Golf shoes have come a long way over the past few years. The introduction of streetwear-inspired shoes and alternative spike-less models have ushered in the most notable shift in styles since the fading away of metal spikes. When you throw in the ever-increasing focus on new materials and technology, it’s clear that finding a new pair of golf shoes can be daunting.
When we set out to put together the New Shoe Buyer’s Guide, it became obvious that the shoe market has grown considerably. Even after restricting the field for the New Shoe Buyer’s Guide by limiting the contenders to only new shoe models or significant model modifications, there are still quite a few options competing for your dollars.
We reviewed shoes that span the spectrum from budget to luxury and posted scores spanning the spectrum of letter grades from A to F. During the testing, there were certainly plenty of surprises and a handful of shoes scored higher and some scored lower than you would probably expect. While prices are typically good indicators at the extremes, the mid-priced models scored all over the map.
Scoring
All of the shoes have been judged on the same scale for Comfort, Performance, Durability, and Style. In addition to the individual scales, a final letter grade is given for an overall score for each shoe.
The individual scales for the characteristics of the shoes are judged on a qualitative scale and are based on observations of putting the shoes to multiple rounds of golf and range sessions. While the bars show relative performance between an arbitrary minimum and maximum range, the letter grade is an overall score independent of the individual scales.
The Contenders
 adidas adizero One |  adidas adizero Sport II |  adidas Pure 360 |  Ashworth Encinitas Wingtip |
 Callaway Master Staff Brogue |  Callaway X Cage Vibe |  Callaway X Nitro |  ECCO Street EVO One |
 ECCO Tour Hybrid |  FootJoy FJ City |  FootJoy DNA |  FootJoy DryJoy Casual |
 FootJoy SuperLites CT |  Heaven Golf Shoe |  Kikkor Select |  New Balance 574 Golf |
 New Balance Minimus |  Nike Golf FI Impact |  Nike Golf Lunar Ascend II |  Nike Golf Lunar Control II |
 Nike Golf TW14 Mesh |  Puma Monolite |  Puma Biofusion |  Puma Biofusion Spikeless Mesh |
 Puma Faas Lite Mesh |  Royal Albartross Club Collection |  Royal Albartross Grayson |  TRUE Gent Wingtip |
 TRUE Lyt Dry | |||
2014 Golf Shoe Comparison
If you’re looking for comparison data at a glance, this grid will show you a variety of common information on pricing, sole style, colorways, sizing, width options, and waterproofing information.
*Please note that several of the shoes listed in this guide have been temporarily discounted. While we have tried to accurately represent the expected street prices. In some cases the actual purchase price will be lower than what is listed in this guide.
Admittedly our Most Wanted selections for both Spiked and Spikeless golf shoes are premium offerings that run at what many will consider the extreme end of the pricing table. While we believe those selections are a cut above in every respect, value/price were not considered as part of the overall grade, and so we felt it was necessary to give the best option for those of you not interested in spending $600 on your next pair of golf shoes.
Runner-up: Spikeless
It’s great when a company consistently puts out a great product and that’s been the story for ECCO. These shoes have evolved from the original spikeless model that opened up the possibility that an alternative street-inspired shoe could hold its weight in the golf world. Be sure to try on this shoe at your local retailer as the sizing tends to run a size large.
The ECCO Street EVO One golf shoes are solid all the way through and the quality of the leather is something that more manufacturers should aspire to. For those looking for a relatively mainstream alternative to our Most Wanted spikeless shoe, we can’t oversell you on the ECCO Street EVO One.
Runner-up: Traditional/Spiked
The PURE 360 is a no-comprise golf shoe and it scored top marks in terms of performance. The quality of the shoe can be seen throughout the overall feel and construction and it’s a shoe leaving little to be desired. When the only thing to complain about is cleaning the soles, then you know you have a good shoe.
If our Most Wanted is priced out of your range, or you’re looking for a more modern take on the traditional golf shoe, the adidas Pure 360 is a clear winners when it comes to being an all-around great golf shoe for under $300.
There’s little arguing that our Most Wanted selections come at anything other than a premium price, but we believe our picks for both traditional/spiked and spikeless represent the very best of what’s available for 2014.
Most Wanted (Best Overall): Spikeless
The initial soft-spike option from Royal Albartross is a masterpiece. You won’t understand the difference between these shoes and the others until you see them in person. While the price is higher than most, this is still a value for the level of detail and satisfaction that you’ll get out of this excellent line of golf shoes. The Club Collection also debuts in six different color combinations – at least one of which that’s likely to appeal to almost everyone.
The Royal Albartross Club Collection is a fashion-forward quality investment that will stand the test of time.
Buy Royal Albartross Club Collection
Most Wanted (Best Overall): Traditional/Spiked
If you’re ready to treat yourself then this is the shoe to do it with. Classic styling and meticulous craftsmanship combine to create the ultimate traditional golf shoe. Everything from the hardware used in the eyelets to the stacked leather soles scream quality. Handcrafted in Italy says it all.
The Royal Albartross Grayson will instantly make you feel like Bobby Jones.
Value is about more than price. A cheap shoe is only a value if it’s comfortable and performs well. To that end, our Best Value selections are outstanding performers offered at below average prices (not exactly bargain basement). These are the shoes that offer the most bang for your buck.
Best Value: Spikeless
Coming in at a generous price-point and with good overall ratings — this sporty golf shoe is one that will leave you happy with your investment. A great overall fit, shape, and comfort are all standouts. The interesting sole pattern results in plenty of stability and also allows the shoe to easily transition from course to street to gym.
The Nike FI Impact is the clear overall winner for Nike this year and rivals the best new shoes of the year.
