As a proud Boomer, I have to admit that before last week, I had never heard of it Cyzik. Furthermore, I had never heard of the concept of “step-in” shoes.
Except for loafers, that is.
So when it is set to write about the new Golf shoes in Athens from Kizik, I had a lot of work to do. At my age, mental flexibility is a good thing.
So let’s start this message with a brief primer on Kizik and then we can dive into the company’s new golf shoes in Athens.
Sound like a plan?
What is Kizik and why is it a “step-in” thing?
Have you ever tried to force your foot into a sneaker that was already laced up, maybe because you kicked them off last night while watching BritBox (told you I was a Boomer)? If so, you know it’s a 50-50 proposition at best. Can you put your foot all the way in without folding the back of the shoe under the heel?
As life’s challenges go, it’s not about food, shelter or personal fulfillment. Fortunately for mankind, wherever problems exist, inventive spirits are eager for solutions.
Sign in Cyzik founder Mike Pratt.
“The idea kept me up at night. How do you make a shoe that can collapse and stand up again? A shoe that stays put once you’re in it, is more comfortable, and is so much more than a shoe that slides off?”
Pratt filed for his first hands-free shoe patent in 2009. Eight years later, in 2019, the Kizik brand made its debut. A year later, NIKE licensed the Kizik technology, making hands-free almost mainstream.
The concept took a big step forward in 2021 when Cyzik introduced the Cage®, a flexible heel support system that provided extra bounce to make the back of the shoe snap back into place. Today, Kizik offers running shoes, hiking shoes and casual shoes for men, women and children.
This, friends and neighbors, brings us to the topic at hand, the new one Kizik Athens golf shoes.
About that…
Athens is Kizik’s first golf shoe. The company says it’s a “natural extension of Kizik’s growing sports category.” Kizik adds that the new shoe features “course-ready traction” and “all-day comfort.”
That, friends, is out of the lifestyle brand’s spikeless golf shoe playbook.
The hands-free opening experience is interesting. Athena has laces which we can assume are there to tighten the shoes as needed. The whole point of the “space experience” is to free you from the daily hassle of tying and untying your shoes only to take them off and put them back on.
Me baby, me baby.
There are videos of the opening process at Kizik’s website. Once you get past the “why would I want that?” partly, the technology is very cool. The back of the shoe compresses and snaps back into place instantly. And not for nothing, the shoes look extremely comfortable.
One concern would be withdrawal. We’ll know more once we get some samples, but as with most lifestyle companies that venture into golf shoes, the sole doesn’t look overly aggressive. Kizik calls the outsole “high traction” with a “multi-directional sole for better grip.”
We will see.
The other concern, which again is common for lifestyle brands branching out into golf shoes, is stability. Again, we’ll have to see about that.
Kizik Athens Golf Shoes Price and Availability
Young Cyzik Golf shoes in Athens available in men’s and women’s models. The men’s version is available in two colors. The first is what Kizik calls “White/Surf the Web.” The shoes themselves are white while the Cage® part that wraps around the heel is blue. The other is “HarborMist/Shadow”. This would be a gray type with a black Cage®.
The women’s version is only available at White/Surf the Web.
of Golf shoes in Athens It retails for $149.95. It is available now on the Kizik website and at Kizik retail locations.
