New adidas Powerband 4.0 Built For Stability

The new Powerband 4.0 from adidas Golf is devoted to enhanced stability, leverage and balance control.

It features a Powerband Chassis to provide lateral stability from the ground up to allow for faster, more aggressive swings and a stretch-resistant synthetic overlay for added stability and durability.

“There’s no better way to support golf’s growing power game than by advancing golf’s most powerful shoe,” said Bill Price, senior director of global footwear.

“The Powerband 4.0 provokes confidence because it delivers the support and stability aggressive golfers need and does so at a tour-proven level,” he said.

Other features include the FitFOAM insole for cushioning and a TPU forefoot with eight-spike configuration with ThinTech low-profile technology for traction and stability.

The upper features full-grain leather with detailed synthetic overlays for added stability and durability.

The Powerband 4.0 is available in medium and wide widths and comes with a ClimaProof two-year waterproof warranty. It’s available in three colourways.

Classic adidas Shoe Hits Golf

For the first time, adidas’ renowned Samba shoe will be showcased on the golf course.

Introduced in 1950. the original Samba was created to enable soccer players to train on hard, icy ground and it became a dominant indoor soccer shoe that has since transcended into a street shoe, as well.

“Samba has been widely loved around the world for decades,” said Bill Price, vice president of adidas Golf footwear. “It’s time to bring its timeless styling to the golf course.”

Samba Golf maintains the classic silhouette and three stripes design and features a durable, suede toe-guard and the distinctive tan gumsole equipped with six cleats and THINTECH low-profile technology for improved traction, stability and support.

The textile, synthetic-leather upper is water-resistant and designed for lightweight, durable performance.

The footwear is offered in medium width and three colourways, including black/white/gum, white/black/gum, and satellite/white/ gum.

Express Yourself With adidas’ Fashion Performance

The expression of individual style is the motivation behind the introduction of the Fashion Performance line from adidas Golf.

The line debuts in a variety of unique designs for men and women, including colour-blocked polos, fashion bottoms, sweaters and training tops.

“Fashion Performance means so much to adidas Golf because it allows a specific segment of golfer to benefit from performance, while staying true to their personality on the course,” said Tiss Dahan, senior director of global apparel for adidas.

“Uniting adidas Golf’s renowned Clima technology allows us to deliver key performance benefits, optimal fit and comfort in the training tops and bottoms, while allowing Fashion Performance players the welcome opportunity to express their individual style,” she added.

The line is meant to transition to off-course lifestyle wear, with each piece easily identifiable as Fashion Performance by its combination of patterns, colours, modern design and new, modernized logo.

The Street Is On The Streets

The new adidas Street shoe provides full-grain leather for a rich look and feel, with the upper designed to be lightweight and durable and a soft spikeless outsole to provide traction, comfort and off-course durability.

Justin Rose wore the Street at his recent victory at the BMW Championship.

“I noticed an impressive improvement after wearing the adidas Street shoe. The softer construction puts less stress on the body and I walk off the course feeling fresher,” said Rose.

The Street is designed to allow the foot more natural flexion and torsion with cushioning.  The spikeless outsole is made with 124 strategically-placed traction lugs of various sizes for a secure grip in various playing conditions.

There is also a textured, synthetic toe cap built for durability and abrasion resistance.

The Street will be available in white/white/black, cognac brown/tour white/gum, white/FP royal/FP royal and white/FP lime/FP lime colour combinations.

Industry Notes: Feb. 28, 2011

Adams Golf celebrating a triple crown of sorts a week ago when Aaron Baddeley won at the Northern Trust Open on the PGA Tour, Bernhard Langer took the Ace Group Classic on the Champions Tour and Yani Tseng won the Honda LPGA Thailand. All are Adams players … TaylorMade-adidas has extended its relationship with LPGA Tour star and 2010 U.S. Women’s Open winner Paula Creamer, who will wear the TaylorMade logo on the left side and back of her headwear, used a TaylorMade staff bag, wear adidas Golf apparel and her Paula footwear. Creamer has won nine times on the LPGA Tour and 11 times worldwide and qualified three times for Solheim Cup play. She recently switched to TaylorMade’s new R11 driver … Al Balding and Nick Weslock will be the focus of two Beyond the Fairway: The Legends of Canadian Golf speaker series at the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum on the grounds of Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont. The Weslock portion of the series will take place March 13, while the Balding portion is schedule for April 9. Both take place from 1-3 p.m. Tickets are available for $25 each or $40 for both. Tickets can be obtained by e-mailing cghf@golfcanada.ca, or by calling 1-800-263-0009, ext. 411.

Sophistication, Performance Are Goals Of The adiPURE Z

A second generation of adiPURE has been unveiled by adidas Golf, with the introduction last week of the adiPURE Z.

