Jason Day’s apparel isn’t the only change to his look this season as he returns to Dallas this week as the defending champion at what is now known as the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
While Day’s partnership with Malbon has made headlines – especially at the Masters – he also is wearing new footwear this season.
Day has taken an equity stake in Payntr Golf and will be creating a new collection – a tech classic look that also incorporates Payntr Golf’s proprietary propulsion technology and advanced comfort features – dubbed the X1 Proto.
“It’s been a while since my feet have felt this good,” Day said during a recent Zoom interview with Golfweek and proclaimed the Payntr’s golf footwear “The most comfortable golf shoe I’ve ever worn and it’s not even close”
Day first heard of the upstart Portland company through his agent last fall. When Day’s apparel and shoe deal with Nike expired, he signed on to become the face of Malbon but he remained a free agent for shoes at the start of the year.
Something to show you guys next week in Houston! #X1 #payntergolf pic.twitter.com/fE5SGw62IE
— Jason Day (@JDayGolf) March 21, 2024
Footwear is critical to Day, 36, who estimated he spends 12 hours a day on his feet and has long suffered from a balky back. He conceded there have been shoes in the past that may have looked stylish but they also have been detrimental to the health of his body.
“At the start of the year, my back was quite sore. It wasn’t at the point it was going to seize up, but my feet felt sore after every round. It wasn’t good. As things would go on, my body would tighten up. You feel like maybe my mechanics or off or I’m doing something wrong in the gym,” he explained.
He tried the Payntr shoe and liked the technology but was hesitant to partner with the company because it wasn’t going to match the clothing of Malbon.
“I’ve got enough money. I don’t really need this,” he said.
SHOP: Payntr golf shoe new collection
Jason Day is a stakeholder in Payntr Golf. (Courtesy Payntr Golf)
What changed his mind was two-fold: first a meeting with Mike Forsey, co-founder and President of Payntr Golf, at Pebble Beach during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Forsey pitched him on being involved in the brand’s first foray into developing a silo of golf footwear with a classic design aesthetic. Day was intrigued. Then Forsey and members of his team went to Day’s home in Ohio and ran him through all the technology in the shoe — from the Carbitex propulsion plate to nitrogen in the heel — and won him over with the company’s presentation. When Day put the inner sole of a Payntr shoe into his previous golf shoe at the time, he could feel the difference.
“Fast-forward to Bay Hill (in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational) and I decided you know what, I’m going to jump into the Payntr shoe even though it doesn’t really match the fashion I’m going for,” said Day, who wore the brand’s V 006 RS model. “It was an instantaneous relief in my back and the soreness in my feet. I haven’t had a back issue and the soreness went away. It was completely a shoe thing for me.”
Suddenly Day, a past major winner, world No. 1 and 13-time Tour winner, was ready to go the extra mile to help the company succeed. This is the first time he’s been a stakeholder rather than simply an endorser of a product. As such, he intends to be involved from concept to reveal.
Pre-Masters prep this year included working on my proto-type shoe. See you in Augusta @payntrgolf pic.twitter.com/LTMQJed6qi
— Jason Day (@JDayGolf) April 7, 2024
“Let’s face it, when you’re paid to wear something you’re paid to say how good it is. That’s the nature of the beast. But now I’m talking to them every single week, down to the eyelets to make sure there isn’t bunching. I’m trying to really beat the crap out of these golf shoes because they need to be tested. I need to make sure they perform under every condition for amateurs because they hit it everywhere like I do. For me to be able to go in and test it and be able to say that the heel is dipping down and they listened, making the material 5-10 percent firmer, that’s what this is about.”
Day’s feedback has been and will continue to be instrumental in refining the design and functionality of the footwear, ensuring they meet the highest standards of performance, traction, waterproofing and comfort. The goal is for the collection to combine Day’s style elements with Payntr Golf’s proprietary propulsion technology and advanced comfort features, resulting in a product that is both distinctive and performance-driven.
“It’s exciting to be a part of a company and try to find the growth potential of it,” Day said. “I believe golfers should not have to choose between comfort, performance and style. With Payntr Golf footwear you can have all three.”