Founded by Londoner Tom Lawrence, The Eden Club of St. Andrews, Scotland is an international golf club that provides its members with access to other private clubs worldwide – an ideal solution for frequent travelers who find it difficult to arrange for golf while on the road.

Being in the sports-marketing business and an avid traveler himself, Lawrence, now Chairman of The Eden Club, saw an opportunity to fill a void in the country club market and set out to create a club that had a unique ability to network for its members.  In addition to its home base in St. Andrews – which features luxury accommodations and services at Pittormie Castle; and famous links courses such as Eden, Jubilee, New, Old, Strathtyrum, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie (past host of the British Open and considered to be amongst the toughest courses in the world) – the Eden Club provides the services of a dedicated Secretariat that takes care of members as they travel the world. 

As one club member, a South African resident, describes “the Secretariat assists members as they travel the world and takes care of all their golfing arrangements, enabling them to invite guests to experience some of the finest clubs wherever they travel. It’s not a reciprocal rights program, as they work below the radar screen in a very low-key fashion. It takes all of the aggravation out of organizing golf and helps to deliver opportunities members may not be able to achieve on their own.”

The club also boasts an extensive international events schedule. Another member from Bermuda describes Eden Club events as the most attractive part of membership, “The Club now has 600 members who live all round the world and place great value on their precious leisure time. They all come from similar backgrounds and share similar lifestyles. It’s a privilege to be able to share wonderful times in beautiful surroundings and we are all drawn together through our interest in golf. It’s amazing to witness the value people take from meeting and spending time with one another. This is very much a club – with all the privileges and benefits of clubdom”.

On their events calendar this Fall, The Eden club has scheduled member tournaments at some of the top clubs in the US, and invited Otabo along to host trunk shows. For more information on the The Eden Club, email Tom Lawrence at tlawrence@finestgolfclubs.com.

On The Green

Pittormie Castle

The castle is a throwback to fine living of a bygone era.  From the moment a member arrives at the airport, one of the club’s chauffeur-driven Bentleys or Range Rovers greets them and is on call for the duration of their stay.  Complete with butler, Michelin chef, piper and housekeeper, the restored 17^th century clubhouse estate takes care of members’ needs and provides a private oasis to entertain guests. 

Dear Friends, Family and Otabo Customers, 

The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article on the dying infrastructure of the shoe industry in the United States – U.S. Shoe Factory Finds Supplies Are Achilles' Heel. Mr. Tim Aeppel, the journalist who wrote the report, interviewed Otabo Founder and President Howard Shaffer and spent a full day at our last factory bay in South Florida to watch us pack out for our move back to China. 

As you’ll read in The WSJ report, Otabo, like other American shoemakers, had been facing the difficulties of an almost non-existent industry. The negative tone of the interview (in regards to the failing footwear industry in the USA), has led some people to believe that we are closing up shop. This is not the case. We have simply moved. 

And we have moved with good reason – our business is growing, and we could not continue to affordably produce a quality product here in the United States.  Manufacturing in the US is increasingly expensive, and it is also more and more difficult to find skilled labor and high-grade materials.  We gave our US production a good run (it’s been over ten years since we first left China) and Otabo alone cannot save the shoe industry in America.   

For those of you who have visited our US factory, and maybe even watched your shoes in production, I am sure you can appreciate how much work and equipment it takes to provide the service and product that we do. Moving over 30,000 square feet of work space was not an easy task, but our new factory setup is finally complete, and designed to not only be more efficient, but to also introduce a greater variety of shoemaking techniques.  In addition to faster deliveries (we’ll be down to three weeks lead time before the end of the year!), we will be offering you more of the styles that you are asking for. 

So while we can no longer sustain a shoe factory in the States, we will continue to have a strong presence here in the US, and strive to influence the footwear industry for the better – developing innovative shoemaking techniques; reintroducing time-tested, traditional shoemaking techniques that modern industry has given up in favor of cheaper methods; and returning footwear to its roots as a service-oriented, highly individualized product. 

Now that I’ve addressed any confusion on The WSJ article, I would like to welcome you to Otabo’s blog.  This blog will be means for us to keep everyone updated on happenings with our company and to introduce you to the people, partners, projects and research that motivate and inspire us. 

So please subscribe and check in with us from time to time to learn about everything from new technologies we’re testing out, to tips from PGA pros on how to improve your game. We’d also love to hear your feedback and thoughts on how to better educate and service you on custom footwear. 


Sincerely,  
        
Sabrina Shaffer
Otabo Inc.  

 
Otabo at Tao Beach, Las Vegas
From left to right: Me and Otabo Designer Elizabeth Roque, who also happens to be one of my best friends; Otabo custom trainer, ostrich golf spectators, oxfords and loafer from our cabana display; award-winning, former Nike Design Director Christopher Bevans and the beginnings of his namesake footwear collection developed by Otabo.

Arnold Palmer’s Kingdom Maganzine coverage on the Otabo Golf Spectator Wingtip, custom designed for Se Ri Pak’s induction into the Golf Hall of Fame.  

CLUBS, PEOPLE WORRY ABOUT. A BAG to put the clubs in, also a matter of concern. Sun visor, sunscreen, golf balls, golf ball marker, proper shirt and pants, glove, laser rangefinder… Countless hours are spent flipping through catalogs and online review sites researching almost every bit of the golfer's tool kit. How odd, then, that when it comes to shoes so many golfers go on looks alone. Far from merely keeping your feet safe from a hot parking lot, proper golf shoes anchor you to the ground, which helps improve stability, which helps you not put your drive into the woods. Next time you set out to shod your dogs consider shoes from the following companies all of which have more to offer than just laces and a pretty tongue. Your swing will thank you. 

OTABO
The bespoke shoe goes high-tech with Otabo Custom shoes. The Florida-based company uses a computer scanning process that captures more than 200,000 data points to create 3D digital models of your feet. The scans, together with your fit preferences, shoe model of choice and custom design options, are sent to the factory. There, your custom golf shoes are made from the finest leathers and materials available – one shoe to the best fit of your left foot, the other to your right. Otabo even offers custom branding on the sole, perfect for personalizing the ultimate custom golf gift. Fit-to-finish takes about 10 weeks, which is quite reasonable considering yours will be the only pair like it in the world. 
Otabo Bespoke Golf shoes: Starting near $725Available at finer clothiers and shoe stores nationwide.
Visit www.otabo.com for more information.