“The adiPURE Z was an exciting challenge for our designers,” said Harry Arnett, vice president of brand and product marketing for adidas Golf.

“We knew there was a subset of golfers who wanted the unparalleled performance delivered by the original adiPURE in a more refined, sophisticated and contemporary package,” he added.

Premium, hand-finished leather is incorporated throughout the adiPURE Z, including the lining, to provide a rich look and feel with lasting quality, while the mono-tongue construction offers a better fit and improved technology.

Advanced THiNTech low-profile technology brings the golfer closer to the ground for improved stability, better overall footwork and more consistent ball-striking.

The shoes include the exclusive THiNTech to deliver grip in all conditions and a 10-spike configuration for grip and perimeter stability, even for players with higher swing speeds.

The adiPURE Z has a two-year waterproof warranty and is available in white, black and redwood (pictured).

Rangewear Offers Fashion Before Tee-Off

Citing a need for a lightweight, comfortable jacket and pant combination for use on the driving range, adidas Golf has created Rangewear.

“When we looked at what people were wearing on the range, we found a gap between the recognized, complete golf outfit and something casual to practice in,” said Patricia Dahan, senior director of global apparel for adidas.

Rangewear for men consists of a slightly-fitted, lightweight polyester jacket and pant featuring three-stripe branding.

The Rangewear jacket comes equipped with an internal MP3 pocket with a pass-through eyelet for headphones. Men’s Rangewear is available in black.

Women’s Rangewear features ClimaLite technology fabricated with a polyester/Lycra blend, making the fabric highly-breathable and lightweight to help wick moisture away from the skin.

Both jacket and pant have a yoga-inspired fit to add a stylish look and include contrast adidas brandmarking. The women’s jacket is also equipped with an internal MP3 pocket with a pass through eyelet for headphones.

The pant also includes an elastic waistband with an internal drawstring for comfort and a tee holder on the left pocket. Women’s Rangewear is offered in black and navy.

New ClimaCool Offers Soft Hand, Performance Benefits

A new ClimaCool fabric from adidas is designed to offer soft hand with performance attributes.

“The soft touch fabrication enhances the technical fabrication featured in all of our ClimaCool shirts and this newly-engineered look and feel is appealing to the golfer,” said senior director of global apparel Patricia Dahan.

The new ClimaCool with soft touch is made of 100 per cent CoolMax Extreme fabric, which helps wick moisture away from the skin for quick evaporation.

It incorporates breathable ventilation in critical heat zones and is anti-microbial, resists piling and offers UV protection of 15-plus.

The new fabric is available in select men’s and women’s seasonal fashion styles for spring/summer 2010.

TOUR360 Goes Sporty

With many of the same technologies as the Tour360 4.0 shoe from adidas, the new Sport version adds climate-control technologies.

A first-time feature of the Tour360 4.0 Sport is the implementation of the ion-mask nano coating to protect the mesh upper of the shoe by providing water repellency and stain reduction without sacrificing breathability and comfort.

The technology works by shielding the textile of the shoe, making the mesh fibres impermeable to moisture and debris.

“Golfers and the trade alike recognize the benefits of breathable, moisture-wicking, lightweight apparel on the golf course, especially in the warmer months of the year,” said Dave Ortley, senior director of global footwear.

“At adidas Golf, we apply this same type of thinking to golf footwear, understanding what golfers need and can benefit from when spring hits and the temperatures begin to climb,” he added.

“Keeping the foot cool, dry and comfortable is as important to golfers as great stability and we knew that, with innovative thinking and the application of some cutting edge technology, we could deliver the best of both worlds in our new Tour360 4.0 Sport,” said Ortley.

Other features include 50/50 Protect that surrounds the foot with a water-resistant lower half, unibody construction that connects the heel counter and 360WRAP technology.

X-Static silver filament fibers are woven into the interior lining to help regulate temperature.

Faldo To Represent adiPURE

Elegance, tradition and modern performance are what adidas Golf was gunning for with the introduction of the adiPURE line of apparel and footwear that will be represented by Nick Faldo.

“You’ve got to have a different, trendy look now and I love the way the line has mixed in tradition. I think that’s really important. In golf, you still want to look like a golfer, but now we can use modern materials, designs and lifestyle to create a new image. I think golf will look very cool in adiPURE,” said Faldo.

A polished edge is the way Patricia Dahan, senior director of global apparel, put it.

“The product is timeless. It features styling that is well-tailored and incorporates all of the core technologies, but with fabrications that have a very luxurious and sophisticated feel, giving the line a modern look,” said Dahan.

The same holds true for the footwear, according to Dave Ortley, senior director of global footwear.

“Our goal for adiPURE is simple – best-in-class performance, top-shelf craftsmanship and eye-catching designs that are striking from every angle. We created adiPURE to elicit a shift in golfer’s thinking. Today, with adiPURE, they can have the best of both worlds with a sophisticated combination of style and performance,” said Ortley.

