Game Changer: The Most Secure Fit

What does it take to create the world’s best golf shoe? In this blog series, we examine four standout features of SQAIRZ’s performance-boosting footwear, with insights from Jonathan Bacon, Director of Design and Development.

Few people know as much about the humble shoelace as Jonathan Bacon, SQAIRZ’s head designer. A veteran of the footwear industry, he has a keen eye for the details that elevate a brand’s offerings from standard to spectacular. Too often, Jon says, golf shoe designers treat laces as merely a matter of style. “A lot of companies have been going down this fashion-based avenue,” he explains, “and that’s where performance gets neglected.” 

The problem with ordinary

Let’s start with the obvious: most golf shoe laces need to be repeatedly retied during a game, which is more than an inconvenience. As the laces loosen, your foot may begin to slide around inside your shoe. This compromises balance and stability, the foundations on which a swift and powerful golf swing is built. You may also experience increased foot fatigue, as well as hot spots and blisters from the shoes rubbing against your toes, heels, or ankles.

What better laces deliver

A top-notch lacing system gently hugs the shoe to the foot, securing it comfortably in place for eighteen holes and then some. You should be able to enjoy all the benefits of a glove-like fit without tying your laces so tightly that the shoe’s tongue or top edge digs into your flesh. Most importantly, your foot should feel stable inside the shoe—no slipping, no clenching—even on slopes or in wet conditions.

Pro tip: Tighten your laces from your toe to the top of your foot to ensure a foot-hugging fit. If you can slip your foot out of the shoe without untying the laces, they’re too loose. 

Creating the gold standard

Jon’s team had been experimenting with a variety of lacing systems for SQAIRZ shoes when they spotted an opportunity to meld fashion and function. “We’d thought of having dots of silicone along the laces as a graphic element,” Jon says. “When we tried that, we realized the silicone nubs work together to tighten and secure the laces when the shoe is tied.”

The resulting patented Sta-Put lacing system also uses silicone for the shoe’s eyelets—the holes through which you thread the laces. When the silicone touches more silicone, it acts as a bonding agent, locking the laces in place. “Honestly, the first time I tested the system, it worked so well that I put it in a pair of my hiking boots,” Jon recalls. “I love it.”

The ultimate test

After extensive internal testing, SQAIRZ put the laces to the ultimate test: trials with professional golfers on the women’s and men’s tours. “We had great golfers trying them, and they loved them right away,” Jon says. “The pros could see immediately how the laces function and the difference they make.”

Try a pair of SQAIRZ shoes to feel the difference for yourself—and check back to learn how these next-level laces work with another carefully calibrated design feature to create the perfect fit.