How SQAIRZ Founder Bob Winskowicz Is Rethinking the Role of Golf Shoes

Golfers routinely spend hundreds of dollars on new drivers, custom club fittings and swing instruction in pursuit of greater distance and consistency. According to SQAIRZ founder Bob Winskowicz, many overlook the piece of equipment connecting them to the ground: their shoes.

Winskowicz believes golf footwear should do more than keep a player comfortable while walking the course. It should provide the balance, traction and structural support needed to transfer energy through the body and into the golf club.

He joined the Chicago Golf Report Podcast to explain how an unexpected experience in square-toed dress shoes inspired SQAIRZ, why stability plays such an important role in the golf swing and how footwear can potentially influence distance, accuracy and consistency.

An Accidental Discovery on the Driving Range

The idea behind SQAIRZ originated during a casual trip to a driving range in New England during the 1990s.

Winskowicz had not planned to practice that day. He accompanied a friend to the range while wearing a pair of square-toed dress shoes. After deciding to hit a few golf balls, he noticed that his stance felt unusually stable.

The experience prompted him to question one of the most familiar conventions in athletic footwear: Why are most golf shoes tapered toward the front when the human foot naturally becomes wider across the toes?

That question eventually became the foundation for SQAIRZ and its distinctive square-toe design.

Rather than compressing the front of the foot, the SQAIRZ toe box is intended to give the toes room to spread naturally. Winskowicz believes this creates a wider and more functional base from which a golfer can rotate, load and push against the ground.

Why the Golf Swing Begins with the Ground

The modern golf swing is often discussed in terms of clubhead speed, body rotation, sequencing and launch conditions. Each of those elements, however, depends partly on how effectively the golfer interacts with the ground.

Golfers produce force by applying pressure through their feet. That force travels upward through the legs, hips and torso before eventually reaching the arms and golf club.

If the golfer’s feet slide, roll or move excessively inside the shoes, some of that energy can be lost before it reaches the clubhead.

Winskowicz compares a stable golf shoe to the foundation of a building. A golfer may possess strength, flexibility and sound swing mechanics, but an unstable base can make those assets more difficult to use consistently.

Pressure-mapping technology has helped instructors and researchers better understand this relationship. Force plates can show how golfers shift pressure between their feet and how they use the ground during different stages of the swing.

Those findings have brought greater attention to ground-reaction forces. However, Winskowicz believes the golf industry has devoted much less attention to the shoes through which those forces must travel.

The Three Points of Balance

Winskowicz describes the big toe, little toe and heel as three essential points of contact that help stabilize the foot.

When the toes are squeezed together inside a narrow shoe, the golfer’s natural base can become smaller. Allowing the toes to spread provides a broader area of contact with the ground and may help the golfer maintain balance throughout the swing.

The SQAIRZ design extends beyond the visible shape of its toe box. The shoes also incorporate a structured outsole, an anti-slip interior surface and a lacing system intended to keep the foot from moving independently of the shoe.

Each feature addresses a different potential source of instability. The wider toe box supports natural toe movement, the outsole provides a stable platform and the interior construction helps prevent the foot from sliding during rotation.

The objective is to make the foot and shoe function as a connected unit.

Can Golf Shoes Help Produce More Distance?

A golf shoe does not create clubhead speed by itself. Winskowicz’s argument is that a more stable connection to the ground may allow golfers to use their existing strength and swing mechanics more efficiently.

If a golfer can push against the ground without slipping or losing balance, more of the resulting energy may be transferred through the kinetic chain. Greater stability can also give a golfer the confidence to swing aggressively without feeling out of control.

That distinction is important. The potential advantage does not come from making the golfer swing harder. It comes from reducing unnecessary movement and improving the efficiency of the motion.

Winskowicz says testing has shown measurable differences in areas such as swing speed, distance and shot dispersion when golfers wear more stable footwear. The company has used independent testing to examine whether those changes extend beyond a golfer’s subjective sense of balance.

