From the moment Tiger Woods showed up to the 2022 Masters, his first official event back after a February 2021 car crash, without his signature Nike golf shoes, we knew something was coming.
Tuesday, it finally came as Woods’ new golf-apparel brand Sun Day Red released its first retail golf shoe, the Pioneer Cypress, designed from the prototypes Woods has been wearing on the course during the 2024 season.
In all, nearly 20 prototypes went into the design process to create a shoe for Woods, who started putting them into play at the Genesis Invitational in February, the same week the Sun Day Red brand was announced at a much-ballyhooed launch party in Los Angeles. Another casually-styled spikeless golf shoe was displayed at that launch party, but that product has yet to hit retail.
Sun Day Red Executive Creative Director Charley Hudak said the design team took an approach focusing on four pillars — fit, comfort, performance and style — to create the Pioneer Cypress specifically for Woods, arguably the most demanding and particular golfer on the planet. Hudak couldn’t say exactly when the design process started, but the typical process is more than two years.
“It was clearly like a Blue Sky project where, you know, we just had to satisfy one individual and our mentality was like if we can satisfy that individual, we would satisfy the entire Community,” Hudak said. “Building from those four pillars, we got to work with [Woods’] physio, his trainer and, we did all the research and got him going through the rehabilitation process at the same time.”
Hudak said this was the first project he ever worked on where there was no target price point.
With fit and comfort being key, and Woods’ public struggles simply walking 18 holes, designers created a shoe that isn’t board-lasted, using a more modern, athletic construction that makes the design more flexible. The more flexible construction is also why Sun Day Red claims the shoe requires no break-in period
They also created a shoe that is lower to the ground, which Hudak said is key for balance and stability. The shoe’s classic silhouette also added to the overall stability thanks to a wider base.
“We were under the impression that we were gonna do athletic [look], but it was his call. He wanted more classic,” Hudak said. “We talked about some of his old shoes that he wore and one of his things was that they weren’t meeting his criteria and I think that’s kind of one of the big reasons why the opportunity to work with him came about.”
Throughout the shoe are subtle nods to Woods, such as some of his signature motivational phrases — “Do the work” and “Put in the time” — on the underside of the sock liner. The bottom of the outsole also features tiger-claw patterns, as well as a tiger-stripe pattern on the back of the heel.
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