Behind the Design of Sun Day Red's Osprey Lifestyle Golf Shoe

Development for the Osprey took 14 months. How happy are you with the final product?

I actually would say it even took longer. We showed an early iteration of the model at the launch. It was kind of the first prototype of what Tiger always referred to as the coach's shoe or the caddy shoe. He referenced that this would be great for coaches, caddies, and club professionals.

It really started when we kicked off the Pioneer Cypress project. So, it's been a work in progress. We've gone through multiple iterations with Tiger to make sure that it was up to his standard. I would say at each phase, we improved it.

It's a very adaptable shoe. You can wear it on or off the course. I think the first time we saw Tiger in it was when he was walking into PGL. Then, our team (me, Tyler Pinkos, and Cody Caldon) was pretty pumped to see it at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Tiger always likes to wear an executive sneaker at elevated events that aren't golf-specific. I think him wearing it there proves to me that it could be worn in some high-level situations.

What input did Tiger provide?

Tiger offered a lot of his insights. He wanted to be able to wear it off the course and potentially wear it to play some casual rounds. So we worked with the traction elements, significantly with him in terms of like the spatial relationship between the lugs, and to get the height up to industry standards.

The final part of our four-pronged approach was aesthetics. He's been pretty vocal about having a clean aesthetic and being able to kind of be able to wear it to some more upscale events. He had input all along the way, mostly on the performance side.

He's also been very proud of the work that we're all doing together. So he wanted to have some more branding. So we added some more branding to the tongue. Like it was a little bit less bold originally, and I think we amped it up significantly.

How do you thread the needle of pure performance and versatile lifestyle design?

Tiger's adamant about the idea that the athlete comes first. He wanted it to be able to perform on the course first and foremost. And he also wanted to provide a tool for caddies and teaching pros or coaches. So, it's extremely comfortable.

As far as the fashion and lifestyle element, we really wanted people to be able to wear this to the office as well. The exciting opportunity for us was to see these in boardrooms, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and at cocktail parties.

But also, to give golfers the opportunity to add another tool to their toolbox. So it has been really exciting. I'm waking up early and going to bed late, but I feel like a kid in a candy store, so it's pretty exciting.

Cody, Tyler, and I have a real holistic team approach to this. When anything comes across our table or our war room, we dig in. It shows collaboration is key, and then you know, we do have the GOAT at our disposal. His input provides a perfect storm.

Where did the name Osprey come from?

It's kind of two-part. When you're playing golf near the shore, you're seeing a lot of Osprey. They're an apex predator. Then, the second piece of it is that there's a military aircraft named after that as well.

Is there any nod at all to the Osprey Valley in Toronto?

(Laughs) I think there are touchpoints there, too. I think when we were coming up with names, that was brought up in part of the discussions, but I think mostly it had to do with just like nature and a slight nod to his affinity for the military.

How do you think athletes and fans will react to the new shoe?

We have a bunch of club professionals around the country who kind of act as a sounding board and check the pulse and make sure we're hitting it. We sent them all a pair to wear to test and try out. One of our toughest critics on the East Coast sent me a text, "I'm wearing these every day. Can I get another pair?"

I think it's going to do awesome. I wore it in Jacksonville, Florida, when it snowed, and there were no slips, no issues; it had great traction and stability.

It still has a lower drop, so you're going to feel like you're going to be able to utilize ground force reactions to really kind of hammer into your swing. And then it's got a really comfortable ride. It's not going to be uncomfortable. I can guarantee that. 

Last question: What is your favorite aspect of the shoe?

Working with Cody and Tyler, it's what we call Gestalt, the sum of all the parts. But there's some storytelling wrapped into it, too. Also, I would say the overall build and just the final completion of it all. It's high-performance golf footwear, but also very mobile.

For me personally, it's become my airport shoe, so I wear it to the airport. It's so comfortable on planes. Like, there are no hot spots. It's extremely comfortable. It literally has become my everyday shoe. And that was the intent.

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