Golf | Evolving Consumer

Nike Looks to Make Impact

The days of the heavy white golf shoe are clearly in the past. Nike golf has introduced its Free-Inspired TW’13 that provides freedom of movement with maximum ground feel. Available in August in both men’s and women’s versions these utilize the Nike Dynamic Fit system to help harness the foot to provide the support athletes demand, while also ensuring that athletes keep contact with the ground longer – which in turn helps harness the energy of the foot to the shoe and, therefore, the shoe to the ground

The TW’13 also offers a Nike Free-Inspired platform and waterproof mesh upper providing increased flexibility with breathability to keep feet cool, dry and comfortable. These are shoes that won’t just arrive this summer, they’ll make a serious impact on the game of golf.

Nike Golf Official Website

Golf Lite

Puma has introduced the Faas Lite Golf Shoes, which are lightweight and flexible, and promise to be comfortable round after round. These feature a waterproof microfiber leather upper that is equipped with stormCELL to keep feet protected from the elements. A lace closure ensures a snug fit, while the EverTrack carbon rubber forefoot and heal ensures you’ll be able to walk the course in confidence.

Puma Faas Lite Golf Shoes

Nike Golf App Goes 360 Again

Wherever your travels take you the Nike Golf NG360 app will be there with you. The new app, which launched in the United States last May, will now be able to track rounds on more than 30,000 courses in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Sweden and France. Available for iOS it can provide golfers with an innovative digital tool for swing analysis, game tracking and gear recommendations.

The app allows golfers to score rounds and track various statistics including scoring average, driving accuracy, greens in regulation and average putts per round. The NG360 app allows golfers to see how they stack up by monitoring results and beating their personal bests.

The training section also helps golf athletes get into golf shape thanks to Nike Golf’s partnership with the Gray Institute, the foremost leader in Applied Functional Science. The Gray Institute has developed the NG360 Functional Performance System that is tailored to golf movements that the body makes, a clear distinction from other training systems; while golfers can also navigate the latest Nike Golf products in the app that are suitable to their needs. These include the Nike Golf Ball Recommender, which makes it easy for golfers to find the right ball for their game, while athletes can get dialed from tee to green, driver setting recommendations and game analysis are included in the app.

Nike Golf Official Website

Sunice For the Summer Days

Sunice has unveiled its 2013 Silver Collections for the Summer. The men’s collection offers a wide selection of core basics including a short and long sleeve polo option, lightweight layering, and bottoms in a variety of plaids and solids. Bottoms are available in black, midnight and charcoal. These include full stretch fabric and stain release; along with asymmetrical blockings, updated herringbone, and an assortment of stripes. The Women’s Sunice Silver Collection brings out solids and plaids, to put a little color on the greens!

These clothes will shine as the Sunice continues its exclusive partnership with X-Static – a permanent technology that uses 99.9 percent pure silver filaments in the fabrication of its yarns. In addition to looking good, the X-Static and XT2 technology inhibits the growth of bacteria causing microbes which cause odor, while its conductive and reflective properties enables the wearer to maintain and sustain their core micro-climate allowing the body to perform at the highest level.

Sunice Official Website

Nike Goes to the Forge

Nike Golf has announced that its Nike VR Forged wedge family is now available at retail. This line is fine forged of a soft 1025 carbon steel and finished in premium satin chrome. This delivers shot-making consistency, tour-level feel, and long-life groove performance. The VR Forged wedge features three distinct sole grinds to ensure ideal set-up from sand, fringe, fairway or deep rough for different players. The three sole grinds are Standard Grind, Dual Narrow Grind and Dual Wide Grind.

This wedge features a dual narrow grind, along with a narrow sole width with higher bounce and extreme heel relief. The wedge has been designed to sit low to the ball whether the face is square or open. Wedge details after the jump

The “Porsche” of Golf Shoes

Adidas has often been called the “Cadillac of Athlete Shoes” but that apparently wasn’t good enough. The company has introduced the Adidas Porsche Design Cleat li Golf Shoe, which is made in the Scheinfeld plant in Germany fittingly enough. These feature a leather upper that offers the Porsche Design’s laser flex graphic, along with a low-profile Thintech outsole with PINS (Performance Inset System) that brings the golfer closer to the ground for improved footwork, balance and better ball strike.

