GoBe Golf joins hybrid golf shoe fray

By John Strege

The movement away from traditional golf shoes (those featuring spikes) to hybrid golf shoes that can be worn on or off the course has a new entrant, GoBe Golf.

"We have a two-fold plan," Joe Allen, president of GoBe Golf said. "An athletic-looking shoe ...and a lifestyle shoe for on and off the course."

Allen, a former club pro and sales manager for Ecco, said that the sole will help differentiate GoBe with its five-point stars and traction stripes. "We were looking for a little more traction and more lateral traction," he said. The company also is offering a two-year warranty on the outsole. "You are not going to wear that bottom out," Allen said.

GoBe is offereing three styles in its men's collection (with a suggested retail price of $159) and two styles in its women's collection ($139). GoBe Golf shoes will be sold only through green-grass facilities (high-end resorts and pro shops) and at its website.

As for the name, GoBe, "it means nothing," Allen said. "To me, to have a name that really meant nothing, that was fun. My partner and I, when we started the company, it was to have fun. Sell a lot of shoes in the morning and go play golf in the afternoon. I'm proud of what we've done. We've made a real nice shoe."

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