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Whether you’re new to golf or just looking to update your footwear, you’ve come to the right place. As modern golf shoes continue to take on current , street-style looks, we’re starting to see more of them out on the green. Of course, great golf shoes aren’t just for looks.They connect you to the course, steadying your body as you take your backswing. Plus, with designs made for walking courses, they can potentially prevent late-round fatigue caused by improper footwear.
We’ve compiled a list of some of the best golf shoes around, as well as a comprehensive guide to finding the right golf shoes for your playing style, foot shape and budget.
The adidas Tour360 22 Golf Shoes are some of our favorite golf shoes around. With excellent stability, comfortable interior padding and seven sleek colorways to choose from, they hit all the marks.
The outside of the shoe is made with a mixture of leather and waterproof materials, making them long-lasting and easy to clean. Compared to the last iteration of the shoe, the spikes are a bit wider, though not replaceable like they once were.
As for comfort, you get a built-in sock liner for extra padding, helping to solidify your foot inside the shoe, so it doesn’t slide around as you move about the course. Having that little bit of added comfort can be a lifesaver, especially if you often find yourself hauling heavy golf bags around the course.
Having the right socks is key with these shoes, as the mid-top ankle could present some pretty bad blisters.
One thing to note about these shoes is that they have a very wide base, which connects you firmly to the ground. This connection is great for adding confidence to an aggressive golf swing.
If support, stability and comfort are what you’re after, these top-tier ergonomic golf shoes are a great option.
Purchase adidas Tour360 22 Golf Shoes
In the past few years, Skechers has made its way into the golf shoe market with, according to the design team, “out-of-the-box” comfort. What can we say? They were right.
These shoes are supremely comfortable, perfect for the casual golfer who wants to play a few relaxing rounds on a Sunday afternoon. The Arch Fit insole system offers exemplary comfort for long stretches, especially around the padded heel section. They almost have a slipper-like feel.
With a spikeless design, they can be worn on and off the course. They’re also waterproof, which helps to adapt to changing course conditions.
While these shoes might be a bit safe-looking overall, they’re great on and off-the-course golf shoes that represent decent value for the average golfer.
Purchase Skechers GO GOLF Drive 5
UnderArmour recently released the second generation of the HOVR Drive and there are plenty of great things to say about it. Though the break-in time is still relatively long, it’s far more comfortable than the first generation, especially around the heel.
You get plenty of stability with this shoe without sacrificing stability, perfect for those with aggressive swings. The slip-and-skid resistance keeps you firmly planted on the ground with excellent traction in almost any condition.
Note that if you have really narrow feet, you might have trouble feeling secure in these shoes. The toe-box is fairly roomy. If you decide to go for these shoes and you don’t have wide feet, do yourself a favor and get a size down.
As for long-lasting durability, the extra-thin waterproof membrane allows golfers to play in wet conditions without ruining their shoes. Better yet, the waterproof characteristics don’t feel like they interfere with the breathability of the shoes. Air passes through nicely, so your feet don’t get hot and sweaty, even after a long 18 holes.
Purchase UnderArmour HOVR Drive 2 Golf Shoe
When the adidas CodeChaos first came out a few years back, it set the bar for what a golf shoe could look like. With bright, lucid designs, it provides an unorthodox aesthetic to help golfers stand out on the court.
The upper is made of flexible and breathable mesh for a lightweight feel. With a thin film of waterproof material on top, the shoes repel water and debris, making them easy to keep clean.
As for comfort, you get adidas’ Boost cushioning, which runs across the midsole. As an added bonus, the Boost cushioning springiness puts a pep in each step.
On the outside of the shoe, you’ll find a Twist Grip outsole, which adidas developed through careful heat map evaluation. The designers specifically focused weight distribution during swings to build the sole.
On top of that, the shoe utilizes a spikeless design, giving you on and off-the-course versatility. Overall, it feels like a trainer shoe, lightweight, stable, mobile and ready to take on just about any course conditions.
The ECCO Biom H4 is one of our favorite premium golf shoes for women. It provides long-lasting comfort with a chic, modern style from back to front, perfect for on and off-the-course wear.
The waterproof construction allows you to play in just about any kind of condition, while the excellent grip keeps you firmly planted on the course during aggressive swings. This is all thanks to the unique outsole design, which has three distinct areas that, when combined, provide durability, stability and rotational support.
ECCO Golf updated these shoes with the last iteration, linking the laces to the sole to give users a better locked-down fit.
