w
ith 25 years of experience in the
footwear and apparel business,
Chris Lindner's feet are firmly planted
in a profession he clearly loves.
Now a year into his tenure as the
new president of FootJoy, we recently
caught up with the industry veteran
to discuss his move to the company,
why a good pair of golf shoes is so im-
portant, and some of the significant
changes he has seen in the business:
you've been involved in a number of
shoe brands, why did you decide to
make the move to golf and footJoy?
This is an absolute dream job for me. I
love the game of golf and have been a
fan of the FootJoy brand my whole
life. One thing that many people don't
realize is that since the 1920s, there
have been only three leaders of
FootJoy – the original founders, the
Tarlow brothers, and, most recently,
Jim Connor, after a storied 28-year ca-
reer – so to get the chance to lead this
incredible and iconic brand was truly
an opportunity of a lifetime.
• • •
why do you think footJoy is such a
popular brand among golfers and
what do you attribute to the com-
pany's success? First and foremost, I
think the brand has been successful
because golf is our singular focus and
biggest passion. We've been dedicated
to creating the highest-quality, best-
performing products in the game and
we go to great lengths to make sure
each one meets the demands of play-
ers at every level. When you look
back, you realize that the best players
in the game have trusted FootJoy to
perform at the highest level. It was the
shoe that Walter Hagen chose for his
U.S. team in 1927 as captain of the
first-ever Ryder Cup team (they won
by seven points). It has been the brand
to win every shoe count on the PGA
Tour since 1945. Players like Adam
Scott, Justin Thomas, Jimmy Walker
and Andrew "Beef" Johnston have
helped the brand achieve more than
6,000 tour wins worldwide. FootJoy
also has become a true leader in golf
apparel by infusing great design with
performance materials to create a col-
lection that golfers love.
Outside of great product, I believe
the other key to FootJoy's success is
that we've been a company that truly
values the relationships that we have
with our many retail partners. So
many of our consumers have been in-
troduced to FootJoy because we've
earned the trust of knowledgeable re-
tail staff along the way.
• • •
what do you look for in a golf shoe?
For me, it really depends on the day.
If I'm walking a difficult course or
playing 36, I'll make sure I've got
something that is comfortable and
lightweight like the PRO SL or Hyper-
Flex II. If I'm looking for more stabil-
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INSID
ER Q&A
a perfeCt
fit
Industry veteran Chris Lindner
steps into the top spot at FootJoy
Chris Lindner.
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