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Puma takes crown for lightest shoe with Faas Lite Mesh

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There’s a new champ in the race to have the lightest golf shoe on the market.

Starting in June, Puma Golf’s newest shoe, the 6.5-ounce Faas Lite Mesh, will be available for purchase. The launch date for these shoes — which will be sold for $90 — is June 5, and they will be the lightest footwear option on the market.

“The new, spikeless footwear style is designed to take you from the street to the course in lightweight, maximum comfort and trend-setting style,” said Tom Manthe, global marketing manager for Puma Golf.

The Faas Lite Mesh embraces the barefoot movement, something that has been a driving force in a number of releases in 2013. It got started back in January with Adidas announcing its 10.6-ounce adiZero shoe (full review can be found here) and continued later that month with Oakley’s 9.2-ounce Cipher 2 (full story can be found here).

Since then, barefoot golf shoe originator True linskwear released its new PROTO (full story can be found here) and FootJoy went minimal with its M:Project golf shoe (Full story can be found here).

Puma will also start selling its slightly heavier, but still incredibly light, Faas Lite waterproof shoes which check in at 8.7 ounces. The waterproof versions contain all the same barefoot benefits as the Mesh version and will sell for $100.

The benefits of a barefoot shoe include a zero-degree drop from the heel to the toe, keeping the foot level in the shoe. That is supposed to give a more natural stride and promote better posture while swinging.

Puma is also promoting its use of corrugated flex grooves that move with the foot for a more natural movement, provide optimal flexibility and more ground contact while swinging.

There will be a women’s version of Faas Lite Mesh ($80) and the Faas Lite waterproof ($90) starting June 5 as well.

A new Puma release wouldn’t seem complete without a Rickie Fowler-inspired edition, and the Faas Lite comes through with one. Taking inspiration from Fowler’s 2010 “Golf Art,” a special-edition shoe, the Faas Lite Splatter ($110), will feature a paint splatter design on a white outsole with an orange (no surprise there) foam stripe.

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Andrew Prezioso is a freelance sports reporter and photographer (http://amprezioso.smugmug.com/). You can follow him on Twitter @AMPrezioso. He currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, after graduating from the University of Richmond in 2012.

6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. Dustyn

    Sep 4, 2013 at 10:13 pm

    There light and comfy till you swing, No protection on the front of toes and no grip!!

  2. Santiago

    Aug 5, 2013 at 1:03 am

    These shoes are awful. I love how confortable they are but durability is a big issue. I am on my second pair and both lasted 3 rounds until the sole separates from the shoe in the left side of left foot (right handed golfer), exactly where they get most do the stress. My second pair lasted a week and is going back to the store tomorrow. Really bad quality!!!!!

  3. Chad

    May 28, 2013 at 8:05 pm

    I run in Puma Faas shoes and they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. So much so that I bought a few pairs for running and a few for casual wear. Puma already has a Faas golf shoe, I believe, but it was leather and only came in white/black and black/orange. These new ones may make it into my lineup, depending on the color selection.

  4. Eagle006

    May 28, 2013 at 4:45 am

    Golf shoes are now running shoes. The two things have essentially merged and are barely indistinguishable from each other. If someone had suggested this 15 years ago, they’d have been rightly ridiculed.

    I welcome increasing comfort and decreasing weight in golf shoes, but it seems to be being done at the expense of grip. Sorry, but a few small knobbles on the sole isn’t really going to cut it. Surely it’s not beyond these companies to produce a light shoe which still offers exceptional grip and traction? Either way it’s a far cry from Hogan ordering shoes with extra metal spikes, because he gripped the ground so much through his swing.

  5. Justin Quirke

    May 20, 2013 at 11:30 am

    This article deserves a good proof reading before it got publicized. In graph 3, barefoot movement got started by adidas? then the next sentence says barefoot originator True Linkswear? Which is it, was the barefoot movement originated by the adidas or by the true? And Faas Lite waterproof are listed as $100, then $90? University of Richmond must not have taiught how to outline a story. This is awful.