AdiPURE apparel consists of polos, layering pieces, outerwear and tailored trousers. The polos incorporate sanded fabrication with lycra to eliminate restriction and lightweight merino wool with natural antimicrobial properties for natural moisture wicking.

The layering pieces feature a sleek, rib face that is bonded to fleece for warmth, lightweight merino wool and silk.nylon / two-play cashmere stretch blends.

ClimaProof Storm Outerwear offers a fully waterproof and breathable jacket and pant with reinforced construction, articulated elbows and knees, plus bonded seams for protection.

Performance trousers are made with a worsted wool CoolMax blend and added lycra.
Men’s adiPure styles are available now, with a women’s line due for fall/winter 2010.

The adiPure footwear features two models, each made of full-grain level. The adiPURE and adiPURE nuovo shoes offer THiNTech low-profile technology for improved stability and the new THiNTech cleat for better grip. Several colour combinations are available in both models.

New Fabric Designed To Boost Energy

Balancing a golfer’s body temperature leading to more comfort is the objective of the new CoolMax Energy fabric from adidas Golf.

The ClimaCool with CoolMax Energy fabric uses special microfibre to improve airflow to the skin for extra cooling. Highly-synthetic construction is designed to pull sweat away from the body and increase micro-ventilation through strategically-placed mesh patterns under the arms and on the back.

“ClimaCool with CoolMax Energy does everything a traditional ClimaCool shirt does, plus a whole lot more,” said Patricia Dahan, senior director of global apparel.

“We first took a look at our tour pros, who are wearing their shirts for sometimes 12 hours a day, and wanted to create a polo that performed throughout the entire round. CoolMax Energy fabric has been specially-formulated to work with the body to be more efficient and is one of the fastest drying garment fabrications available.”

“From the stretch properties in the fit for optimal swing freedom, to special seam technology that minimizes irritation to its cooling properties, this shirt has everything to maximize performance,” said Dahan.

ClimaCool with CoolMax Energy fabric is available in men’s and women’s styles and comes in two body cuts. All are moisture-wicking with a UPF protection of 15-plus.

Canadian Will Be Tossed Into The Furnace

With her extensive background at the provincial, national and international levels, Lindsay Knowlton has managed to play in a variety of conditions.

“The most extreme weather I’ve ever played was St. Andrews and it was raining, snowing, and hailing all in the same round sideways,” she said of an experience three years ago.

She saw the opposite end of the spectrum eight years ago.

“I played in the U.S. Amateur in Wichita, Kansas, in the middle of July and it was so hot that they ambulances there with stretchers pulling people off the golf course who had fallen down,” recalled Knowlton, who had better be prepared for more extreme conditions on an upcoming trek around the world.

Now a product manager with adidas Golf, Knowlton is embarking on an adventure that also doubles as a marketing campaign for ClimaCool products, testing apparel in extreme conditions around the world. See the People story on the home page for more. Read more

adidas Tour360 4.0 Debuts This Week

The new Tour360 4.0 from adidas Golf will debut this week on the PGA Tour at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas.

Players expected to wear the new Tour360 4.0 include Jim Furyk, Tim Clark, Nathan Green, Casey Wittenberg, Greg Owen, Martin Laird, Matt Bettencourt and Tim Petrovic.

The Tour360 4.0 incorporates Advanced ThinTech low-profile technology that brings the golfer lower to the ground to provide improved overall balance, weight transfer, stability, power and consistency.

“We felt constrained by the industry standard attachment mechanism,” said Dave Ortley, senior director of global footwear for adidas Golf.

“We couldn’t bring our athletes as close to the ground as we wanted, so instead, we decided to reengineer the whole system,” he added.

“By collaborating with Pride Sports, the world leader in cleat design and the makers of Fast Twist, we were able to create an entirely-new method which combines an Advanced ThinTech cleat with a new, ultra-thin cleat attachment mechanism called PINS.”

The end result is a system 32 per cent lower than conventional cleat systems, allowing golfers to feel a stronger connection with the ground for more consistent ball-striking.

Also new to the next-generation Tour360 4.0 is unibody-construction that connects the heel counter and 360Wrap technology to the outsole to promote a greater level of stability.

Other features include:

• A reengineered Powerband Chassis for lateral stability and more power through impact.
• Split outsole with 10-cleat configuration and low-profile ThinTech cleats
• X-Static silver filament fibres woven into the lining help regulate temperature for optimized comfort
• adiPrene cushioning in the heel for enhanced impact absorption
• FitFoam sock liner for added support, cushioning and comfort heel to toe
• adiTuff technology to protect the toe from excessive wear
• ClimaProof waterproof protection
• Traxion secondary lugs for added grip, especially at higher swing speeds

adidas Launches New-Look Site

Adidas has launched a new website that incorporates a new look and detailed examinations of over 1,000 products.

