After initially announcing plans for a disc golf shoe last July, Salient Discs is finally releasing their first offering in disc golf footwear. The Salient DGX is available for pre-order starting today for $80 at Salient-Discs.com. The cross training/trail style shoe will come in three colors: Black with blue accents, black with orange accents, and crimson red with black accents.

Salient Discs owner Chris Kilgus showed us a preview of the DGX last week and says a lot has gone into the planning and development of the DGX, “We began testing an athletic shoe back in August 2013 originally announced as the DG Spec 1. Since this time we have had the opportunity to test different materials and designs for durability/aesthetics. Initial testing was very promising and included a one piece flat sole that gave great durability. However what we added in durability with a flat one piece sole we lost in comfort and overall grip. Therefore over the past few months we decided to change to a two piece sole which gave the shoe added comfort as well as grip on and off the teebox.”

The DGX will be offered in a variety of sizes in a standard width. Wider widths will not be offered at this time. According to Kilgus, it has a lot to do with the price of the product, “The market does not allow a large variety of sizes/widths due to the fact that every size requires a different size sole to be used which would increase the cost of the shoes.”

Here is the full material list for the DGX provided by Salient Discs:

Full upper water repellant oxford

Interior waterproof urethane coating helping keep moisture away

Lower napa leather/suede for side to side blow out protection

Synthetic polyurethane toe box for front foot stability.

Durable torsion control sole for added stability on and off the fairway

Stiff rear mid sole for heel stability

Neutral arch support for easy foot conformity

For Kilgus, one of the most excited parts about this release is the DGX is the first shoe made by a 100% disc golf company, “Our main focus is providing quality products to disc golfers instead of dividing our time among other shoe products or rebranding an already existing product.”

The DGX will be manufactured overseas in order to keep pricing affordable. Initially, preorders will only be available at Salient-Discs.com. Shoes will run $80 plus shipping for one pair and $135 plus shipping for two . Once items have a firm delivery date, which Salient says they’ll know 30 days before they arrive, the DGX will be available from multiple online affiliates. Once the preorder is complete, the MSRP of the DGX will be $90-95 plus shipping.

Now, some might see it hard to preorder a product like a disc golf shoe before they’ve ever seen one in action. In our minds, this is basically a Kickstarter/crowd funded-like presale. Because of the capital needed to get these shoes out at the price that is affordable for many, putting the money up front is what is needed. Without a presale like this, prices would be higher, and quite frankly, products like this wouldn’t be produced. There is a market for it, but it is a niche market.

Kilgus knows that while you can invest in a disc or a bag and expect it to last for years, that just isn’t the case with a shoe.

“With the inception of the DGX we have learned that there is no way that a shoe will last a lifetime especially in the sport of disc golf,” Kilgus remarks. “We would like people to realize that even with the most durable materials a shoe will eventually wear down and need to be replaced based on how rough the user is on said product. Therefore the DGX was produced to be an acceptable alternative to other shoes on the market at an affordable price.”

We haven’t had a chance to see the DGX first hand, but we are anxious to see how the DGX stands up against some of the most popular shoe choices amongst disc golfers. After production, the DGX is scheduled to arrive mid-to-late summer 2014. Again, preorders are available at Salient-Discs.com.

Update 4/21/14: Salient Discs has decided to offer a lifetime warranty with the DGX shoes. You can still buy a pair at $80 without a warranty, but you can pay $135 for a pair with the warranty. The option to buy two pair at $135 has been discontinued.