Matt Kuchar’s Custom Ryder Cup Skechers

Earlier this year, Skechers Performance Division signed Matt Kuchar to a multi-year deal, which served as a shot across the bow to Nike and Adidas that the brand is all in on golf shoes.

SEE ALSO: Matt Kuchar signs shoe deal with Skechers

Many of the footwear brands design custom shoes for their staffers to wear at majors and team competitions, and Skechers has joined the act. It designed a Payne Stewart tribute shoe for Kuchar at the U.S. Open and has followed that up with some custom Ryder Cup kicks for Kuch — just another sign that Skechers is planning on strolling the fairways with the big boys.

The limited edition GO GOLF Pro model that Kuchar will sport at Gleneagles is constructed from a waterproof, premium leather and includes replaceable soft spike system. Although the brand says it features a classic design, I’d put this shoe more on par with Nike’s Lunar Control, Adidas’ pure 360 and FootJoy’s D.N.A., rather than FJ’s Icon or ECCO’s Tour Hybrid Wingtip.

Kuchar will have the option of slipping on two different red, white and blue colorways at the Ryder Cup — one with a white upper and one with a navy blue upper. The real eye-catching design element, though, is the U.S. flag motif on the bottom plate.

I got mixed reviews on Kuch’s Ryder Cup Skechers today on social media and earlier this year I questioned if GO GOLF Pro was too clunky. Having seen them at the PGA Fashion & Demo Experience a few weeks ago, though, I will say that they look much better in person. They have a sleek and athletic look to them. Here are a few more images of the non-Ryder Cup colorways). Look for the GO GOLF Pro to hit stores in November or December. We can all get a closer look then.

Skechers is also providing Team USA and Team Europe caddies with custom designed footwear sporting each team’s colors. The custom Skechers GO GOLF BLADE (not a golf shoe) features a waterproof upper to keep the caddies feet dry if the Scottish weather turns nasty, and features a Skechers GOrun 4 outsole, as many of the caddies prefer to wear running shoes on the course. These may be the first caddie-specific shoes I’ve seen.

Wives of the U.S. Ryder Cup Players will be provided with the brand’s Gowalk 2 Supersock footwear.