“I Got the Need…The Need For (SQAIRZ) Speed… Golf Shoes“
The Set-Up
“Talk to me Goose”.
With the subtitle being what it is, I just couldn’t help myself. A blatant reference to “Top Gun” which by the way my older sister Susan just watched for the first time. So, now that I got the cheesy “Top Gun” reference out of my system I can now commence with this article.
Before continuing, I’d be remiss if I failed to thank the CEO and Founder of SQAIRZ Golf (Robert Winskowicz) for giving me the opportunity to test golf shoes from this New England-based golf footwear brand. SQAIRZ Golf shoes are the brainchild of golf industry veteran Robert (Bob) Winskowicz. Bob was the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Arnold Palmer Golf Company. Also on his resume, Bob held an executive leadership position at MacGregor Golf.
Due to tight travel restrictions and a case of COVID-19 last winter, I was unable to attend the 2022 PGA Merchandise Show which welcomed back in-person attendance. I really had planned on visiting the SQAIRZ Golf booth down in Orlando. It would be a chance to see first hand what the deal was with these golf shoes. You know, the ones we’ve seen and heard about so often on television and the internet. Seriously?! Sir Nick (Faldo). You mean to tell me that a square-toed golf shoe can give me an extra club worth of distance. Heck! Sign me up.
Visiting the show wasn’t meant to be but through the wizardry of modern technology and the “interwebs” I was able to meet Mr. Winskowicz (Bob) virtually through Zoom, where ultimately a podcast with him was recorded (see below) and a testing opportunity arose.
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to test golf footwear from a variety of brands and even though I know that a lot of research goes into designing a golf shoe, I truly had no idea what it took until talking to Mr. Winskowicz. The amount of time dedicated to research and technology that Bob and the R&D team at SQAIRZ Golf has invested in is truly mind-boggling, to say the least. But, if you want to do something right, it takes time, perseverance, and hard work.
Whether its sourcing out the right leathers, investigating the profiles of thousands of different feet, figuring out an innovative spike pattern that will make a difference for golfers, and of course how wide to design the upper all of this takes time and careful consideration. Even something as small as the shoe laces.
