Puma Golf has been making great footwear under the direction of Grant Knudson for years now, rolling out a variety of features that have made Puma a leader in golf shoes.
Ignite foam has been a big win for the company, delivering energy back to the golfer as they walk. (They're not the only ones doing this, but Ignite has been a great component.)
The proprietary Disc custom-fitting system (akin to Boa products) offers golfers a chance to have an always-right fit with the simple twist of a dial.
The Pwrframe has been helpful in offering more strategic stability in the upper.
However, the knock on Puma's spikeless style shoes is that, why they're incredibly comfortable and offer solid traction, the shoe's fit can be a little too loose for the foot to remain in its bed in any situation. With the new Ignite NXT shoes, Knudson and team are offering three ways for golfers to achieve the best possible fit for their feet.
Three closure options
The newest option is called Solelace, and it debuts in the aptly named Ignite NXT Solelace shoe ($120). Solelace is a new closure system which uses lightweight TPU units attached directly to the midsole to allow the laces of the shoe to completely cover the golfer's foot. The idea is to allow the laces to pull the midsole and outsole rather than just the upper around the foot. The Ignite NXT Solelace is available in four colorways: Burnt Olive/Aged Silver/Black, Black/Team Gold, Gray Violet/Team Gold/Quiet Shade and Peacoat/Team Gold. The women's version of this shoe -- available in three trendy colorways -- is $100.
The Ignite NXT Lace ($120) is closer to how most golfers think of closure systems. It uses performance mesh and TPU in the upper, Ignite foam and many similar features as the Solelace. The difference is the mesh upper combines with new Pwrcage technology to offer a strong-but-lightweigth TPU saddle decoupled from the upper to provide stability. There are four colorways: Quiet Shade/Team Gold/Black, Black/Silver/White, High Rise/Team Gold/White and Peacoat/Team Gold/White.
The Ignite NXT Disc ($120) builds on the Lace model with the same setup, but it brings in the Disc micro-adjusting dial system. Once you've used such a closure system, it's hard to go back to traditional laces. The same colorways from the Lace model are available in the Disc.
The Ignite NXT Pro model ($120) offers a microfiber upper with Pwrframe instead of the performance mesh and TPU in the upper, offering a more sophisticated look with a little less flex in their shoe's upper. There are three colorways in the Pro: High Rise/Team Gold/White, Black/Team Gold/White and White/Silver/Gray Violet.
More features
In addition to the lacing options, another new smart feature is the Ignite Soleshield, which is a vacuum-wrapped micro-thin TPU film to protect the foam and make it easier to clean. That's long been a knock on energy-returning foam.
In addition to the improved closure options, the Pro-Form TPU outsole has more than 100 strategically placed directional hexagon lugs in proper zones for ideal traction and stability.
The Ignite NXT shoes all have a one-year waterproof guarantee and are available now.