In its Suit Up section, adidas also takes you to three prime golf courses – Grayhawk in Scottsdale, Az., Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, and Whistling Straits in Sheboygan, Wisc. – and offers suggestions on how to deal with extreme conditions at each.

The site also has a Train Like A Pro section in which adidas has collaborated with the Athletes’ Performance Institute and Core Performance to create a golf-specific training program with over 30 instructional videos.

For more information, see the website, www.adidasGolf.com.

Spring 2010 Preview: adidas

“Adidas has five men’s and women’s apparel collections for next year. There are plenty of different colours to choose from including snapdragon red, tigerlily orange, mirage and gulf blue, taxi yellow and ivy green. Specific to these collections are bottoms, sweaters and polos.

The ClimaCool and CoolMax Extreme moisture wicking management systems are specific to adidas and the performance of the garment. It’s highly breathable fabric that is lightweight and resists pilling. All ClimaCool polos have been updated with a new heavier collar that will sit perfectly even after many washes and wearing. All ClimaCool products are SPF 15 plus.

Formotion is our sport-specific, three-dimensional, engineerined polo that optimizes fit and comfort. It’s built for the golf swing, so that when you’re in motion, nothing on the polo is inhibiting your movement. It is a leaner fit and has 360 degree mesh.

In outerwear, we have revamped our Level One (600 mm water column), and our Level Two (3000mm water column). We have added more ventilation pockets, colour-blocked the garment and upgraded the fabrics.

We’ve also come out with a new line called adiPURE, a higher end collection for men that will be worn by Nick Faldo. It’s built to anticipate the needs of the competitive purist in terms of elegance and performance. It has clean designs, contemporary styling and groundbreaking technologies.”

Lindsay Knowlton,
Product Line Manager,
adidas Golf

adidas Introduces Tour360 Sport and Powerband 2.0

The new Powerband 2.0 shoe from adidas has an outsole design that features three distinct zones designed to provide more energy transfer through the load phase, impact and finish portions of a golf shot.

The Powerband 2.0 was designed to mine untapped power in the lower body by providing a more solid platform to deliver power back into the ball at impact.

An all-new Powerband Chassis is in place to create power geometry. The outsole’s lateral side incorporates a sharper edge, while the medial side utilizes a rounded edge.

“Stability in a golf shoe must be optimized,” said Dave Ortley, global senior director of footwear for adidas Golf.

“Too much and a golfer can get locked in at address, feeling stuck and unable to swing freely. Too little and balance and support are sacrificed, hampering both power and ball-striking consistency,” he added.

“Our focus with Powerband 2.0 was engineering outsole shapes that would allow for a smooth and powerful transfer of weight and energy at every stage of the golf swing, freeing the player to swing away with greater confidence, improved freedom and unsurpassed power,” said Ortley.

Also new to the Powerband 2.0 is ThinTech, a low-profile outsole that positions the foot closer to the ground to create a solid, responsive and stable shoe and lower the centre of gravity for increased stability.

Other features include Gripzone, a footbed surface to lock the bottom of the foot securely in place, a FitFoam insole to evenly distribute weight and pressure for a personalized fit, Dynamic Traxion AC cleats for better grip and leverage and adiTuff, an abrasion-resistant material designed to protect the toe from wear.

Powerband 2.0 is offered in both men’s and women’s models, each in different colourways.

The Tour360 Sport, also new from adidas Golf, incorporates the 360Wrap support system, a visible technology that encircles the foot to deliver a customized fit, while increasing stability and leverage.

The Tour360 Sport features a mesh-based upper construction and a proprietary technology called 50/50 Protect, which combines a water-resistant TPU shield to protect the lower half of the foot from outside elements, and a lightweight and highly-breathable air mesh top half for improved temperature management, flexibility and comfort.

“Mesh shoes are not entirely new in golf footwear, but historically, they’ve been largely unsuccessful for two main reasons. One, wet and muddy conditions pose a nuisance problem for non-waterproof textile-based shoes,” said Ortley.

“Two, mesh shoes have lacked the stability required to support the foot fully through the golf swing,” he added.

“Our goal was to overcome these two significant hurdles in an effort to deliver the same type of benefits to the foot as our ClimaCool apparel for the body – 50/50 Protect technology has done just that by protecting the bottom of the foot completely from moisture and debris, while simultaneously stabilizing the upper through an innovative and waterproof TPU shield which surrounds the foot in full.”

The Tour360 Sport also features ThinTech, the Powerband Chassis with 10-cleat Traxion configuration, 3D FitFoam inlay sole, adiPrene for added cushioning and X-Statica or silver fibres with thermodynamic properties to regulate temperature for more comfort.

Tour360 Sport is also available in men’s and women’s models in various colourways.

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