The waterproof shoe also offers TRAXION configuration to provide a lock-down grip in all directions. Porsche, there is no substitute.

Adidas Cleat li Official Website

Nike Golf Updates the Shoes of the Tiger

Nike Golf has unveiled its new TW’14 line of shoes, which Nike Athlete Tiger Woods debuted the new Nike shoe in a dramatic fashion with his 78th PGA Tour career victory at The Players Championship. The new iconic shoe is also the first Nike Golf shoe to be made available on NIKEiD with previews beginning this week.

The new TW’14 continued the collaboration with Woods, further enhancing the fit, feel and function of the golf shoes. The natural motion engineered outsole of the shoe is designed to mimic and conform to the natural motion of the foot, while still providing the protection and traction of a lightweight performance shoe. The new TW’14 footwear stays true to Woods’ signature colors, White, Black and Red, and also adds a new colorway to the mix, Cool Grey with Vivid Blue and Venom Green accents.

Nike Golf Official Website

The Women’s Club

Nike Golf has introduced a performance line of clubs designed specifically with women in mind. The Nike Verdana is the lightest women’s set ever produced, and from top to bottom it is meant to deliver faster swing speeds and provide greater control. The set includes 11 clubs: driver, 3 fairway wood, 4-6 hybrids, 7-PW, SW, putter, and a matching carry bag. This holistic full-set design takes distance gapping, trajectory, and spin profiles into account, producing a set engineered just for women.

Nike Golf Official Website

Range Viewer

Bushnell makes range finders for a variety of outdoor activities and the Bushnell Tour V3 Rangerfinder is just for golf. It features a one-hand-friendly design with 5x magnification, and it utilizes the company’s Pin Seeker and Jolt technologies so it be used for those up close shots and down the green. It is rainproof and offers an ergonomic design to provide a stable grip.

Bushnell Golf Tour V3 Rangerfinder Official Website

Get IT

IT might just be the next great golf shoe and it comes via a skater. That is the Nike Koston 2 IT, which was designed with collaboration from pro skateboarder Eric Koston. This shoe features a leather upper based on the Integrated Traction technology – hence the “IT” part of the equation. This provides a stable footing with a Swingtip outsole, while Lunarlon inserts provide comfort. There are even flexible spikes that react to the pressure from the foot to help grip the greens. It probably wouldn’t be a bad skateshoe either.

Nike Official Website

The RIFE Stuff

Calling its new putter “Iconic” is a bold statement, but RIFE doesn’t mess around. The new RIFE Iconic lived up to its name as it was the club of choice at the Par 3 Tournament held last week at The Masters. The Iconic is part of RIFE’s new Vault 001 Series and feature classically designed blade with RollGrove Technology Face that the company claims creates the truest “no skid” roll no matter where you hit the ball. Given the showing at the Par 3 this might be the RIFE stuff.

RIFE Golf Official Website

Antigua Golf Comes Out Swinging With 2013 Collection

Antigua Golf has introduced its men’s and women’s Performance Golf Collection, which continues the tradition of bolder and brighter colors than even the bold and bright spring collection. The color palette includes invigorating pop colors such as Lapis, Margarita, Apple, Melon, Phlox, and Zest, for the Men’s Collections, and Light Melon, Kiss, Pansy, Fountain, Margarita, Light Apple, for the Women’s Collections. The summer apparel line features the company’s proprietary Desert Dry and Desert Dry Xtra-Lite moisture management technology so golfers can beat the heat this summer.

Antigua Golf Official Website

Forget the Water Hazards

While a water hazard is part of the game of golf, rain can be a hazard to the golf clubs. The OGIO Aquatech Golf Bag is designed to protect the clubs. It features a fleece-lined, waterproof valuables pocket with mobile phone sleeve along with thermo-welded waterproof pockets for the clubs. And yet it is made of lightweight fabric so this doesn’t bog down wet or dry. There is even a rain hood included.

OGIO Official Website