01 Jul 2023

The Story Of Golf’s Longest Running Brand

The most dominant shoe brand in golf is FootJoy, and this year the company celebrates 100 years of innovation, growth and success. No small feat considering what the world has gone through in the last century – 20 recessions, one depression, two world wars and one global pandemic – among many other cultural, political and financial obstacles. Of the countless companies and brands that have come and gone, few have not just endured and participated, but led the way.

It was in 1857 when a talented young man named Fredrick Packard decided to break away from his father’s boot workshop to chase his own dreams with the Burt and Packard Shoe Company in Brockton, Massachusetts, then the shoemaking capital of the world. Business took off and they became known for quality performance shoes.

A turning point came in 1910 when a young, Harvard graduate joined Packard. Perley Flint loved golf and tinkering with new golf specific designs – from shoe shapes that were lighter in weight, to spike patterns. The company, now Field and Flint, was well established and had a reputation as an innovator of high quality golf shoes, yet struggled with marketing.

 

Shoe or feature names such as “Korrect Shape,” “Anatomik,” BurroJap,” “Burtine,” and “Skreemer” left much to be desired. So in 1923, the Field & Flint Company conducted a naming contest among employees for an upcoming line of shoes. A woman in the stitching room took the enormous $50 prize for the winning name of “FootJoy”. The brand has never looked back since. With more than 8,000 wins worldwide and No. 1 for 77 years straight since the PGA Tour’s first golf shoe count in 1945, FootJoy has grown to become more than just being synonymous with golf shoes, with a full and extensive range of high performance golfwear that clothe professionals to amateurs from
head to toe.

FOOTJOY’S FIRST 100 YEARS

1923: FootJoy is born when a stitching
room employee wins a naming contest.

1925: “FootJoy Features” first introduced. Eventually shortened to
just FootJoy, the tagline “A Shoe that’s
Different” was added.

1927: FootJoy is chosen as the official
shoe of the first US Ryder Cup team
captained by Walter Hagen.

1928: Notches the first of 8000 Tour wins
when Johnny Farrell defeated Bobby Jones
in a 36 hole playoff at the U.S. Open.

1945: FootJoy becomes the #1 shoe
on the PGA Tour and remains so for 77
consecutive years.

1957: Brothers Bill and Dick Tarlow buy
the brand and decide to focus exclusively
on golf.

1979: Enters the glove business with the
launch of the FJ PowerStrap Golf Glove.

1980: Beginning a long-standing
relationship with Pittards of England,
FootJoy develops a water repellent
cabretta leather glove.

1981: The Sta-Sof glove launches
with exclusive tannage from Pittards of
England. FootJoy socks also enter the
market.

1983: StaSof becomes the top-selling
glove. 40 years on, it remains the Tour’s
top cabretta leather glove with nearly 300
million sold.

1989: DryJoys golf shoes set the standard
for waterproof shoe technology.

1997: DryJoys Performance Outerwear
becomes the top performing rain gear in
golf. In alliance with SoftSpikes, FootJoy
is the first to introduce soft spikes in
their shoes.

2003: MyJoys debuts the first
customisable golf shoes with unique
leather and personalisation options.

2006: ReelFit golf shoe features the BOA
Lacing System for the first time. Shoes can
be securely fastened by simply turning a
dial, disposing of traditional laces.

2008: Premium Pure Touch Limited glove
releases and is rapidly adopted by elite
players.

2009: Top-of-the-line FJ Icon shoe
debuts using luxurious and exquisite
calfskin leathers.

2012: FootJoy releases a full-line of
men’s apparel and signs Steve Stricker
as ambassador. The Contour Casual
launches and quickly becomes the #1
selling spikeless golf shoe.

2014: Sharply modern and technologically
advanced, the D.N.A. (DryJoys Next
Advancement) shoe focuses on
progressive design and innovation.

2016: Following the success of the
men’s apparel line, FootJoy expands
into women’s performance apparel with
FJ Golfleisure.

2017: The ProSL redefines spikeless
shoes to become the most popular shoe in
the industry.

2018: The FJ 1857 shoe line celebrates
FootJoy’s history and heritage with
luxury performance shoes hand crafted
to be the finest.

2021: The Premiere Series launches as
a “modern classic”, instantly becoming
the #1 shoe on Tour as Justin Thomas,
Max Homa, Will Zalatoris, Adam Scott
and others switch to the shoe without
hesitation.

2023: FootJoy celebrates its centenary.