How FootJoy’s superbly crafted shoes influenced my life

An Informative & Nostalgic Letter written in April 2025 to two executives at Acushnet (USA) – A leading golf corporation which includes FootJoy Shoes.

RE: FootJoy & I

I recall the very first pair of FootJoy golf shoes my late father bought for me in July 1976. This wasn’t my first interaction with the brand that I had always associated with quality and tradition. I had been ogling my father’s FJ’s ever since I started swinging a golf club, in the late sixties. The stunning FootJoy collection adverts in Golf Digest were the primary reason for my willingness to collect the post. I recall my father had purchased a pair of 80341 Deep Tan Calf US13D (with Kiltie), a magnificent Oxford Wingtip, with traditional Irish broguing. He only shared these shoes with me, after many rounds of wear and my continued shoe maintenance task of spit and polish. This may seem unimportant to most young golfers, however we were both besotted with the game and marvelled at the equipment and the footwear. Our common anatomical heritage (big feet), meant that quality golf shoes in the appropriate sizes, just weren’t available locally (in South Africa). Fortunately, we had an equally super-keen golfer (my uncle Steve Barnat) on Long Island, who popped into his local Proshop at Charter Oaks CC, ordered the shoes on my dad’s behalf, waited a few weeks for delivery and sent them with my aunt on her biennial visit to SA. I distinctly recall the day Aunt June arrived, when we opened the box and peeled back the printed waxed wrapping and tissue paper. We removed a half pair from the velvet shoe-bag, gasping and staring at the Charles Goodyear (Jnr) welted golf shoe, in all its glory.

An AI modification of the 1970s FJ brown Oxford Wingtip + Kiltie

My father had instilled a passion for feet and footwear in me from an early age. Little did I know this desire would dominate most of my adult life. Whilst, I have a number of interesting narratives about my experiences in athletic, formal, medical and outdoor footwear…FootJoy golf shoes remains the key to my time spent in the footwear business. I eventually received my own pair of FJs (Corfam uppers on a Thermo Rubber outsole), a burgundy Oxford Shield Tip US13E (style number escapes me), on a family trip to New York (1976). We purchased the shoes from Herman’s on 42nd Street. The shoes shone brilliantly, cleaned up with the swipe of a damp cloth, were reasonably light and fitted like a bespoke pair. For an adolescent golfer, they were more than ideal, these shoes were perfect.

An AI generated version of my first FJ Golf Shoe 1976

The early to middle eighties was a time when the price difference in golf footwear categories was significant. The traditional welted footwear was dominated by FJ, appealing to a select group of golfers and formal footwear connoisseurs. It was however limited to those who could afford R169.00 ($149.00). There was almost parity between the US Dollar and the SA Rand back then (nowadays it’s around R20.00 to $1.00). The next option was to purchase an entry level product from Adidas, Puma, Tretorn, Stubert and a few other local brands like Medicus & Hang Ten, at R29.00 to R59.00 ($25.00 - $50.00). As luck would have it, I was a salesperson when the first FootJoy SoftJoys were delivered to our store. These were light, cushioned and reasonably stable. The SoftJoys quickly filled and dominated the intermediate category, which was sorely needed (R89.00 to R109.00 or $79 to $99.00). FootJoy had always dominated the premium golf shoe category and very soon captured the “meat and potatoes” of the golf shoe business, via the SoftJoys innovation.

Entry Level Puma Cat Rubber Soled Multi-Sport Shoes (86/87)

On the instruction of my golf retail mentor Rhys Hughes (Second Senior partner at The Proshop), I started recording the quantities, styles, sizes, widths and contact information of the clients to whom I had sold golf shoes. He said it was vital to build a detailed client database. These stats gave me the ideal opportunity to keep for future sales opportunities and to build long-term client relationships. A gentleman named Tom Nachman, (VP International at FootJoy, if I recall correctly), visited South Africa in 1985. He was introduced to the sales staff by Kenneth Wolpert and then proceeded to give an fascinating talk about the company and of course the famous footwear. He asked if he could use an electric saw in our workshop, which he duly did by splitting a new pair of 51409s longitudinally (from tip to heel), held fast in shaft cutting vice.

