Laird adidas Golf go low with new shoe

• By Adam Barr
• Oct 19, 2009 7:13 PM ET

Adidas Golf found a few years ago that a lot of pros didn’t like the feeling of being elevated in their golf shoes. That is, the thicker soles, with all the traction elements on the outsole, had some players feeling like they were reaching down to the ball a bit – enough, in some cases, to throw off their stance or swing.

The company’s solution was to go low, and thin out the whole bottom of the shoe, but without sacrificing traction and stability elements. The latest model to do this, the TOUR360 4.0, made its debut this past week on the PGA Tour at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas.

And it was a victorious debut, as Martin Laird sported the new shoe en route to his first PGA Tour title.

The TOUR360 4.0 features adidas PINS (Performance Insert System), which the company developed with cleat maker Pride Sports. The cleat attachment mechanism is thinner, as is the cleat itself, resulting in a shoe that is a third lower to the ground than those with conventional attachment setups. TMAG is billing it as the moveable weight technology of footwear.

Other TOUR360 features from prior models are there as well, including the mid-foot-gripping Powerband chassis and adiPRENE cushioning in the heel. Suggested retail will be $180. The shoes are already available in Las Vegas and will be released nationwide on November 1.