Adidas’ new adizero Tour golf shoe is the lightest in the company’s history, weighing only 10.6 ounces. That means its 38 percent lighter than Adidas’ previous high-performance golf shoe, the Tour ATV, making it brag worthy enough for the company to send members of the media a display that suspends the shoe in midair.

But hold on a second — golfers aren’t running when they’re on the course. So will a lightweight golf shoe really help them on the course?

According to Dav Mattuicci, global marketing manager for Adidas, they can. Mattuici said a golfer who walks 18 holes lifts his legs between 15,000 and 17,000 times. That means the difference between the Tour ATV and the adizero is about 6.5 ounces per step, or if a golfer takes 17,000 steps, about 6900 pounds. Sounds like a fresher golfer to me.

The primary weight savings on the adizero come from the outsole. The shoe’s “SprintFrame” outsole weighs only 3.4 ounces, and is constructed from a high-performance elastomer called Pebax that is strong and flexible. The shoe’s upper is wrapped in what Adidas calls “SprintSkin,” a proprietary microfiber leather that is lightweight and waterproof. And despite its compact appearance, the adizero is also a touch wider in the toe section than the Tour ATV, making it more comfortable in that area.

Lightweight, check. Waterproof, check. More comfortable, check. Now what about the outsole?

Unlike most golf shoes, the adizero uses no “secondary traction,” meaning it doesn’t have any of the big nubs or nobs that are used in most spike and spikeless golf shoes to add additional traction. The lack of secondary traction improves the interaction of the shoe’s 10 traditional spikes, which Mattuici said provides a better grip and more stability. There’s also a high-abrasion rubber heel crash pad that offers a better heel strike for walking, as well as rounded sections of the outsole that allow golfers to transfer their weight more efficiently through the shot.

The shoe will be released in four different styles (pictured below), and will be available at retail for $180 on Jan. 24. Adidas’ staff players will debut the new shoe that week during the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

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