Behind the Design of Sun Day Red's Osprey Lifestyle Golf Shoe

Sun Day Red's Head of Footwear, Charley Hudak, shares insight into the brand's first lifestyle golf shoe.

The Sun Day Red Osprey launches on July 22. | Sun Day Red

After more than 14 months of development, Sun Day Red has officially announced its new spikeless golf and lifestyle shoe — the Osprey. The new casual shoe marks a move into new footwear territory for the premium golf brand in partnership with Tiger Woods.

After achieving success with their two classic performance golf shoes, the Pioneer Cypress and Pioneer Magnolia, the brand has expanded its offerings to include shoes that can be worn beyond the 18th hole.

The shoe's versatile nature reflects Sun Day Red's understanding that today's golfer needs footwear that performs across all aspects of a dynamic life. The Osprey stands as the perfect companion for those who move seamlessly between office meetings and afternoon tee times, from dinners to weekend adventures.

The Osprey launched today for $160 in adult sizes on Sun Day Red's website, as well as in select green grass golf shops and retail locations, including PGA TOUR Superstore, Worldwide Golf shops, Carl's Golfland, and Scheels.

Sun Day Red Head of Footwear, Charley Hudak, spoke with Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI on the development process and how the shoe is capable of meeting life's biggest moments.

The Sun Day Red Osprey will hit shelves in multiple colorways. | Sun Day Red

Development for the Osprey took 14 months. How happy are you with the final product?

I actually would say it even took longer. We showed an early iteration of the model at the launch. It was kind of the first prototype of what Tiger always referred to as the coach's shoe or the caddy shoe. He referenced that this would be great for coaches, caddies, and club professionals.

It really started when we kicked off the Pioneer Cypress project. So, it's been a work in progress. We've gone through multiple iterations with Tiger to make sure that it was up to his standard. I would say at each phase, we improved it.

It's a very adaptable shoe. You can wear it on or off the course. I think the first time we saw Tiger in it was when he was walking into PGL. Then, our team (me, Tyler Pinkos, and Cody Caldon) was pretty pumped to see it at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Tiger always likes to wear an executive sneaker at elevated events that aren't golf-specific. I think him wearing it there proves to me that it could be worn in some high-level situations.

Tiger Woods provided insight into the design process for the Sun Day Red Osprey. | Sun Day Red

What input did Tiger provide?

Tiger offered a lot of his insights. He wanted to be able to wear it off the course and potentially wear it to play some casual rounds. So we worked with the traction elements, significantly with him in terms of like the spatial relationship between the lugs, and to get the height up to industry standards.

The final part of our four-pronged approach was aesthetics. He's been pretty vocal about having a clean aesthetic and being able to kind of be able to wear it to some more upscale events. He had input all along the way, mostly on the performance side.

He's also been very proud of the work that we're all doing together. So he wanted to have some more branding. So we added some more branding to the tongue. Like it was a little bit less bold originally, and I think we amped it up significantly.

Tiger Woods quietly debuted the Sun Day Red Osprey earlier this year. | Sun Day Red

How do you thread the needle of pure performance and versatile lifestyle design?

Tiger's adamant about the idea that the athlete comes first. He wanted it to be able to perform on the course first and foremost. And he also wanted to provide a tool for caddies and teaching pros or coaches. So, it's extremely comfortable.

As far as the fashion and lifestyle element, we really wanted people to be able to wear this to the office as well. The exciting opportunity for us was to see these in boardrooms, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and at cocktail parties.

But also, to give golfers the opportunity to add another tool to their toolbox. So it has been really exciting. I'm waking up early and going to bed late, but I feel like a kid in a candy store, so it's pretty exciting.

Cody, Tyler, and I have a real holistic team approach to this. When anything comes across our table or our war room, we dig in. It shows collaboration is key, and then you know, we do have the GOAT at our disposal. His input provides a perfect storm.

Details on the Sun Day Red Osprey. | Sun Day Red

Where did the name Osprey come from?

It's kind of two-part. When you're playing golf near the shore, you're seeing a lot of Osprey. They're an apex predator. Then, the second piece of it is that there's a military aircraft named after that as well.

Is there any nod at all to the Osprey Valley in Toronto?

(Laughs) I think there are touchpoints there, too. I think when we were coming up with names, that was brought up in part of the discussions, but I think mostly it had to do with just like nature and a slight nod to his affinity for the military.

How do you think athletes and fans will react to the new shoe?

We have a bunch of club professionals around the country who kind of act as a sounding board and check the pulse and make sure we're hitting it. We sent them all a pair to wear to test and try out. One of our toughest critics on the East Coast sent me a text, "I'm wearing these every day. Can I get another pair?"

I think it's going to do awesome. I wore it in Jacksonville, Florida, when it snowed, and there were no slips, no issues; it had great traction and stability.

It still has a lower drop, so you're going to feel like you're going to be able to utilize ground force reactions to really kind of hammer into your swing. And then it's got a really comfortable ride. It's not going to be uncomfortable. I can guarantee that. 

The Sun Day Red Osprey can transition from the course to the boardroom. | Sun Day Red

Last question: What is your favorite aspect of the shoe?

Working with Cody and Tyler, it's what we call Gestalt, the sum of all the parts. But there's some storytelling wrapped into it, too. Also, I would say the overall build and just the final completion of it all. It's high-performance golf footwear, but also very mobile.

For me personally, it's become my airport shoe, so I wear it to the airport. It's so comfortable on planes. Like, there are no hot spots. It's extremely comfortable. It literally has become my everyday shoe. And that was the intent.

More Sun Day Red News

Tiger Woods debuted Sun Day Red's North Collection before the Open Championship.

Tiger Woods' Sun Day Red expands into retail stores.

Sun Day Red launches its Summer Championship Collection for the U.S. Open.

Sun Day Red launches the Pioneer Magnolia "Spectator" golf shoe.

Sun Day Red unveils the 'Carolina Collection' for the 2025 PGA Championship.