When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more. Mark Croley/InsiderGolf shoes have undergone serious change over the last couple of decades, due in large part to the changing needs of modern golfers.
Today’s shoes now feature a far more athletic design, offer plenty of grip and stability, and remain comfortable no matter if you’re playing a short par 3 course or a full 18. Many of these updated design choices were also made to accommodate changes in a golfer’s swing, which now has more speed and power than a generation ago. Brands have even started going away from including spikes in shoes in an effort to better preserve golf courses.
On top of all these changes is a golf shoe market flush with variety. To help narrow down the best available, I tested out a number of pairs from brands like Adidas, Under Armour, and Ecco. Below are my six favorites, each with a unique use case, be it for playing in the rain, if you prefer added stability, or just want the most comfortable option available.
Here are the best golf shoes:Best overall: Paynter X 002 LE, $190 on PaynterThese Paynter golf shoes are supremely comfortable, stable through a variety of swing types, and need little to no break in time to feel like you’ve owned them for months. Best waterproof:Ecco Biom C4, $229. 95 on AmazonEcco’s Biom C4 shoes are great on their own but truly excel in wet and rainy conditions — they also offer great arch support and feel as comfortable on hole 18 as they do on your first drive.
Best spiked shoes: Adidas Tour360 22, $210 on AdidasIf you prefer a spiked golf shoe, the Adidas Tour360 22’s are exactly what you need — they feature a sporty, athletic look, fit snug without being too tight, and are incredibly stable. Best spikeless: G/Fore Gallivanter, $195 on G/ForeThe G/Fore Gallivanter is a classic-looking golf shoe that comes in a spikeless design yet still offers modest stability and stays comfortable all day long. Best for comfort: Footjoy Tour Alpha, $189.
99 on FootjoyThe Tour Alpha’s from Footjoy are by far the most comfortable golf shoe I’ve worn and are also incredibly stable, keeping firm through the strike while avoiding any excessive foot twisting. Best for stability:Under Armour HOVR Drive 2, $160 on Under ArmourUnder Armour’s Hovr Drive 2 is the shoe you need if stability is your number one priority — it’s just tight enough around the midsole to not be uncomfortable and keeps feet securely planted throughout the swing. Best golf shoes overallPayntrThese Paynter golf shoes are supremely comfortable, stable through a variety of swing types, and need little to no break in time to feel like you’ve owned them for months.
Pros: Great mix of comfort and stability, great feel on the collar around your heels, feel broken in right out of the boxCons: Cloth collar easily stainsI love these shoes. Payntr, a brand known primarily in the cricket world, broke into the notoriously tough golf segment last year with a shoe they co-developed with golfer Jordan Spieth. The Payntr shoes offer the best combination of comfort, stability, and grip of all the shoes I tested.
The team at Payntr has gone to great pains to talk about how stable the shoe is and how that helps you stay balanced during your swing, which it believes leads to better performance. At my swing speed, I’m not sure I could swing out of my shoes if I wanted to, but I feel confident really going after it when I wear these. Best waterproof golf shoesEccoEcco’s Biom C4 shoes are great on their own but truly excel in wet and rainy conditions — they also offer great arch support and feel as comfortable on hole 18 as they do on your first drive.
Pros: Work well in poor, wet weather conditions, great for arch support, comfortable to wear for long periods of timeCons: Ecco’s cleating system doesn’t always make you feel like you’re dug into the turfI could have easily put this model up for best spikeless but it fits far better in the best waterproof category because it seems so many golfers are now traveling to places where a wet-weather shoe, above all else, proves important. These Eccos aren’t the most stylish shoes on the market but when you’re walking through a particularly rainy round of 18 holes, that’ll be the furthest thing on your mind. They do such a good job of protecting your feet from moisture and remaining comfortable, even over long periods of time.
Those who need added arch support will appreciate these shoes, as well. Best spiked golf shoesMark Croley/InsiderIf you prefer a spiked golf shoe, the Adidas Tour360 22’s are exactly what you need — they feature a sporty, athletic look, fit snug without being too tight, and are incredibly stable. Pros: Athletic look and feel, lacing system really wraps the foot up nice, providing confidence and stabilityCons: Few colorways, no wide-fit optionI enjoyed these so much I asked a friend who is a better player to borrow them and hit in them.
