Course of Style: Nike Changes Tiger's stripes
Published: October 21, 2011. AP
Nike golf
Tiger Woods's new "Sunday" polo shirt
Tiger Woods’s swing is evolving, and his wardrobe is evolving, too, according to executives of Nike Golf, his longtime clothing and equipment sponsor. You may have noticed Woods this year wearing white belts, stronger colors, and an experimental version of Nike’s FREE shoes, with “barefoot” or natural motion technology.
Apparently this is just the beginning of a new performance-based, athletic look for Woods on the course.
With his swing moving toward increased body rotation under Sean Foley, Woods wants his apparel to be more athletic than ever, according to Nike. That means greater stretch and lighter weight. A good example is Tiger’s new “Sunday shirt,” an ultra-light jersey polo with perforated collar (for both ventilation and lightness) and snap buttons (rodeo style). Of course, it’s red -- but a shade of red that is sportier and more mod than Tiger’s typical Sunday shirt. The placket and collar are “no sew,” which means the seams are sealed without thread, again to save weight. The shirt tips the scales at a gossamer 2.9 ounces. (Golf shirts typically weigh 5 ounces or more.)
“We have repositioned Tiger,” said Patti Harrison, the director of global product and marketing for Nike Golf, in the Nike showroom in New York this week.
Harrison said that Nike had essentially merged the Tiger Woods Platinum collection, a high-end offering of clothes the golfer wears on the tour, with Nike’s regular Tour Performance line, which includes its most technical offerings.
“For a long time he wore traditional product,” Harrison said. “We see an opportunity to take him to a new plane. We want to position him as the top of performance, kind of performance plus. We engineered these garments to meet his needs.”
Whatever Woods wears on the course, no matter how technical or advanced in styling, it will always look somewhat subdued, even conservative, compared to other high ranking players since he is not festooned with logos for other companies, from ball makers to banks. Just a swoosh or two here and there. The Nike look tends to be clean.
Tiger Woods will wear Nike prototype Free golf shoe in Bridgestone return
When Tiger Woods played his competitive round of golf on May 12, leg pain forced him to walk off TPC Sawgrass after just nine holes.
Woods returns to action this week, and he will walk onto the course at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, wearing a prototype golf shoe inspired by Mike Free running shoes.
Nike's Free running shoes, which are extremely flexible and light, are designed to replicate running in bare feet but provide some protection and traction. According to a release from Nike, Tobie Hatfield, whose group developed the first Nike Free shoes in 2004, worked with Woods to create the shoe.
“I love the feel of Nike Free for training, so I asked Tobie if it was possible to bring that technology to the golf course," Woods said. "It’s exciting to see a conversation like that come to life, and I look forward to wearing them this week."
The prototype shoe is designed to let Tiger's forefoot move more freely, which Nike says should allow him to transfer more power from his swing into the ball. Small heel counters provide some extra lateral support for the follow through.
The upper is made from polyurethane coated with a stretch fabric that is used in some of Nike's basketball shoes. A portion of the shoe's heel comes from recycled Nike Air Max units that have been melted into thread and then woven into a textile material. The shoe's outsole is taken from Nike's Special Field Boot that was designed for first-responders at emergency sites.
There is no word from Nike on when, or if, Tiger's prototype shoe will be made available to the public.
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