Even since street shoes hit the golf scene, players have been forced to choose between a traditional, premium, leather shoe or a more casual, spikeless street shoe. Nike's latest shoe is designed to merge those options into one model.
The Nike Lunar Clayton golf shoe combines a handcrafted, waterproof leather upper with lightweight Nike Lunarlon outsole to provide golfers with superior comfort, supportive and looks for use both on and off the course.
You might be surprised to hear where the idea for the Lunar Clayton came from.
Ryan Bucci is Nike Golf's Footwear Product Line Manager, working in Beaverton, Oregon, in the north west of the United States. On a trip to Florence in Italy, Bucci was shopping and spotted a number of finely crafted, leather shoes in the windows of the shops. Suddenly the seed, that would grow into the design of the Nike Lunar Clayton, had been planted.
“Handmade, Italian leather shoes are the essence of premium footwear,” said Bucci. “We saw that there was an opening in the marketplace for a high-quality, handcrafted golf shoe that we could marry with Nike technology to make it lighter, more comfortable and more wearable.”
The Lunar Clayton features a handcrafted, leather upper with a cushioned outsole. As is the case with many handmade, Italian, leather shoes, a leather welt is used to combine to the two portions. The cork-coloured layer (shown above) joins the upper of the sole to the sole, giving a traditional-look and protection from the elements.
“In the past, wearing a high-end leather golf shoes meant you had to take the time to break it in. Those shoes can be rigid and uncomfortable,” Bucci says. “The Nike Lunar Clayton is a handcrafted leather shoe that is built to last but ready to wear. We obsessed the details, from the leather upper to the contrast stitching to stability and fit.”
Part of the comfort in the design is down to Nike's new Internal Dynamic Fit system, designed to offer a secure fit in the midfoot that integrates with the lacing to offer a comfortable, yet stable, feel.
As for the sole itself, it is made from molded rubber and features a series of studs and ridges carefully designed to offer ample traction on the course. The spikeless design offers players the versatility of wearing the Lunar Claytons both on and off the course.
The Nike Lunar Clayton is available in two colour combinations for now, both of which comes with two sets of laces so that players can customise their shoe how they choose.
In June 2014, Nike added a new colour to the Lunar Clayton line-up. The deep burgundy colourway will be on sale from July 1st.
