I Golfed a Mile in Kristoffer Reitan's (PGA TOUR-Winning) Shoes

The saying goes, "before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes." But it was too late for that.

By the time I found myself waiting for Kristoffer Reitan to show up for our tee time, I was more than familiar with his game. Judged him? I had, and my judgement was this dude can ball. All that was left to do now was get to know the guy. The least I could do was fulfill the shoe part of the old adage.

Lucky for me, Reitan wears some pretty unique shoes, so we were already going all the way literal with it. This year, he started working with Squairz—you might know them from their OG Golf Channel ads featuring a guy named Nick Faldo (heard of him?). But with Reitan, the brand is ready to stand on the next generation. Since the Faldo days, they've added a ton of styles and an even more relentless pursuit of technological advancements with one goal in mind: change the way people think about their feet on the golf course.

It's funny. Think about all the lessons you've had. All the videos you've watched. All the swing thoughts you've thought, all the little tweaks you've made. How many of them have to do with your feet? More than you realize, probably. Scroll through swing hacks on TikTok and you'll hear about where the ball goes in your stance, or how wide your feet should be spread, or how if you just tuck one of them back a little bit that way, it can promote the clubface being delivered that way. Better yet—how many instructors have you heard describe "using the ground?"

You can do almost everything right in the golf swing, and if your feet are pointed in the wrong direction, or if you're pressing on the wrong part at the wrong time, you still might have to yell fore.

The folks at Sqairz are thinking about the ground. They're thinking about where your Softspikes are triangulated to grip into it. They're thinking about how wide your toes can splay to provide some more stability against it. And they've been making shoes that maximize what's going on in that small but mighty space really well.

That Reitan won wearing them in his first full year on TOUR is one thing. But the consistency he's shown this season as one of the top 30 players in the entire world is another. Kris wears the brand's Pro S2 model, a very streamlined look that's clean and compact, but features a lot of noteworthy and considered design, including but not limited to the brand's iconic square toe box that allows a golfer full lateral distribution of their toes, making for fully splayed stability between you and the golf course.

Naturally, I chose the S2 as one of my three silhouettes to wear during a three-hole match with Kris in Greensboro last week. But I also brought their Speed3Mesh and VELO LT-X along for the ride. Three styles that offer three very different experiences. Here's a look at each and what's unique about them.

Sqairz secret weapon is on the inside of the shoe in its Blumaka® performance footbed. Long story short: the technology is made for optimizing energy transfer, giving you more in the moment and saving you more in the long haul. (More bombs, less fatigue)

Outside, the S2 is your country club shoe. Clean and completely understated, there's not a dress code it doesn't adhere to our match with. But it's not a show pony, it's a work horse.

Next up was Sqairz' Speed3Mesh, a sportier, more breathable shoe that still comes equipped with a big difference in feel right off of the bat. Every shoe I put on had a noticeably different feel right away. The toe is where you feel it first—more room up there + more traction underneath means you can wiggle and adjust without losing your footing. The stability you feel in the heel is also very noticeable as soon as you slide into them. I felt like I was standing a bit taller, more engaged with the balls of my feet, yet stable and balanced.

These also come standard with the Blumaka® footbed that delivers 14% higher energy return and the triangulated traction system to boot.

Of the three I tried, I'd liken these most to a running shoe. The breathability and flexibility of the upper were tailor-made for August in Greensboro. I went with the Solar Orange colorway because I feel like Sqairz nailed the pop of color where many others try and fail. With subtle hits just on the lace, the spike, and the heel pad, it adds energy without overtaking the look.

For our final hole I went with the VELO LT-X. Looking at it, you wouldn't assume, but it's one of the lightest, if not the lightest golf shoe I've ever worn. Weighing in at under 425 grams, it doesn't sacrifice any of the stability you expect for a shoe described as lightweight. The outsole is as durable as they come, and an NRG™-Foam EVA Midsole optimizes that energy return we keep talking about.

This, and every Sqairz shoe I played in came equipped with something else I'd never experienced before–my shoes staying tied. Their Sta-Put lacing system features small silicon dots along its laces that you can feel lock into place one at a time as you pull tight. The result is, any lace slippage is gonna stop right there. One less thing to think about.