For most recreational players, improved dispersion may be every bit as valuable as additional distance. A golfer who maintains a more consistent base may have a better chance of returning the club to the ball in a repeatable position.

The Tradeoff Between Lightweight Comfort and Stability

Golf footwear has increasingly followed the broader athletic-shoe market toward lighter and more flexible designs. Spikeless shoes have also become popular because they are comfortable, versatile and easy to wear away from the course.

Winskowicz believes that convenience can involve a performance tradeoff.

A lightweight shoe with a soft, highly flexible sole may feel comfortable, but it may not provide the lateral support or traction required during a powerful golf swing. A shoe designed primarily for walking does not necessarily perform like one designed to resist rotational forces.

The amount and type of traction required can also differ between the golfer’s two feet. During the swing, the trail foot must help the golfer load and push away from the ground, while the lead foot must accept and stabilize the golfer’s rotating body.

Those different movements place different demands on the outsole and cleat configuration.

Winskowicz noted that many professional golfers continue to wear shoes with substantial traction even as spikeless footwear has become more common among recreational players. At the highest levels of the game, maintaining a secure connection to the turf remains a performance priority.

Ben Hogan and the Importance of Traction

The relationship between footwear and the golf swing is not a new discovery.

Ben Hogan famously added an extra cleat beneath the inside portion of his trail shoe. The modification, sometimes described as Hogan’s “13th cleat,” was designed to improve traction and influence the action of his lower body.

Hogan’s solution was rudimentary compared with modern shoe technology, but it reflected the same fundamental principle: What happens between the golfer’s feet and the ground can affect the entire swing.

Today’s materials, biomechanical research and pressure-measurement systems allow footwear companies to approach the issue with much greater precision.

How SQAIRZ Has Evolved

Early SQAIRZ models were substantial shoes with a visibly structured design. That construction supported the company’s emphasis on stability, although some golfers were more accustomed to the lighter feel of modern athletic footwear.

The company has continued refining its products in an effort to preserve their performance characteristics while improving comfort, flexibility and overall appearance.

Winskowicz said SQAIRZ is also preparing to introduce additional footwear technology in January. The next generation of products will continue exploring how the structure beneath the golfer’s foot can support balance and more efficient movement.

Most golfers should not need to change their swings when moving into SQAIRZ shoes. However, the wider toe box and firmer platform can initially feel different to someone accustomed to narrow or highly flexible footwear.

That sensation is part of what originally caught Winskowicz’s attention when he hit balls in his square-toed dress shoes.

Lessons from Arnold Palmer

Winskowicz’s career in golf began well before the creation of SQAIRZ. His industry experience included time with Arnold Palmer Golf and MacGregor, giving him an opportunity to learn from one of the most recognizable figures in the history of the game.

He remembers Palmer not only for his accomplishments and influence, but also for the way he treated people.

One of Winskowicz’s most memorable experiences occurred years after their professional connection began. While attending the Masters, he encountered Palmer and was struck that Palmer still recognized him.

The moment reinforced a lesson that extended beyond golf equipment and business: personal relationships matter, and people remember how they are treated.

That experience helped shape Winskowicz’s own path through the golf industry and his approach to building SQAIRZ.

What Golfers Should Consider When Buying Shoes

Comfort and appearance will always influence footwear choices, but Winskowicz encourages golfers to evaluate golf shoes as performance equipment.

That means considering how securely the shoe holds the foot, whether the toe box permits a natural stance, how much lateral support the upper provides and whether the outsole offers enough traction for the golfer’s swing.

Fit is also essential. Even a technically advanced shoe cannot function as intended if it is the wrong size or allows the foot to move excessively inside it.

The larger message is not that shoes can replace instruction, physical conditioning or proper equipment. It is that golfers should think about footwear with the same care they apply to other parts of their games.

After all, every golf swing begins with two feet on the ground.

Watch the complete Chicago Golf Report Podcast interview with SQAIRZ founder Bob Winskowicz to learn more about the relationship between footwear, balance, traction and golf-swing performance.

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