It was a sad day when Tiger Woods left Nike. It was a brand partnership that I never thought was going to die, but all good things must come to an end. Nike did, and still does, make some of the best golf shoes around, so it was always going to be interesting to see where Tiger went after his deal ended.
While he ended up in a pair of FootJoy Premiere Series shoes for a while, in the end, Tiger launched his own brand to wear for the autumn of his career. Enter Sun Day Red. The strange syntax and somewhat rudimentary logo took some online criticism when it first launched in May 2024, but my experience with the brand's Pioneer Cypress shoe - the now shoe of choice for Tiger Woods - put any preconceptions I may have had about the brand to one side.
The quality of these shoes right out of the box gives you a much better idea of what this brand is all about. At $250, you'd probably expect that the quality is high, but it's the attention to detail and the craftsmanship that genuinely sets them apart from the competition. I commended the new FootJoy Premiere Series Packard LX for its levels of quality, and the Pioneer Cypress is right up there alongside it. The stitching, the full grain leather, the embossed logo on the heel, the logos under the outsole, the perforations in the soft leather all come together to create a shoe that looks, feels and even smells like every cent of your $250 investment.
Stunning to look at, the Pioneer Cypress is also one of the most technology-filled golf shoes I've ever tested. Tiger's well-documented injuries mean he has very exacting requirements when it comes to his golf shoe. One is the 6mm heel-to-toe drop that allows you to leverage more of the ground as you work through the golf swing. Fit is also vital, and to help this the shoe uses a supple calf skin leather in the liner to create a comfortable and luxurious fit. The fit is true to size, too, though if you have a wider foot, going up half a size is a good idea.
The outsole is one of the more impressive spiked outsoles I've tested in recent times, too. It uses a high-density TPU contact plate with a nine-spike configuration, which delivers superb traction in all conditions. Despite the impressive grip, it's a low-profile outsole that doesn't make you feel like you're too far off the ground. Some outsoles, like that on the G/FORE MG4+ O2 are far too bulky, but the Pioneer Cypress has found the right balance here, in my opinion.
The Pioneer Cypress also comes as standard with two insoles, or footbeds, as shoe manufacturers like to call them. One is a standard smooth footbed that you see on 99 percent of golf shoes, but it also comes with a nubbed insole that massages your foot as you walk along. I've only ever seen this on G/FORE shoes before, and it's a nice addition that you'll likely want to use once you've got used to the initially strange sensation underfoot.
There's not much more praise I can give this shoe, and there's barely anything I can fault besides the hefty price tag. It's a luxurious shoe, but one that still delivers on overall performance. It's undoubtedly an indulgent purchase, but one I think any golfer will enjoy round after round, especially if you favor more stable footwear.
