As disc golfer diehards, you and I have a pretty good idea of what makes a good disc golf shoe: For some durability in one particular place is essential. Others insist on good waterproofing, or all-day comfort, or good tread.
Idio Sports founder Craig Kitchens is a diehard disc golfer, too, but his background in design and time spent in Portland, Oregon (aka Shoe City) enabled his thoughts and eventually actions to go to an entirely different level.
For Kitchens, it wasn’t about determining which existing shoe type or brand was ideally suited to the sport of disc golf. In addition to the common “must-haves” that include those listed above, he began creating a list of disc golf-specific features that a shoe designed and built for disc golf should include— and it wasn’t a short list!
The Drag-On Toe, X-Flex Outsole, and Power-plant Pivot Zone are the three most obvious examples, but there are more with the 2024 model of Idio Syncrasy, and the just-released Syncrasy EVO advances the reality of a disc golf shoe even further.
Note: The remaining stock of 2024 Syncrasys are 50 percent off right now and the new model is in, making this an excellent time to try a pair yourself
I connected with Kitchens at the Champions Cup in Stockton for a great discussion about his journey designing and marketing the world’s only disc golf shoe from scratch. I encourage you to watch the video below so you get a feel for his passion and dedication. I think it’s clear that he is the right person to be taking on a task that will benefit all of us.
In addition to sharing Idio’s origin story, Kitchens went a bit deeper in explaining the unique challenge of being the first to create a type of specialized footwear.
“There was really no shoe or ideology around what made a good disc golf shoe,” said Kitchens in explaining the challenge of designing a purpose-built shoe from scratch.
After a couple of years of seeing his creation perform in the wild and listening to feedback from other disc golfers, he learned that while the disc golf-specific features were well-received, parts of the outsole wore too quickly for some players.
The reason for that quick wear was the use of a softer compound to achieve a grippy-ness valued by disc golfers, and Kitchens didn’t want to sacrifice that entirely. His solution? Creatively co-opt a manufacturing process that is normally used for cosmetic purposes to create an outsole with zones of harder (for durability) and softer (for grip) material. Brilliant! Watch the video for details— and please subscribe to the channel while you’re there. I’m trying to create meaningful content and new subscribers are the best encouragement.
great shoes, big challenges
I see two primary challenges Idio Sports faces on its road to making disc golf shoes a regular part of every competitive player’s equipment, and I personally find them both plain silly. They are the idea that to some, even with athletic shoes, the fashion/status statement made is as important as their function; and the enduring power of celebrity endorsement.
I initially tried out Idios because I was excited about the potential of a shoe designed for disc golf. I wasn’t crazy about how the very first model looked but that would never factor much into a buying decision for me, anyway. With the new model of Syncrasy EVO, looks should help the shoe sell, if anything. But for some, even good looks ain’t enough. It’s all about the brand or logo.
When it comes to shoes I’m afraid most of us are extremely brand-conscious, or, brand-self-conscious, I should say. Maybe we’re worried about dropping money on something new and unknown, or maybe we’re more concerned about someone thinking “What’s he wearing on his feet? ‘Off-brand’ shoes?!”
Either way, I’d like to think disc golfers as a group are at least a little stronger than the norm when it comes to independent thinking, and I KNOW we are serious enough about our sport to want every advantage and comfort technology can provide.
As for celebrity endorsements, what can I say? It has been one of the most reliable marketing tools for centuries now. People buy stuff that other people who they admire tell them to buy. In disc golf, this method accounts for the lion’s share of nearly every disc and bag manufacturer’s marketing budget. These are all products designed for disc golf, though.
Don’t buy a shoe just because a top disc golf pro endorses it and tells you it is a disc golf shoe (it isn’t). Do a little digging and see if the brand is associated with disc golf in any way outside of an Instagram or DGN ad.
The sport of disc golf has specialized footwear now, thanks to Craig Kitchens. Try a pair. You might really, really like them.