Oakley launches super-light golf shoe
US sportswear brand Oakley has announced the release of Oakley Cipher, which it claims is the lightest performance golf shoe available.
The first application of ‘NanoSpike’ technology, Oakley Cipher is a cleatless design with thousands of tiny spikes that bite into blades of grass to maintain traction. Weighing 260 grams, Oakley says the golf shoe minimizes fatigue while offering improved flexibility, reduced heat retention, and durability. The upper is made with a lightweight breathable textile combined with welded components for protection.
“One of our core tenets is the belief that everything can and will be made better,” said Oakley CEO Colin Baden. “By engineering the world’s lightest golf shoe, we have answered that conviction for those who demand performance beyond the boundaries of industry standards and the confines of conventional thinking.”
“Ordinary golf shoes rely on traditional cleat systems for traction but the spikes limit surface contact, and even a subtle increase in distance between the foot and the ground raises the wearer’s centre of gravity and reduces balance and stability,” said a statement from Oakley. “Oakley’s initial design inspiration for this reinvention came from pro racing tires and their ability to maintain traction without limiting surface contact. Looking at golf shoes an entirely new way, the company invented NanoSpike technology to solve the problems inherent in ordinary designs, then took full advantage of proprietary Factory Lite construction techniques and materials.”