For all-day games, the cushioning feels responsive and comfy. The inside is orthotic-friendly too, allowing you to customize your comfort to your specs.
When you catch these from a distance, they don't look like your average golf shoe. In fact, they look far more like your standard pair of Nike lifestyle sneakers. However, when you get a bit closer, you can see a few golf-specific elements that set this shoe apart, such as the spikeless yet textured outsole for better grip on the course.
The mesh upper is nice and breathable, perfect for everyday wear. Of course, the unfortunate part is that it’s not waterproof, so you will have to be cognizant when playing on wet grass.
The spikeless outsole has a unique circular design on the bottom, which represents pressure points for swings. The circular portions of the outsole have more aggressive lugs to provide a better grip during aggressive swings.
On the midsole, you’ll find Phylon cushioning. If you know anything about Nike shoes, you’ll know that this is classic cushioning made for long-lasting comfort.
These shoes are truly all about minimalism in terms of style and design, though they’re equally functional on and off the course. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly shoe, look no further!
Purchase Nike Roshe G Golf Shoes
This spikeless golf shoe from Puma is one of the most comfortable golf shoes on this list, perfect for all-day, all-weather playing. Not only are these shoes made with a comfortable waterproof design, but they also look stunning, making them excellent and off-the-course shoes.
The seamless tongue and snug fit provide ample support, though note that you’ll likely have to spend more time than you’d maybe like breaking these shoes in. Plus, with an immovable tongue, getting them on and off can be a bit tricky.
Once broken in, however, you’ll no doubt enjoy the astonishing traction, especially when you consider the spikeless design. The underfoot support system is equally applaudable, providing a secure, fatigue-free fit throughout long days.
Purchase Puma Proadapt Alphacat Golf Shoes
New Balance has definitely made a name for itself with comfortable walking shoes and the New Balance Fresh Foam X Defender SL shoes are no exception. These sharp, lightweight, spikeless golf shoes are just as good for the office as they are for the golf course.
You get cushioning in all the right places, thanks to the Fresh Foam underfoot, which has become somewhat of a New Balance staple. They feel soft without the unnecessary mushiness that you often get from too much cushioning. On top, the FantomFit uppers provide softness and flexibility to complement.
While the outsole flexes nicely with every step, providing a solid mixture of agility and strength, the slightly plasticky feel has an audible click when walking on hard surfaces, which can take a second to get used to. With that said, they have an incredible grip on turf surfaces.
Overall, the New Balance Fresh Foam X Defender SLs are some of the nicest looking golf shoes on the market today, great for hitting the office or heading out to dinner after a few rounds without feeling like your feet are out of place.
Purchase New Balance Fresh Foam X Defender SL
Having a quality pair of golf shoes is essential for a good time on the course. With golf shoe manufacturers pushing the limits of comfort, stability and durability, pouring significant resources into developing quality shoes, it’s no wonder why even more and more casual golfers are getting their feet into these game-improving weapons.
Let’s look at a few things you should consider when trying to find the right shoe for your needs.
The color of your golf shoes is completely preferential.
Many golfers like the look of traditional golf shoes, which are often constructed with leather and use simple colors, such as white, black or brown.
However, more and more companies are starting to produce multi-colored shoes that hover around lifestyle sneaker designs. The ability to choose between so many different colors and styles can help highlight your own stylistic preferences on the course.
Plus, nothing can give you the confidence you need quite like hitting the links with a pair of shoes that you know look good on you.
Having golf shoes that fit properly is crucial. Beyond the fact that you’ll be walking long distances during any given round, you’ll likely be on your feet for more than a few hours, walking, standing or setting up for a backswing.
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right fit.
For starters, you’ll want to measure both of your feet prior to selecting a size. More than 60% of adults have one foot that is bigger than the other, which is why it’s important to request a size that fits your larger foot.
You’ll also want to take width into account. If you step into a standard shoe that’s the right size, only to find that it hugs the wide part of your foot a bit too much, you may need to look for a wider size.
While you certainly don’t want a shoe that is too loose, you also don’t want one that constricts your foot, leaving you in pain after a few holes.
Related Post: STITCH Golf Bag Review 2022
Spiked golf shoes are traditional golf shoes, offering plenty of traction when playing on grass or turf. These types of golf shoes come with either metal or plastic spikes (similar to cleats) on the bottom, though most modern shoes come with plastic, as they’re less expensive to make, lighter than metal (meaning more comfortable and less fatiguing to wear) and more flexible when it comes to design.
