. When the shoe is assembled we then coat them in a superhydrobic coating called NeverWet.” It’s environmentally friendly and water-based, it’s amazing and will be good for the life of the shoe, “ explained Forsey.
The PAYNTR X 001F Golf Shoes are available online direct to consumer.
“The shoes should have been available a bit earlier but, like everything else, COVID has got in the way,” says Forsey. “That’s why we’re launching direct-to-the-consumer to start with. We’re currently signing deals to get the shoes into off-course retailers second half of this year and distribution deals are being signed worldwide as we speak. There will be a spiked model and women’s, too.”
Are you intrigued enough to choose a shoe for its performance compared to how it looks? Do you think carbon fiber will help you swing the club faster?
PAYNTR X 001F Golf Shoes OPTIONS, PRICE, AND AVAILABILTY
Available in three colors, white, cool grey and anthracite black, the PAYNTR X 001 F are available at www.payntrgolf.com and www.payntrgolf.eu at US $160 and £120, respectively.
Paynter Golf Shoes
$160
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