FootJoy, the #1 Shoe in Golf, has reached the final stage of its rigorous performance development process: TOUR Validation.
The world’s best players are now being fit into FootJoy’s next-generation Tour-performance footwear - two completely reimagined models: the reinvented Pro/SL and the fully updated Premiere Series.
“When I think about the essence of who FootJoy is - we are innovators. Our sole focus is to bring performance innovation to the game of golf.” - Chris Lindner, President of FootJoy.
Transitioning Tour players into new models is the ultimate proof point that FootJoy’s product development teams have achieved their goal: creating footwear that meets the demands of the game’s most demanding athletes while exceeding expectations for golfers everywhere.
Getting To This Point
The Footwear Development journey begins years before these final prototypes are shown to Tour Players. The process is built from two foundational perspectives to inform the design process:
Data-Informed Design - Decades of proprietary research fuel innovation inside the FJ Performance Lab, where advanced testing protocols are applied to mechanical, biomechanical and psychophysical research areas to inform the basis for design.
Direct Player Feedback – FootJoy’s Tour Leadership team maintains constant communication with players worldwide to understand their evolving performance needs around traction, stability, ground interaction, comfort, and fit.
Combining the ever-changing needs of the world’s best players with data-informed technology innovation positions FootJoy to deliver the best product.
The Tour Feedback Process
The initial round of prototypes first reached Tour Players at the 2024 PGA Tour Playoffs at East Lake Golf Club. Sahith Theegala (Pro/SL) and Adam Scott (Premiere Series) tested early prototypes with James “Bubba” Kroeger, Sr. Manager Sports Marketing, seeking initial feedback and insights to bring back to the team in Brockton, MA.
That would be the first of four major product checkpoints between the FootJoy Leadership teams and Tour Players:
Aug 2024 – TOUR Championship, Atlanta, GA. Round 1 prototypes tested by Sahith Theegala & Adam Scott
“It’s the perfect shoe for me, you really listened to my feedback” – Sahith Theegala (Pro/SL)
January 2025: Sentry Tournament of Champions. Kapalua, HI. Will Zalatoris and Keith Mitchell test prototype Premiere Series in practice rounds
“The performance is a 12 out of 10. I feel like I’m at a competitive disadvantage if I’m not wearing these.” - Will Zalatoris (Premiere Series)
Inside The FJ Performance Lab
“Research, design, and development have always been part of our DNA, but opening the FJ Performance Lab gives us day-to-day access to cutting-edge research and direct connectivity with Tour players - right in our own backyard.” — Chris Tobias.
Footwear innovation at FootJoy begins long before a product reaches the turf. The FJ Performance Lab, officially established in 2020, formalised decades of advanced research and engineering into a dedicated space for performance-driven design. Located at the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) in Oceanside, CA and the Titleist Performance Centre at Manchester Lane (TPC), just minutes from FootJoy’s design headquarters, the FJ Performance Lab enables continuous testing across specialised golfspecific machines, multiple turf types, and varied soil compositions.
What Happens Inside The Lab
- Continuous mechanical, biomechanical, and psychophysical testing at TPI and Manchester Lane
- Proprietary testing protocols evaluating every model, capturing 500,000+ data points per shoe
- Annual collection of 20+ million data points across nine performance metrics
- Multiple testing phases during development, often building on technologies researched for 5+ years
- Extensive fit and wear testing with a panel of 1,000+ golfers of varying skill levels and profiles
- Wear tests include 26 measurement criteria, with shoes analysed after 12–20+ rounds
From The Tour To Dedicated Golfers Everywhere
The new Premiere Series sets the standard for Tour performance footwear, enhancing comfort and traction while maintaining the stability and fit preferred by the world’s best players.
The iconic Pro/SL, celebrating its 10th anniversary, has been completely reinvented - 30% lighter, with improved comfort, an all-new traction pattern, and new athletic fit.
Following successful Tour adoption, FootJoy will introduce these models to golfers worldwide. Stay tuned for more details.