Best Value: Traditional/Spiked
There are lots of interesting things that standout when first looking at the adizero ONE. The most interesting immediate features are the incredible lack of weight, the unique materials, and the well-contoured fit. The one downside to this shoe is the unpleasant clicking sound when walking on concrete or hard surfaces.
The adidas adizero One has a wonderful mix of technologies and innovative materials that have combined into a great performance-focused shoe.
This shoe is a notable new and welcome offering from FootJoy. The FJ City is a great looking shoe with performance and durability that rival any golf shoe out there. The shoes come in a plain or brogue style and in a variety of colorways.
The FootJoy FJ City is the best thing we’ve seen come out of FootJoy for quite some time.
FootJoy DNA
FootJoy has done an incredible job with this well-executed new golf shoe. It’s rare that a mass-market golf shoe gets so many things right, but the DNA lives up to the hype. The comfort is excellent and the performance of this shoe goes beyond expectations.
If you’re a fan of traditionally-styled, spiked, and technology-rich golf shoes, this is a clear winner.
The new Mesh version of the TW14 provides superior comfort and fit. This is a substantial shoe with a solid feel. The spikeless soles are unique and the shoe is based on the Nike Free platform that allows flexibility alongside nice traction. Despite the bright white mesh, these shoes still clean up easily.
The Nike TW14 Mesh is a great take on the TW14 and allows for additional visibility and excellent durability.
This new shoe takes the walkability and zero-drop nature found in all of the TRUE lineup and combines it with a wingtip styling that has given the serious walking golfer with a much-needed combination of style and comfort. The performance and durability aspects of the shoes have evolved to a level that they will handle more wear-and-tear than we’ve seen from TRUE in prior years.
The TRUE Linkswear Gent Wingtip is an excellent combination of all of the elements that are needed to be a great all-around golf shoe.
With a nice mix of a traditional shape and spikeless construction, this shoe makes for a nice hybrid shoe for those looking to cross over. The shoe is more narrow than most spikeless models. Don’t let the look of the shoe fool you, this shoe isn’t just for warm weather. The construction and waterproof features of the shoe make the adizero Sport II great for any season.
While none of the characteristics were pure standouts; the Adidas Adizero Sport II is a good shoe at a value price.
ECCO has been bringing a variety of high-quality styles to the golf world year-after-year and this model is no exception. The traditional uppers and punched saddle give the shoe a classic and under-stated clean look that is backed up with excellent performance and durability with the spikeless soles.
The ECCO Tour Hybrid is a great mix of a traditional golf shoe, a timeless look, and a progressive sole.
The first thing that you’ll notice about the Kikkor Select shoes is the unique print on the outers of the shoe. While the styling will be hit-or-miss, the shoe put up respectable scores and the quality of the shoes is a noticeable improvement from the Kikkors of previous years. The lines of the shoes are simple and effective and the comfort is good enough that they’ll leave you smiling at the end of your round.
The Kikkor Selects are a good low-priced option that will resonate well for progressive and younger golfers.
This is a great golf version of the classic New Balance 574. The quality of the shoe feels a bit off, but the classic styling and excellent comfort make up for what will likely be a good single-season golf shoe.
The New Balance 574 is lightweight and comfortable with enough retro flavor that they’ll leave your playing partners wonder why they’re torturing themselves in their over-engineered golf shoes.
This is a really good budget golf shoe with respectable all-around scoring. The Monolite is minimal and understated while also being well-capable on the course. The shoe even did well in soggy and sloppy conditions and cleaned up easily. This shoe will easily last a few seasons and when it finally does wear down, it makes for a great casual shoe for around town.
The Puma Monolite is a nice low-key offering at an attractive price.
This is one of the shoe contenders that is obviously aiming for a highly technical tour-performance shoe — and Puma has accomplished that aim with the Biofusion. The shoe even looks technical with a mixture of unique materials, construction, and styling. While the look feels over-done, the shoe is capable of handling any terrain and conditions that you throw at it.
The Puma Biofusion is a traditional golf shoe with futuristic styling and great performance.
This shoe shares the Biofusion name with the more traditional model, but the shoes couldn’t be much different in terms of appearance and feel. The Biofusion Mesh is a really good shoe that tackles all weather conditions well and has an attractive look. The cell cage that is visible on the inner side of the shoe gives the shoe some extra flavor that adds to the understated-but-noticeable technology that exists throughout the shoe.
The Puma Biofusion Spikeless Mesh shoe is one of the best-performing shoes tested and it has a great look that works both on and off the course. This is the best performance-to-price ratio seen across all shoes tested.
There are plenty of lightweight shoes popping up in the golf world, but this shoe is insanely lightweight. While the extreme lightweight nature results in a very thin shoe, it also adds significantly to the comfort factor. I’m not sure you can find a better warm-weather walking shoe out there.
The Puma Faas Lite Mesh sacrifices durability for comfort — but it’s done in a thoughtful way that makes this shoe an excellent choice for a minimum price.
While scoring well, the potential of the Lyt Dry is still short of being fully realized. This is an excellent shoe, but it falls just short of excellence in a few areas. A minor discomfort on the follow-through in the heel cup of the shoe is the only thing that prohibited the comfort score from being perfect.
The Lyt Dry is a capable zero-drop shoe targeted at the walking golfer.
In Closing. . .
Quite a few of the new shoes made a strong showing during the rounds of testing on the range and on the course while a handful of the shoes had problems that surfaced quickly.
Regardless of what you’re looking for, there’s likely a new 2014 shoe model that will fit your needs. Choosing from a variety of styles and prices can help you narrow the range and the comfort, performance, and durability aspects can let you dial the shoe to be perfect for your needs.
Looking for any additional information or detailed experience while testing the shoes? Feel free to post your questions in the comments and we’ll respond with our own comments and let others add their opinions as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment