Sir Henry Cotton and Lotus Golf Shoes

I RAN ACROSS THIS VINTAGE GOLF SHOES ad yesterday as I was doing research. Lotus Golf Shoes apparently were among the best spikes made in the 1950s and 1960s (and perhaps beyond). Lotus supplied golf shoes to the Great Britain and Ireland Ryder Cup team.

To brush up on the distinguished man in the ad, Sir Henry Cotton was a gifted player, certainly the best English golfer of his generation, I dare say. Cotton, wrote one Brit, “was what used to be known as dapper, incredibly well turned-out.” He was also said to have a passion for champagne and Rolls Royces.

In one nine-year stretch in the 1930s, Cotton never finished out of the top 10 in the Open Championship. During that span, he won twice and had two third-place finishes. He won his third Open in 1948 and finished his career with 17 professional wins and later earned a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame.