Posted By: Chris Garrett ·
Another stunning day at the TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts as the top 100 players in the world made final preparations for the Deutsche Bank Championship. Once again we were collecting feedback on the new FJ ICON line and working with the players to design some custom shoes through the MyJoys program. We shot some video wth the players talking about the custom process and options that we'll share in the next few weeks. In the meantime, click on the image below to see some highlights from Thursday.
Posted By: Chris Garrett ·
We were on the range Tuesday at the PGA Tour's second playoff event, the Deutsche Bank Championship. We were not only checking in with our FootJoy players but also set up a large display to show them the full line of FJ ICON styles and all the options available through the MyJoys program. In short, the players were thrilled! Check out the pictures from Wednesday and we'll post video next week so you can hear what players such as David Toms, Charley Hoffman, John Merrick and Jason Bohn think of FootJoy's new flagship product and all the custom options!
Posted By: Chris Garrett ·
FootJoy was once again the #1 shoe and glove at the United States Amateur Championship, contested last week at Southern Hills Country Club. In fact, 45% of the field relied on the comfort and stability of Tour-tested FootJoy shoes like FJ ICON, SYNR-G and DryJoys, while 35% counted on FJ gloves like PureTouch Limited, StaSof and Sciflex to keep their grip secure as the temperature, and the pressure, escalated.
Both participants in the grueling 36-hole final round wore FootJoy shoes and gloves and the champion became one of the first winners in FJ ICON. The youngest competitor to ever win the championship at age 17, he wore the black and white sport pattern, style #52070.
The champion earns an exemption into next year's U.S. Open and British Open and, if tradition holds, he'll be invited to play in the Masters, too. Not bad for a kid who's still a senior in high school.
"I can't believe it. I just won," said the winner, who was missing the first week of school at Bradenton (Fla.) Preparatory Academy to play in the tournament. "I've said it before, but my goal was to make it to the first round and then somehow I made it this far. I think I got lucky."
Posted By: Chris Garrett ·
Michael Sim collected his third win of the season Sunday at the Nationwide Tour's Christmas in October Classic, earning him an immediate promotion to the PGA TOUR and recognition as the first professional to win in the new FJ ICON golf shoes.
The 24-year-old Sim, wearing FJ ICON style #52005, ended the week at 20-under 264, posting a rhythmic 65-67-65-67 pattern that included only two bogeys, one each on Thursday and Friday. The victory gives Sim an instant promotion to the PGA TOUR this year and will make him fully exempt on Tour next year, just the ninth player in Tour history to earn the promotion.
Sim, the former No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, also broke Troy Matteson's single-season earnings record of $495,009 set in 2005. He has eclipsed the record in just 12 starts and is averaging a whopping $43,923 for every week he tees it up.
"It's very relieving," said Sim, who collected his second win at the BMW Charity Pro-Am in mid-May. "I'd been in this position before and I wasn't able to get it done. I tried to stay in the moment as best I could. In Omaha I found it really difficult to stay focused on the last day. Fortunately I learned how to deal with those distractions. I did everything right today."
To learn more about FJ ICON, click here to see the styles, click here to visit the new FJ ICON microsite and click here to read an interview with Jack Erickson, VP of Golf Footwear for FootJoy.
The launch of the new FJ ICON category will be supported by an extensive online and print communication plan, including ads in some of the most popular golf magazines. Recently we took an opportunity to travel to Firestone Country Club during the WGC Bridgestone Invitational to photograph the players who will appear in the ads, under the slogan “Put Yourself in Their Shoes.” We utilized four, world-class players who represent very different styles: Camilo Villegas, Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter & Hunter Mahan.
If you’ve never been to Firestone C.C., the facility offers 3 great golf courses – The North, The South & The West. Our photo shoot actually took place on the back of the 10th tee box on the North course, which provided fantastic backdrops for the photos. One very entertaining twist on the day was the fact that there was a tournament taking place on the North course while we were shooting. Picture yourself trying to putt on the 18th green for birdie and WHAM!!!! Camilo Villegas just launched a high powerful drive right over your head into a surrounding lake. Or how about teeing off on the 10th hole and, instead of watching your teammates’ tee shot, you watch Hunter Mahan launch another drive into the distant lake! Most groups would take time to stop and stare, take a quick photo or even ask Hunter, Camilo, Ian or Rory to hit their tee shot for them!
One exciting, unique feature of FJ ICON is the opportunity to customize our new flagship product in the MyJoys program. With literally millions of ways to personalize and color coordinate your shoes with whatever you’re wearing, FJ ICON is especially ideal for fashion icons such as Ian Poulter. Ian was ecstatic when he arrived on set and noticed all the custom shoes we brought to the photo shoot – pinks, and oranges, and blues and purples. Since many players, including Ian, have only seen the stock shoes to this point, the four players on set were very impressed with all the custom options that lie ahead.
Of course, Ian came equipped with multiple wardrobe options, so it was interesting to watch him change from outfit to outfit in between shots. Ian’s only problem was prying the outfits from my hands as I was trying to see how his outfits would look on me! Ian and I had a nice conversation regarding FJ ICON, the MyJoys program and his extensive clothing label. Known as the “ Ian Poulter” in the FootJoy office, I took full advantage of this time together and learned a lot from this fashion icon. My boss and I were actually walking from the clubhouse to the driving range when an older gentleman approached me for my autograph. It must have been my pink pants, custom shoes & my FJ shirt with the pink FJ logo on the collar!
Ian, Rory, Camilo & Hunter were all great...great players and great individuals. It was also interesting to get their direct feedback on FJ ICON. Across the board, each of them raved about the styling, stability and comfort of the new shoe. Ian said after one tournament round he actually wore the shoes all the way back to his hotel, forgetting he still had his golf shoes on because they were so comfortable. We love to hear that!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy some of the photos I took behind the scenes. Keep your eyes open for the new FJ ICON ads in your favorite golf magazine.
Enjoy,
CK