Last year we reviewed the Adidas Golf Tour360 Sport golf shoe and loved its athletic shoe look and styling. In 2010 Adidas Golf has updated the Tour360 Sport with version 4.0, and we tested them to see if the next generation of athletic golf shoes from Adidas Golf are worth buying.
Look and Feel
The Adidas Golf Tour360 4.0 Sport has been completely updated from top to bottom, with a more progressive athletic-styling, compared to last year’s Tour360 3.0 Sport. The first thing you’ll notice is that the shoe has more of a narrower toe box,which has contrast stitch accents that run across the toe box. The narrower toe will fit people with standard width feet (also available in a wide), and I had no problems wearing them. The contrast stitch pattern starts out wide and becomes narrower as you work up the foot, which gives the Tour3604.0 Sport a contemporary look.
The 50/50 Protect TPU liner that surrounds the foot to protect it from water and dirt on the lower half of the shoe, seems to provide more coverage than last years model.The other thing that stands out in the design of the Adidas Tour360 4.0 Sport, is the breathable mesh upper that surrounds the shoe, which is much lighter and less bulky looking. The mesh almost looks like cutouts of the fabric, versus actual mesh, and makes the shoe visually interesting.
The shoe has an aqua sock type feel when you put it on and hugs your foot in a secure manner. The FitFOAM polyurethane sock liner provides good support, cushioning and comfort from heel to toe when walking in the shoe on and off the course. The tongue of the shoe for example is not your typical u shape tongue that sits up straight, instead it curves to side of your foot the shoe is on. If you put on the left shoe, the tongue curves to the left and vice-versa. This can be a little problematic when you try to pull up the tongue at first, but you do get used to it after a while.
The color of the Tour360 4.0 Sport is called Metallic Silver, actually reads more like an Off White vs. a Metallic Silver. This may or may not be a problem for some people, but a true Metallic Silver color shoe would be too flashy in my opinion. Otherwise, opt for the only other colorway: Black/Black/Metallic Silver.
Overall, the new look and contemporary styling make the Tour360 4.0 Sport an evolutionary leap in design.
Performance
The TPU 50/50 protect we described above, does an excellent job of keeping your feet dry when walking through the first and second cuts of rough in the early morning or after its rained. In terms of breathability I found the Tour360 4.0 Sport to do a decent job of keeping my feet cool in the hot and humid conditions, thanks to the combination of lightweight breathable mesh uppers and X-STATIC silver filament fibers woven into the shoe lining.
The addition of X-STATIC silver fibers not only help with thermal regulation, but also help prevent foot odor from occurring after wearing your shoes on a hot day. A nice touch in my opinion.
You might be wondering if the upper half of the shoe is water-repellent or prone to getting dirty? The upper half which isn’t protected by the 50/50 Protect is coated with a ion-mask nano-coating technology that helps the upper repel water and stains. Created by P2i labs, the revolutionary technology works by shielding the textile of the shoe, making the mesh fibers impermeable to moisture and debris while still maintaining the superior breathability, reduced weight, and soft, comfortable feel.
Does this mean, you can wear them in a steady rain or slosh through mud without getting dirty? I wouldn’t advise this, but the nano-coating works without sacrificing comfort and breathability.
The unibody construction of the Tour360 4.0 Sport connects the heel and the 360WRAP technology to the outsole for a very stable golf shoe. Part of the stability comes from the Advanced ThinTech low-profile of the sole of the shoe, which brings you closer to the ground for better stability and footwork necessary in a golf swing. I found that the ThinTech technology and unibody construction, made the Tour3604.0 Sport feel like I was connected to the ground at address and not just floating high above the surface. The stability makes for better footwork, which leads to better ball striking.
The POWERBAND CHASSIS has been re-engineered in the 4.0 version to provide lateral stability to your feet during your golf swing, and transferring the power to the ball at impact through better foot work and weight transfer.
The ThinTech Cleats on the Tour360 4.0 Sport are low profile cleat designed not to clog and bring you closer to the ground for better power transfer, balance, and foot work. I found that the ThinTech Cleats did a superb job of not clogging up with debris and gripping the ground really well during my swing, without feeling like I had lead weights on my feet. The ThinTech Cleats are also very green friendly, not leaving any noticeable marks on the putting surface.
Durability of a golf shoes often gets overlooked in my opinion, especially when it comes to the toe of the golf shoe. The toe of the golf shoe is often the first thing to get worn out, especially on the back foot during the follow-through. To remedy this problem, Adidas Golf uses an abrasion-resistant material called adiTUFF to protect your toe from wearing out quickly and looking great. I found that adiTUFF material does a good job of keeping the toe of my back foot from wearing out, and without adding bulk to the toe. Now your cleats will be the first thing to wear out, rather than the paint on the toe of the shoe.
Overall, the Adidas Golf Tour360 4.0 Sport golf shoes are definitely worth upgrading to from the previous generation and have made significant improvements to warrant a 4.0 label.
Metallic Silver/Metallic Silver/Black
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