He said he felt like his foot was firmly planted to the ground which gave him a more stable and powerful swing. He also noted how comfortable they were to wear, even across his hometown course which features a number of hills to traverse. I also felt as though these shoes provided great heel support, and the unique lacing system wrapped snugly around my foot, which greatly helped my stability.
One big drawback is that they’re only available in one colorway, so you won’t have many options to pair them with a particular outfit or style. They also don’t come in a wide-fit option. Best spikeless golf shoesMark Croley/InsiderThe G/Fore Gallivanter is a classic-looking golf shoe that comes in a spikeless design yet still offers modest stability and stays comfortable all day long.
Pros: Footbed has raised pebbles of foam that massage your feet as you walk, has an old-school, traditional lookCons: Regular fit felt too narrow and the wide fit was just a bit too wide G/Fore is definitely for the fashion plate, though the Gallivanter lineup has more traditional options for golfers of all levels. I was impressed by the cleat pattern and grip of these shoes as well as the foam footbed that provided continued comfort throughout the round. It features a series of raised pebbles that essentially massage your foot as you walk — a huge plus for walking longer courses.
I also appreciated that you can remove the insole and machine wash and that it also comes with an antimicrobial lining. The pebble grain leather and traditional design give these shoes a bit of an old-school vibe, too. Best comfortable golf shoesMichael Croley/InsiderThe Tour Alpha’s from Footjoy are by far the most comfortable golf shoe I’ve worn and are also incredibly stable, keeping firm through the strike while avoiding any excessive foot twisting.
Pros: Incredibly soft feel and superior grip Cons: The wide option felt a little too wideWhen I first started playing golf, a big box retail salesman tried to get me to wear Footjoys, a brand of footwear he called the “Cadillac of golf shoes. ” I didn’t like Cadillacs and I wasn’t a fan of the mostly saddle shoe styles in the store that day, either. Today, however, Footjoy modernized its styles, and the Tour Alpha has just enough modern flair to still be stylish and not too over the top.
These were a close second in the best overall category as the shoe is incredibly stable through the strike and my foot did not twist at all, as it is wont to do when I swing. I wore them during an iron fitting and I felt really comfortable and connected to the ground, which helped me determine the best irons to buy. These shoes are waterproof and light and Footjoy narrows the heel to offer more support and a better fit.
Cleats are bumped out wide to offer more ground connection which is said to offer 159 points of ground contact. Best golf shoes for stabilityMark Croley/InsiderUnder Armour’s Hovr Drive 2 is the shoe you need if stability is your number one priority — it’s just tight enough around the midsole to not be uncomfortable and keeps feet securely planted throughout the swing. Pros: Great styling with a higher collar, tight around the midsole but not uncomfortableCons: Not the most comfortable to wear over 18 holes compared to others in this guide Of all the shoes tested for this guide, The Hovr Drive 2 from Under Armour had the least amount of foot slide and were by far the most stable.
The cleat system felt superior by firmly gripping the ground and dispensing with any twisting. The thing I didn’t like, however, is that as rounds wore on, I felt my feet were more fatigued than in the other shoes I played in. These are still a great pick if you prefer something incredibly stable (and if you know you’re going to be riding in a cart or walking on flat ground).
How to shop for golf shoesIn the 1990s, metal spikes gave way to plastic spikes, and around 2010, spikeless shoes began to appear on the golf course. Choosing between spiked and spikeless golf shoes will be your most important choice when buying golf shoes. Spikes in modern golf shoes often consist of plastic with five or six prongs per spike.
You can replace these plastic spikes once they become worn or lost. A spike will help you maintain traction on the ground in wet weather, in tall grass, on hills, or when you have an odd lie. Spikeless shoes are the more comfortable type of golf shoes, as they most resemble other types of athletic shoes.
Rather than a waffle tread like you might find on a basketball or tennis shoe though, a spikeless shoe has nubs and bumps on the sole of the shoe, creating contact with the ground without being uncomfortable for walking. You can wear spikeless golf shoes anywhere, which many people like. A spikeless golf shoe generally offers more comfort than a spiked golf shoe.
However, if you want the most traction when swinging a golf club, especially on a power shot, spiked golf shoes outperform spikeless golf shoes. When shopping for golf shoes, you’ll also want to think about comfort, style, and waterproofing (especially if you plan to golf in a region that sees a lot of annual rainfall and precipitation). Read the original article on Insider.
From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/guides/health/fitness/best-golf-shoes
