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NEWS

Just Fore You Jewelry Expands Sales Force

Just Fore You Jewelry: Expands its sales force into key areas around the U.S. in response to the company's growth. Sales representatives are currently based in the Philadelphia, New York City and New Jersey, mid-Atlantic, northern Florida and Georgia, Texas, northern California and northern Nevada, and southern California regions.

Abacus Enjoys Successful PGA Show

Abacus: Reports on a positive reception at the PGA Merchandise Show in January. "We met with some of the biggest and most prestigious golf clubs in the U.S. and heard rave reviews from all of them," said Shane Brett, divisional vice president at Caulfeild Apparel Group Ltd., the distributor of Abacus in the U.S. and Canada.

Mahan Wins With Sundog

Sundog Eyewear: Hunter Mahan won the Waste Management Phoenix Open while wearing the Mela-Lens in his 2010 H Signature Series sunglasses.

Ecco Promotes Helter

Ecco: Promotes David Helter to specialty sales director and will oversee the company's golf, performance and kids divisions within the U.S. market. Previously, Helter was general manager, performance and kid's division.

Golf Datatech Releases December Apparel Market Report

Golf Datatech: Releases its December Golf Apparel Market Reports. The reports, which capture retail sales data from both on and off course retailers in the U.S., cover the top selling men's and women's apparel brands broken down by price range, clothing type and inventory.

Pukka Turns Heads At PGA Show

Pukka Headwear: Reports on its presence at last month's PGA Merchandise Show, which featured the unveiling of eight collections that totaled more than 150 new designs.

By Janice Ferguson
GPA Writer

The trend for footwear this year is best described by these three categories - casual, comfort and custom. Four of the top golf shoemakers are taking extra steps to deliver not-so-traditional alternatives to what we are accustomed to wearing on our feet.

Nike's Air Anthem look more like sneakers and were intended to be a practice shoe until professional Spanish golfer Pablo Martin kicked off the 2010 season with a win at the European Tour's Alfred Dunhill Championship while wearing a pair of the casual Anthems.

Features of the shoe are low profile design, waterproof synthetic leather, full-length Phylon midsole, full-length comfort sock liner, Nike power platform flex, a two-year limited waterproof warranty and Scorpion Stinger Spikes with Tri-LOK system.

Suggested retail price is $110, and the shoe is available in green/white, red/white/metallic silver, blue/white/granite and black/white color ways. www.nikegolf.com.

Adidas recently introduced its new custom Mi Powerband golf shoes for men. Based on the fact that every foot is different, instead of making feet fit into a cookie-cutter shoe, why not make the shoes fit your feet? Choose your shoe style, size, width, base, overlay, stripe, outline, bottom, shoe lace color and more from easy to follow prompts as you build your shoe on the Web site.

In addition to the thousands of configurations, inspiration is provided from the gallery of styles named for favorite golfers like Sergio Garcia, Andres Romero and Tim Clark. The shoes also feature Gripzone, and all the regular technical features found on the Powerband 3.0.

Suggested retail price is $180. www.miadidas.com.

Ecco's Golf Street Premier is a hybrid sport/casual shoe designed specifically for wear on and off the course. And who else to bring them to the forefront of attention than Fred Couples, who wore them early this year at his Champions Tour debut in Hawaii.

While television announcers were guessing whether Couples was wearing socks with the contemporary looking shoes, none of Ecco's network of built-in technologies such as direct-injected, PU-constructed mid and outsole are missing. They also have green-friendly traction bars and microfiber lining.

Suggested retail price for the women's shoe is $130, and come in black, white, green or purple colors. The Street Premier for men is $140, and is available in black/red, white/green and black/orange. The colors are interchangeable and color coordinated laces are additional options. www.eccousa.com.

Footjoy's Sport golf shoe for men, worn by three-time major champion Padraig Harrington, touts bold styling and stability as its major features. The shoe combines athletic and traditional looks designed for the player seeking crossover-inspired performance golf footwear.

The FJ Sport delivers the same comfort and technical features you expect from FootJoy, but with a new youthful flair with mesh linings and cool color details. The shoes are lightweight, durable, stable and breathable with full grain leather uppers, EVA cushioning and a coated leather toe guard.

Suggested retail price is $135, and the Sport is available in white/black and silver trim, black/black and silver trim, white/black and orange trim, white/black and blue trim and white/black and yellow trim. www.footjoy.com.