Nike executive reveals $150 Scottie Scheffler secret behind the 'Scottie Shuffle'

Scottie Scheffler is the most dominating name in the men's golf circuit at the moment. He has a unique footwork when swinging that sets him apart from the rest of his competitors.

But it also means that he has unique requirements in footwear which may or may not be fulfilled without innovative customizations. The reigning Masters champion is fondly known as the 'Scottie shuffle' for shuffling his feet when hitting the ball.

Recently, Matt Plumb, men's sport and training footwear director at Nike discussed with the PGA Tour how Scheffler was their muse when creating their latest Nike Victory Pro 4 shoe priced at around $150 online.

The World No. 1 was approached by Nike to give them feedback in their process of developing a "better-performing footwear" and Scheffler was more than happy to do that. His shuffle was the guiding force behind the ideation of the golf shoe.

Plumb talked about how Scheffler's footwork is different as compared to other PGA Tour golfers:

"Scottie’s footwork is incredibility unique, but it’s also what makes him great. If you look at Scottie through the backswing he looks like any golfer we see on the PGA TOUR. But as he pushes off and creates that speed, that’s when his footwork gets a bit unique. So, for us it was about providing the right level of stability but also allowing a level of freedom for his right foot to move and kick into that move he does,"

The first prototype of the shoe didn't hit the mark for Scottie Scheffler and he pointed out the exact spots where he needed additional support and which parts provided unnecessary stability. The prototype was cut out with scissors according to these modifications.

Finally, after two years of hard work, Nike landed on the Victory Pro 4 that had a unique fly wing, placed at the base of the toes. The brand used the ace golfer's force-plate data to nail down the exact spots where he needed the spikes to be placed.

Plumb talked about the insights Scheffler provided that helped them make the perfect footwear for the infamous 'Scottie shuffle'.

"One of the key insights Scottie gave us is he really wanted a spike right in the middle of the toes. And if you think about the ‘Scottie shuffle,’ that’s the spike he relies on as he moves through that transition," he said.

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How the Nike Vapor 9 tennis shoe inspired the Nike Victory Pro 4 golf shoe on Scottie Scheffler's feedback

Scottie Scheffler (Source: Imagn)

In the process of creating the Nike Victory Pro 4 golf shoe, Scottie Scheffler asked Nike if the new golf shoe could be as comfortable as his Nike Vapor 9 tennis shoe. On his suggestion, the brand incorporated the internal construction of the tennis shoe into the new golf shoe.

Matt Plumb spoke about this saying:

"And he (Scottie Scheffler) said, ‘Can I have my golf shoe be as comfortable as my Nike Vapor 9 tennis shoe?’. He went to his car, got his tennis shoes, we looked at them, we looked at those elements, and ... we actually took the internal construction from the tennis shoe and put it into the golf shoe. "

"You’ve got this element of comfort, this element of stability, and obviously the traction element that’s specific to golf. And then it manifests itself into something that looks a little bit classic but also feels very athletic and very nice," he added.

The golf shoes finally launched recently and are currently available online at around $150.