The main advantage of spiked golf shoes is stability. When you rotate your body for a swing, your feet grip the ground, allowing you to rotate forward with an explosive swing without your feet leaving the ground.
Then, we have spikeless shoes, which have started coming to the scene in more recent years. Spikeless golf shoes offer a far more casual design, perfect for wearing on and off the course. Rather than spikes, the soles are made with small, durable dimples, which provide a bit more traction than your average sole.
Without the addition of spikes, these shoes are much lighter and provide ample comfort, as they feel more natural on the feet. The one major downside is that they don’t provide as much traction, especially if you find yourself playing in wet conditions.
Leather is probably one of the most popular materials for golf shoes. Manufacturers will often process leather to stretch it around the outside of the shoes for a tight, durable fit. The beauty of leather is that it is quite breathable, perfect for summer players.
Many manufacturers will add waterproof lining to provide additional protection from the elements, whether you’re playing on a dewy course in the early morning or the day after a big downpour.
A cheaper alternative to leather is a synthetic material. A popular synthetic material choice for golf shoes is non-porous polyester. While this material is much lighter and more flexible than leather, it doesn’t provide as much breathability or durability.
If you’re really serious about getting the most protection out of your shoes, we recommend looking for those made with waterproof materials, such as Gore-tex.
Note that waterproofing often goes hand-in-hand with less breathability, so you might consider getting one pair of waterproof shoes for the winter and another lighter, more breathable pair for the summer. For example, you may look for a shoe with a mesh upper, as mesh provides plenty of airflow.
You may also consider looking for a water-resistant shoe, which is a tier below waterproof in terms of its ability to block out water, meaning it is typically slightly more breathable.
As the prominence of casual golf shoes continues to grow, the way in which laces are designed continues to change. Traditional laces are still the most popular choice, as they provide an easy, custom fit.
However, many golf shoe manufacturers are now giving consumers the ability to buy their shoes with mechanical BOA fits. BOAs operate similarly to a ski or snowboarding boot, providing a secure fit with a round tightening mechanism near the back of the shoe.
While you’ll pay slightly more for a BOA shoe, you’ll get a snug, stable fit that is hard to get with laces.
While everyone has their own budget, we always encourage people to spend a bit more than they might spend on their average shoe on athletic shoes.
Consider how many miles you’re going to walk in your golf shoes.
With that in mind, you might want to spend a bit more. A $100 pair of shoes versus a $150 pair of shoes offers a negligible difference, especially when you consider that cost over a few years of wear.
While most pro golfers wear spiked golf shoes, many golfers are starting to wear spikeless shoes. According to the PGA Tour, around 15-20% of players wear metal spikes. Some of those players include Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods.
Soft spike golf shoes are shoes with soft nodes tightened at the base. The benefit of these shoes is that they provide similar traction and grip to a metal spike shoe, though they are more lightweight.
Tiger Woods - Nike TW Brand Shoes
Dustin Johnson - adidas Tour360 XT
Jon Rahm - adidas Tour360 XT
Phil Mickelson - G/FORE Gallivanter
John Daly - SQAIRZ America Sole Line
Jordan Spieth - Spieth 4s
Justin Thomas - FJ ICON
Sepp Straka - SQAIRZ ARROW
Hideki Matsuyama - Gel Ace Tours
Golf shoes provide greater stability than regular shoes, especially if you are playing in wet conditions. They also have larger soles and broader bases than regular shoes, giving you more contact with the ground for sturdier footing.
A good golf shoe has an array of quality characteristics, including breathability, flexibility, durability, comfort and stability.
What's the difference between golf shoes and running shoes?
Golf shoes have better traction characteristics and wider sole designs than running shoes, making them better for stability during your game.
While you can wear running shoes for golf, thanks to their comfort characteristics, they don’t provide the same amount of traction and stability due to their narrower designs.
Our goal here was to create a concise yet comprehensive list of golf shoe contenders, all of which should address the majority of needs golfers have. Whether you’re hitting the links for the first time or consider yourself a seasoned pro, you’ll no doubt find a pair of standout shoes on this list to enhance your game.
When all is said and done, the shoes you choose will come down to a few major considerations, including durability, comfort, style and performance.
Get shoes that you know you’ll be confident playing in for the next few seasons and enjoy the many benefits they provide.
Prices are accurate and items in stock as of publish time.
Tyler Connaghan has been writing professionally for more than ten years in numerous facets, including sports, finance, tech, news, business, music and more.