We all stood wide eyed and amazed as he carefully described each layer in detail from the uppers, linings, midsole and outsole materials to the spike gasket configuration. He then measured the entire sales team with a Brannock Device and allowed each member to order their preferred shoe from the catalogue (excluding Lizard and Alligator options). I was hooked and ordered a pair of white teaching shoes, which served me well for years.

AI generated Image of the Cross-Section of a Welted Golf Shoe

Whilst the following figures are unconfirmed, I have conservatively calculated my personal FootJoy sales, using the following criteria: for the period 1984 to 1989.
• Number of trading days per year - 1984 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8/ 9 – averaged at 261 weekdays + 52 Saturdays per annum = 313 days. Less annual leave days of 18 days = 295 working days
• Average number of pairs sold / day - My conservative personal sales estimates were an average of 2 pairs per day = 590 pairs per annum. In addition to these retail sales, I serviced a number of wholesale clients who would easily have trebled this number (1800 pairs / annum). FootJoy were at least 70% of the sales, which left me with an average of 1500 pairs of FootJoy shoes sold per annum, over a six-year period.
Thus, my total personal estimated FootJoy sales were approximately nine thousand pairs, which in US terms would be considered a drop in the ocean, however its relatively significant for an individual, trading in a country of 150 000 registered golfers.
During my time at The Proshop, I invested in the business and was welcomed as a junior partner in 1986, which led to my promotion to a larger sporting goods conglomerate in the years that followed. My golfing connections and associations included well-known players like Bobby Locke, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Nick Price, Simon Hobday, Dale Hayes, Harold Henning, Ernie Els, Frank Nobilo, Retief Goosen, Charl Swartzel, Trevor Immelman amongst a large group of tour / club professionals and leading amateurs.

South Africa was a discriminatory & prohibitive country in every aspect of race and integration. Golf was no different to any other sport, where black players weren’t allowed to mix or play with white golfers. Perhaps my liberal upbringing and gregarious nature played a part in my ability to engage with golfers of all races and religions. I became known as a golf businessman who connected with black, coloured and Indian golfers. Internationally their names were not as well recognised, yet they all played a significant role in the unification of the sport in the years that followed. Jerry Dlepu, Richard Mogoerane, Vincent Tshabalala, Solly Sepeng, Gabriel Putsoe, Norman Mashaba, Mervyn Galant, Moses Molefe & Daddy Naidoo were some of my friends who were instrumental in the integration process. Most of these golfers were FootJoy players for most or part of their careers. I was fast becoming a recognised golf shoe specialist. Little did I know that it was the beginning of a career, dedicated to the relationship between feet and footwear.

Northern Transvaal Amateur Team 1988 (in picture with Ernie Els).

In 1989, Sol Kerzner (legendary businessman and entrepreneur) formed a large leisure & sporting goods conglomerate, namely “Interleisure”, a listed company on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. We sold our businesses for very little as we were assured of amazing returns on our newly acquired Interleisure shares. I was promoted from The Proshop and asked to join Intersport “A division of Interleisure,” as Sales Director for Spalding, Ben Hogan, Etonic, Ray Cook, Head, New balance and number of other smaller brands. The then distributors for FootJoy (Opal Sports), were also part of the conglomerate. Although we were considered direct opposition, my successful association with Etonic was as a direct result of my experience with FootJoy.
In hindsight, we all should have known that large corporations that include businesses that were previously fierce competitors, just wouldn’t work. Intersport began to crumble.

In 1991, I was fortunate to secure The Ben Hogan Golf Co, Etonic (Golf & Athletic) footwear & Ray Cook Golf Co for my newly established distribution business “Pabica Sport & Leisure. For the next 11 years my partner George Papageorgiou and I were responsible for Etonic rising to the No1. selling golf shoe in the Southern Africa, maxing out at wholesale sales of 35 000 pairs / annum in 2000. This was estimated to be over sixty percent of the local market sales, which was a fair whack in anyone’s books. My passion for quality golf shoes gave me the will to learn more, thus I took every opportunity to improve my knowledge of footwear, from Cow to Shoe to Customer. I was fortunate to have had an excellent teacher (my late father Rupert Kushlick – An Internationally recognised & revered Orthopaedic Surgeon who specialised in feet, knees, hips and upper limbs). He tutored me in anatomy, biomechanics and common conditions of the foot, ankle and related physiology.

