adidas TOUR360 24: The Return of an Icon

In my mind, there’s no scene in cinematic history that hits quite like Frodo returning to the Shire after destroying the One Ring. His journey through Middle Earth proved successful, sure, but returning home after the hell-bent hiatus was almost tear-worthy.

Almost.

In any case, I liken Frodo’s triumphant return home to that of the newest golf shoe from adidas. A familiar face is back and I couldn’t be more excited.

After a brief hiatus, the flagship adidas TOUR360 golf shoe is back in the lineup. The return of an icon! Perhaps the most recognizable golf shoe in brand history is here for another go.

Introducing the adidas TOUR360 24. The newest iteration of adidas’ premium Tour golf shoe has been years in the making. Can the new TOUR360 24 live up to the storied legacy of its predecessors?

I think so. Here’s why.

TOUR360 24 Details

Available starting Feb 29  Retail of $200 Waterproof leather upper Removable spikes (unlike the TOUR360 22) Lightstrike and Jet BOOST midsole  Torsion Bridge for Tour-level stability

Wrapped in Confidence

Most big product launches come with a slogan or tagline. From TaylorMade’s “Experience drives in 10k” or Callaway’s “Sweeter from every spot”, the tagline generally gives a glimpse into the performance focus for that specific product.

For the TOUR360 24, that slogan is “Wrapped in confidence.”

adidas set out to create a golf shoe that inspired confidence through three main attributes: fit, performance and durability.

Each of these is crucial in building what adidas bills as a shoe for “tournament play and the dedicated golfer.”

“The TOUR360 is our oldest franchise, the one that really put us on the map as a golf brand,” said Jeff Lienhart, President of adidas Golf. “We’ve taken the best of the best and we’ve applied it to this product. It’s not so much a revolution as an evolution and an improvement on what was already a great product.”

Updated Fit

One of adidas’ big focuses with the new TOUR360 24 was the fit. What good is a golf shoe that doesn’t inspire confidence with a great fit?

The Brand with Three Stripes addressed this via the INSITE 2.0 Sockliner and 360Wrap technology.

Let’s start with the sockliner (or as some call it, an insole). The INSITE 2.0 sockliner is molded to cradle the foot. With higher, more pronounced edges, it keeps the foot stable and in place.

It also adds a bit of step-in comfort, if I do say so myself. Where other brands might skimp on a flimsy, cheap insole, adidas really knocked it out of the park with the INSITE 2.0 sockliner.

The 360Wrap also helps to dial in fit. This wrap is pretty simple. The laces loop through the iconic three stripes running down the side to the bottom of the shoe. These stripes run the circumference of the shoe so that, when you tighten the laces, the entire midfoot area “cinches” and hugs your foot.

A little bit of branding and a little bit of technology. I love it!

Performance

You can look at performance in a host of ways. To me, performance is three-fold: comfort, traction, stability.

If you want to throw in a fourth, waterproofing is important. The TOUR360 24 is waterproof, for those who care.

Back to performance. Comfort is king. Unless a golf shoe is comfortable, it can’t and won’t inspire confidence. adidas achieves comfort in a spiked shoe through the use of two foams, Lightstrike and Jet BOOST.

Comfort

Every facet of the TOUR360 24 is designed for comfort: midsole, heel, even the weight.

“With this particular product, we went back to several elements of comfort first and foremost,” said Lienhart. “The lightweight nature of the product and also the comfort around the heel, as you know, is of paramount importance to this particular product and we spent a lot of time diving into that.”

Let’s talk about the midsole a little bit. As mentioned, adidas is relying on a dual foam setup to provide step-in comfort, energy return and impact protection.

This type of setup isn’t new to the brand (or to the industry). But it is fairly new to the TOUR360 which in 2022 featured a full-length BOOST midsole.

The results are the same: the TOUR360 24 is comfortable. The plush Jet BOOST heel and responsive Lightstrike forefoot make for great comfort and stability.

Speaking of stability …

Stability

The TOUR360 24 gets most of its stability from the new Torsion Bridge. This bridges the bottom of the TPU sole for rigidity and stability. This, coupled with that stiff TPU sole, makes the shoe very resistant to twisting and ,thus, making you less prone to injury.

Another upgrade to stability comes by way of traction.

Traction

As opposed to the TOUR360 22, the new shoe features removable spikes. This is a welcome change. There have also been upgrades to the secondary lugs on the outsole, giving the TOUR360 24 great grip in any weather conditions.

It’s hard to mess up spiked traction and I’m glad adidas made sure this was on point.

Durability

We’ve talked about fit and performance. The final thing adidas hopes the TOUR360 24 will be is more durable.

A lot more durable.

One of the big problems on past models was the internal heel cup. adidas has beefed this up and changed the material to add longevity. The brand wants this heel to last at least five years. By then, you’ll probably buy another pair of shoes, anyways.

Durability is also enhanced with the addition of removable spikes. Once they wear out, you can replace them instead of tossing the shoes.

Wrapping Up

The mark of a good golf shoe is invisibility: if I can wear a shoe for 18 holes and not notice that I’m wearing the shoe, that’s a good thing.

A shoe that is uncomfortable, slips or twists too much does more to hurt confidence than anything else. If you don’t feel safe and comfortable in your footwear, you can’t focus on shooting a personal best.

All signs point to the new TOUR360 24 from adidas as the former. A shoe that inspires confidence through legit performance upgrades. Where do I sign up?

You can pick up the new TOUR360 24 starting Feb. 29.

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