Descente on third run of R90 ‘Korean fit’ golf shoes
Descente Korea’s golfwear brand, Descente Golf, has successfully launched the third run of its R90 golf shoe, first released in February, following considerable demand for the footwear, which has consistently sold out since its first run.
The shoe was designed at the Descente innovation studio complex in Busan, reportedly the largest footwear research and development centre in Asia.
Local Korean media said that “dozens” of professional players have been spotted in the R90 since its launch, including golfers Chella Choi and Jae Kyung Lee.
The key differentiating factor for the R90 compared to other footwear is that it is specifically geared towards providing a “Korean fit", both in terms of the shape of the “typical” Korean foot and the country’s sloping terrain - particularly on its golf courses.
According to a widely cited 2006 study by Deok-Hyeon Seong, Ui-Seung Jeong and Yong-Ju Jo in the Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea, the adult Korean foot shape can generally be categorised into three groups for males (the ladder type, the inverted triangle type and the square type) and four for females (including the triangular type, plus the aforementioned ladder, inverted triangle and square types).
Other than the footwear’s specific fit, outer spikes emphasise the shoes’ “excellent” traction, rounded out by the company’s “unique” outsole design, which features studs placed at a 90-degree angle in the two sections identified as presenting the greatest opportunity for slippage in foot pressure through the golf swing movement.
A brand spokesperson told reporters that from the very beginning, the R90 was developed following analysis of Korean golfers’ foot types, in addition to swing dynamic analysis test results for professional golfers including Sang-moon Bae and Jae Kyung Lee.
The company reportedly plans to establish itself as a “representative” golf shoe brand through further research and development investment through the second half of this year, in order to develop performance footwear that best fits Korean golfers based on continued analysis of local professional golfers and consumers’ feet.
Image: Descente Golf Korea.