Tibial Foot-Ankle Arthrodesis (Fusion)

The Proshop had given me the ideal retail experience, and I had begun to understand sourcing, imports, procurement, manufacture, distribution and wholesale. FootJoy, had appointed a new distributor in Shelford Golf, which later progressed to a wholly owned subsidiary of Acushnet. Whilst FootJoy had a premium waterproof product in “DryJoys” category, Etonic had “The Difference”, similarly positioned, with more advanced stability, traction and cleat technology. Acushnet (UK) were acutely aware that their Southern African subsidiary had been met with stiff, resilient & passionate opposition. In addition, Etonic had an extraordinarily strong athletic footwear offering, which we leveraged, resulting in the successful sponsorship of Charly Doll (Comrades Marathon Winner 93). Annual estimated sales of 18 000 pairs of technical athletic trainers, were excellent numbers when competing directly with the Big Five (Nike, Asics, Adidas, Puma & New Balance).

The Etonic Difference (First Tour Spec Soft-Spiked Golf Shoe)

Etonic Quasar (First Trainer with an intrinsic Carbon Fibre Dynamic Reaction Plate)

Ken Riches F.B.S.I. lecturing at the Boot and Shoe department of the Northampton Technical College in the sixties.

Ecco World Class Classic Golf Shoesrn(Premium Leather Waterproof Uppers, Direct Injection PU Midsole & PU Outsole with Cleats)

Fortunately, I was quickly identified by The Proshop management team (headed up by Darryl Egdes – longstanding friend & partner in the business) and was contracted for two years to oversee footwear selection, training and sales. This was a time when FootJoy had foreseen the need to cement their place as leaders in technology, quality and innovation. The result was the introduction of FootJoy MyJoys, a window to the world of golf shoe customisation and a leap ahead of the ever-growing giants of the footwear industry (Nike, Adidas & Puma). MyJoys were my forte and very soon the special orders were rolling in to Acushnet SA. Between my oversight tasks, training and review duties, I served customers for 2 hours / day. The 160 pairs of MyJoys were in addition to the five hundred pairs of regular FootJoy shoes I sold in my two-year stint at The Proshop (2009-2011). The wholesale FootJoy purchases for which I was responsible from a selection aspect, amounted to an estimated 8 000 pairs over the same period. My contract ended and it was an opportune time to move on.

On the first of January 2012, my long-term goal of opening a custom fitting footwear facility was born. The business was located in a high-end super-duper showroom. Although the running costs were high, so was the turnover and the margins were more than acceptable. Unique Feet was a rare combination of the finest footwear for retail consumer, an efficient wholesale / distribution business and an educational facility. All three aspects were an integral part of the success of the concept. FootJoy shoes, gloves and apparel, made up the bulk of the golf footwear offering. I reintroduced Allen Edmonds to the local market, as a premium welted footwear brand, which also provided a fully customisable service. In addition to this, specialty brands like Apex, Revere, Blundstone, UGG, Hunter, R.M. Williams, Vionic, New Balance and others were introduced to cater for every foot type, condition and desire. An unbreakable relationship was established with a Cape Town based repair and restoration facility (Durasole), whose expertise ranks with any that I have encountered internationally. In addition to this, a collaborative relationship developed between Dipak Parbhoo (of Durasole) and myself, such that we worked in tandem, to ensure patients referred to me, received the best workable solutions https://youtube.com/shorts/6Uu8ZLKgKCw . A young Italian shoemaker was flown in biannually to measure and produce bespoke shoes for prospective clients, all of which required my expertise to ensure a ninety nine percent fit success rate.