    • Zak Kozuchowski

      May 20, 2013 at 2:15 pm

      Justin,

      Adidas launched its adizero shoe in January 2013, which was extremely light and had barefoot elements. Then we learned of Oakley’s Cipher at the 2013 PGA Merchandise show, which was even lighter.

      Now Puma has gotten into the mix with its Faas Lite Mesh, which is even lighter than that. But the first company to bring barefoot to golf was True, which is why they are mentioned.

      The mesh version of the Faas Lite (6.5 ounces) is $90, while 8.7-ounce waterproof version of it is $100. In women’s, the prices are $80 and $90, as Andrew states in the ninth paragraph.

      It’s not Andrew’s fault, or the fault of his university, that you chose not to comprehend the information he provided.

      – Zak

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made.

From the seller: (@DLong72): “Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made. ?: $1150. ?? 100% milled collectors item from the limited releases commemorating when Ping putters won every major in 1988 (88 putters made). This was the model Seve Ballesteros used to win the 1988 Open Championship. Condition is brand new, never gamed, everything is in the original packaging as it came. Putter features the iconic sound slot.

Specs/ Additional Details

-100% Milled, Aluminum/Bronze Alloy (310g)

-Original Anser Design

-PING PP58 Grip

-Putter is built to standard specs.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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Inside Collin Morikawa’s recent golf ball, driver, 3-wood, and “Proto” iron changes

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As you probably know by now, Collin Morikawa switched putters after the first round of The Masters, and he ultimately went on to finish T3.

The putter was far from the only change he made last week, however, and his bag is continuing to change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage.

On the range of The Masters, Morikawa worked closely with Adrian Reitveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, to find the perfect driver and 3-wood setups.

Morikawa started off 2024 by switching into TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max driver, but since went back to his faithful TaylorMade SIM – yes, the original SIM from 2020. Somehow, some way, it seems Morikawa always ends up back in that driver, which he used to win the 2020 PGA Championship, and the 2021 Open Championship.

At The Masters, however, Rietveld said the duo found the driver head that allowed “zero compromise” on Morikawa’s preferred fade flight and spin. To match his preferences, they landed on a TaylorMade Qi10 LS 9-degree head, and the lie angle is a touch flatter than his former SIM.

“It’s faster than his gamer, and I think what we found is it fits his desired shot shape, with zero compromise” Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the RBC Heritage.

Then, to replace his former SIM rocket 3-wood, Morikawa decided to switch into the TaylorMade Qi10 core model 13.5-degree rocket head, with an adjustable hosel.

“He likes the spin characteristics of that head,” Rietveld said. “Now he’s interesting because with Collin, you can turn up at a tournament, and you look at his 3-wood, and he’s changed the setting. One day there’s more loft on it, one day there’s less loft on it. He’s that type of guy. He’s not scared to use the adjustability of the club.

“And I think he felt our titanium head didn’t spin as low as his original SIM. So we did some work with the other head, just because he liked the feel of it. It was a little high launching, so we fit him into something with less loft. It’s a naughty little piece of equipment.” 

In addition to the driver and fairway wood changes, Morikawa also debuted his new “MySymbol” jersey No. 5 TP5x golf ball at The Masters. Morikawa’s choice of symbols is likely tied to his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Not enough changes for you? There’s one more.

On Wednesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Morikawa was spotted with a new TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron in the bag. If you recall, it’s the same model that Rory McIlroy debuted at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.

According to Morikawa, the new Proto 4-iron will replace his old P-770 hollow-bodied 4-iron.

“I used to hit my P-770 on a string, but sometimes the distance would be a little unpredictable,” Morikawa told GolfWRX.com. “This one launches a touch higher, and I feel I can predict the distance better. I know Rory replaced his P-760 with it. I’m liking it so far.” 

See Morikawa’s full WITB from the 2024 RBC Heritage here. 

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Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage

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Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.

It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.

When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”

“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”

 

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According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.

Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:

“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.

“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.

“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.

“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.

“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”

So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.

His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.

See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here

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