Discussions of golf technology almost always
involve the ball or metal woods. But one of the
biggest changes in the last twenty years
involved neither of those, and it is the one
piece of golf equipment where Tour players
can use something that the rest of us
amateurs can’t.
I’m referring to alternative spikes, which hit
the scene so fast in the early 90’s it was as if
the supply of metal had suddenly disappeared.
For the first 5-10 years, all the work seemed
to go into the spikes themselves, but the
shoes didn’t change much. Then came (gasp)
the early attempt at something more athletic,
pairs of shoes that looked like sneakers you
wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy with spikes
attached. They may have been lighter, but
they never caught on.
In the last few years, companies have
embraced modern style to come up with an
assortment of products that draw attention to
the feet. Kikkor is one of these brands.
When given the opportunity to demo a pair of
Kikkor shoes, my first inclination was to go
with an all black model similar to those worn by
a certain Champions Tour player with a bad
back, and timeless golf swing. But then I
figured what the heck, I’ll go all in and order
the tri-color “Dress Sneaker” model from Kikkor
called the “Scarlet.”
Making sure to listen to Kikkor’s advice of
ordering ½ size larger, I slipped into a perfect
fit right out of the box. Not being one to wait,
I took the dog for a walk and got two nice
comments from neighbors. (OK, I’ll admit I
pretended the shoes needed tying to get them
noticed…)
The Kikkors were now ready for their first test
at The Crossings, one mile from
amateurgolf.com’s “World HQ” in Carlsbad. Sure
enough, on the 7th hole I caught up with two
young pros from Orange County who were in
town for a demo day. These guys required no
prompting. “Sweet shoes - are those Kikkor’s?”
asked the first player. I was amazed that not
only did he know the brand, he told me about
a video on their website www.kikkor.com that
shows company founder James Lepp hitting a
unique hockey-style chip shot he calls “The
Saucer.” Check it out, while you are looking at
the many Kikkor styles.
Functionally, these shoes have plenty of grip
based on an embedded spike sole that Kikkor
calls “Diacon Embedded Spike System.” This
was the first time I have worn an essentially
flat-soled shoe, and I agree with the website’s
statement that it brings you closer to the turf.
It works well on long shots and feels
particularly solid when chipping and putting.
As for Lepp, his golf resume is pretty deep.
Before joining the Canadian Tour, where he
won one event, the Abbotsford, BC native
played for the University of Washington, where
he won the 2005 NCAA Individual
Championship. He also won the 2004 Pacific
Coast Amateur, and he has a magic 59 under
his belt. At 27 years of age, Lepp is a young
company founder. I have no doubt that he and
his team will be successful.