Stage by Stage Foot Assessment & Boot Modification

Between 2012 and 2023, Unique Feet ordered 676 pairs of MyJoys from Acushnet SA, which excludes numerous catalogue models and other accessories like Pure Touch Gloves, FJ Hosiery, Duffel Bags and more. Needless to say, the relationship was excellent. In addition, I offered Acushnet free repairs and restoration to shoes that fell outside of the warrantee window. This included fitting and modifying new Boa systems to older models which had either perished or were no long compatible; increasing and decreasing shoe widths / volumes; repairing linings and other modifications for shoes that didn’t quite fit their customers or staff.

FootJoy MyJoys Premiere (Shield-Tip) Red patent / White Smooth / Navy Patent

On the 5th of July 2018, six-armed men entered my showroom at 10h00. We had just completed a foot-shoe assessment on a client, when the heist took place. Regrettably, this isn’t an uncommon occurrence in South Africa, as we learnt that premium footwear has excellent resale value on the illegal market. We were bound with cable-ties (hand and foot) … and were assured we’d be shot if any of us pressed an alarm or panic button. The nett result was major post-traumatic effects on our staff, our customer and me. The physical losses were significant, in that it became clear that pseudo-clients had previously cased out the store, thus ensuring the most valuable inventory was easily located and taken by the perpetrators. There were a few pairs of MyJoys in the loss, however two hundred pairs of Allen Edmonds shoes, a considerable number of Crocodile Belts, Wallets, Duffel Bags and Italian loafers, made up most of the value. Not knowing that specific insurance cover is required for armed robbery, my policy only covered burglary, thus we were placed under immense financial pressure, with the business unable to commercially replace the bulk of the inventory, nor pay the outstanding bills. Although my optimistic nature continued to drive the business, we never recovered from the incident and the effects of Covid-19. Regrettably, I had no option but to place Unique Feet into liquidation at the end of 2023.
My regrets were to my loyal staff, who gave of their best every day and to the valued relationships with customers and creditors who I had let down. In hindsight, I could have avoided some of the debt by making that difficult decision a year or two earlier. These creditors included Acushnet SA.

In early 2024, I launched a small consultancy business namely Footwear Education, which offers footwear education & development programs to importers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers. In addition, I am able to offer custom fit, made to measure, bespoke and restorative footwear services. I had lost my business and most of my assets and had to rely on my skills to survive. Some of my previous business relationships were strong enough to have survived my previous business blunders. Acushnet SA was certainly a relationship which I cherished and wanted to maintain; thus, I wrote and spoke to the CEO. I apologised for my poor financial conduct and requested a payment plan to settle the debt. I still had FootJoy clientele that wanted my expertise. I also offered to conduct free footwear education & training to Acushnet personnel, as part of my wish to re-establish and repair the long and fruitful relationship. Regrettably, the impasse couldn’t be rectified, and I no longer have a working relationship with Acushnet SA (FootJoy).
In the interim, I invited brands like Puma ( https://youtu.be/HZg7u45FvNg?si=8yyEzKZh22Aucwnq ) & Ecco to participate in live Video Chats, that I had arranged to conduct for the PGA of SA, scheduled for the latter part of 2025. This would be attended by a number of PGA members (approx. one hundred pax), who are interested in furthering their understanding of the golf shoe business. The blog discussion would be slanted to include the history between The PGA Tour and the associated footwear brands, including the US and DP Tour footwear statistics and the effects of AI on the golf shoe business. These semi-formal discussions are extremely popular nowadays, as I have previously conducted a few of these chats for the PGA and others, where there were record attendances.

The primary reason I used my golf network to reach you, is the enduring passion that I have for FootJoy shoes and the indelible effect that it has had on my career. Knowing this, I realised that this letter wouldn’t have gotten past first base, had I submitted it through the local office. I remain a loyal and avid FootJoy ambassador, as the bigger picture is about the relationship between the FootJoy brand, myself and the customer. I continue to get vicarious pleasure, seeing FootJoy’s enduring successes in store and on Tour. I have worked for and consulted to many footwear companies over the past forty-five years, from educating specific personnel to technical product assessment, last / sole development and AI foot measuring advances, however my greatest aspiration would have been being able to work with the brand where my passion for footwear was born, FootJoy.