FootJoy's Best Shoe Gets Better
By Rick Young Created: December 4, 2018
EQUIP AND BIZ
Comments Comments Share on TwitterShare Share on FacebookShare
If golf footwear starts from the ground up — and I'm a firm believer it does — the correlation between midsole/outsole technology and performance cannot be overstated in any context.
As weight is shifted north-south during a swing golfers require ground control; they need stability. When they pick up their bag to walk east-west to their next shot or the next tee box their expectation is for those same golf shoes to feel like slippers, or, the very least, like a well-broken-in pair of sneakers.
What's under your foot is integral for that. The level of engineering and technology being applied to mid and outsoles today is light years from where it was even a decade ago. Staying grounded underneath your feet on course has become a sophisticated exercise of swing function, control and foot biomechanics that has been enhanced and augmented through the data and analysis of force plate technology and digital instrumentation.
FootJoy's next generation Pro/SL is a shining example of this. Released last month, the Acushnet subsidiary's newest spike-less product features 223 points of contact between outsole and ground using four combined traction technologies and patterns to achieve what FootJoy describes as "tour-proven traction in all weather conditions."
This shoe takes advantage of two more mid-layers. The first is a dense Fine-Tuned Foam (FTF) layer that assists with perimeter stability during the golf swing and, on top of that, a Fine-Tuned Foam insert providing the Pro/SL with its cushioning and comfort properties.
The multi-layering of the shoe is enhanced by the FTF which FootJoy claims is 10 per cent lighter than conventional EVA foams.
"One of the things that separate us from our competition is the ability of our research and development team to explore every avenue for materials and construction possible," said Chris Lindner, FootJoy president, during an interview earlier this year.
FootJoy's most popular shoe in green grass and off-course retail locations as well as on professional tours worldwide, the second-generation Pro/SL has some work to do to be the equal of its predecessor.
Since its debut in 2016 the shoe has been the chosen footwear product of more of the top-100 ranked players in the world than any other shoe and has been worn to the winner's circle more than 130 times in just over 24 months.
Among the early adopters who continue to wear the spikeless Pro/SL are Adam Scott, Ian Poulter, Louis Oosthuizen, Charley Hoffman, Peter Uihlein, Patrick Cantlay and last week's Australian PGA champion, Cameron Smith.
Poulter, a noted footwear fanatic who signed with Titleist and FootJoy in late 2014, is bullish on the comfort aspects of the shoe above all else. It should be noted that professional golfers often walk in excess of 25 miles during the week of a tournament.
"Of all the shoes I've worn throughout my career these (Pro/SL) are by far the most comfortable," he said in a release. "I get great grip in wet and dry conditions, plus with the BOA system, I can dial in fit and comfort to get exactly what I want."
This comes as no surprise to Richard Fryer.
"Our players can choose from any shoe in our line, so the fact that so many continue to choose Pro/SL, on tours all over the world and in all possible conditions, really validates the product's performance and our extensive design and development process," said FootJoy's director of product management, footwear.
Currently available in two versions — grey/white laced and black/black laced — three more styles of the new Pro/SL are set to hit the retail market on February 1, 2019. Those include two white models and a second black/silver version with BOA.
Join Rick Young for what's new and what's happening in the world of golf equipment and business.
Remembering Pete Dye
Paying tribute to Pete Dye, who became golf's most famous course architect by taking chances, being bold and being different.