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Cobra Puma's new Ignite golf shoes were made for Rickie Fowler, who enjoys wearing high tops.
Cobra Puma’s new Ignite golf shoes were made for Rickie Fowler, who enjoys wearing high tops.
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While the golf world continues to debate whether there’s a Big Three or Big Four, when it comes to fashion and flair, there’s really only one.

Cobra Puma’s Rickie Fowler has long had the most emulated look on the PGA Tour amongst fans, and in January he gave them another reason to walk in his shoes – literally. A high-top shoe Fowler unveiled at the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua proved an instant hit and will get a chance to back it up in sales when it arrives in stores in June.

Cobra Puma president and CEO Bob Philion isn’t waiting, however, to predict the impact his company’s new Ignite shoe will have on the market.

“The feedback and response has been tremendous,” Philion said of the shoe with a Velcro strap that recalls the look of a high-top basketball shoe a few decades ago.

But this shoe is for the course, not the court, and players such as Keegan Bradley and Michelle Wie have worn something similar in recent months. The idea for Fowler’s shoe stemmed from a conversation Philion had with the colorful star last year in Japan. Fowler, long an influential voice for Cobra Puma style, expressed an interest in his course style reflecting more of his personal style. He then mentioned he wears high tops off the course.

“He expressed an interest in wearing a high-top cleated shoe on the course,” Philion said. “The result is the Ignite, which we paired with a jogger-style pant. We work closely with our Tour players throughout the development and design process to ensure we’re pushing the limits of when it comes to performance and style. That’s very important to us as a brand.”

Cobra Puma’s head of Footwear and Accessories, Grant Knudson, said the media buzz from Kapalua coincided with a positive fan response on social media.

“I’ve never really seen anything like it for a shoe,” Knudson said. “The shoes went viral. It was truly lightning in a bottle. It has blown everyone’s expectations away.”

In its current design, the shoes are black and white, which is a bit understated given Cobra Puma’s splashy use of pastels. Knudson said color might be used in future designs but the initial offering will stay black and white.

Target demographics for the shoe were originally 12 to 30 years of age, but the interest has trended much older. Knudson said the shoe was originally viewed as fashion over function, but the staff discounted older golfers who have lower body instability and see the shoe as an orthopedic aid on the course.

“That was something we didn’t foresee,” Knudson said. “People are looking at it as a way to perform better, and it has started a conversation internally of what really is the best shoe for people to wear. This shoe has some excellent potential benefits.”

Fans will learn more when the shoes, which will retail for $200, hit store shelves. Further stoking popularity and visibility, Knudson said, is Fowler’s strong start to the season, which has included a victory in Abu Dhabi at the HSBC Golf Championship and a second-place finish in Phoenix. Adding a retail victory will only underscore for Knudson that Fowler’s career is soaring on all levels.

 “Rickie,” he said, “is truly at the top of his game right now.”