Nike Free golf shoes make debut as Tiger Woods returns

Tiger Woods is back. With his return comes the understandable media rush, following his every thought, move and golf shot.

Amidst that flurry of information, it was revealed that Tiger would be walking the grounds at the Firestone Bridgestone Invitational in a fresh new pair of prototype Nike golf shoes.

The shoes, inspired by the recently-introduced Free technology, are designed to encourage the feet to act more naturally during the golf swing. Nike Free goes well beyond the golf market and it's said Woods asked Nike to design a pair he could wear on the course after enjoying their comfort during his training.

According to Golf Digest, the shoes borrow aspects from Nike's Hyperfuse 2011 basketball shoes and aim to provide the golfer with more stability despite the freedom of mobility brought by the Free technology.

A quick look at Tiger's jet-black pair --- he'll also wear white this weekend --- won't seem far off his signature pair worn for years. But a closer look gives off a cross-trainer feel, which falls right in line with the latest movement of golf shoes as evidenced by amateurgolf.com's recent reviews of products released by True Linkswear and Kikkor Golf.