Nike develops 'ultimate summer shoe'

• By Global Golf Post
• Jul 31, 2012 12:51 PM ET

Nike Golf engineers describe the new Lunar Ascend as  “the ultimate summer shoe,” and that has a lot to do with the performance features of the product’s upper, which utilizes a construction technique that originated some years ago in Nike’s basketball division.

Called Hyperfuse, it is an engineered composite of three different materials: an internal synthetic underlay for structure and support, a performance mesh layer for breathability and a thin, yet durable, outer layer for additional protection and support. According to Luke Walker, the global footwear product director at Nike Golf, the base stability layer and breathable layer are fused with the thin TPU skin layer for a no-sew construction.

“That allows us to achieve structure and stability while maintaining that lightweight breathability that is so important when the weather gets hot in summer,” he says. “It’s a sieve as far as air flow goes.”

In addition, the Lunar Ascend employs a Lunarlon foam cushioning system in the mid-sole that is designed to provide underfoot comfort as well as support through the use of a pair of dual-density foams.

Developed in Nike’s Innovation Kitchen, Lunarlon is comprised of soft, springy foam in the middle and a more supportive foam chassis to provide, in Walker’s words, “greater durability and responsiveness.” He also points out that the Lunarlon utilized in the Lunar Ascend is 30 percent lighter than standard foam cushioning.

As for the fully molded, Integrated Traction outsole, it is made to enhance ground feel with a low profile that is intended to give gives golfers lots of lateral stability, as well as more flexibility and greater natural motion for the foot.