Golf shoes come in many varieties and sizes, from traditional right through to boots. But one thing all golf shoes have in common is their latest cutting-edge technologies designed to help every golfer play to their best abilities by being comfortable and workable.
Traditional golf shoes
Traditional golf shoes deemed the ‘classic’ footwear for most golfers. These shoes are comfortable, offer good traction on turf and are almost always water-resistant and breathable. Traditional golf shoes are far and away the most popular footwear on the market due largely to looking and feeling like regular everyday shoes.
Some of the best traditional golf shoes available now, offering excellent breathability, comfort and style, include the FootJoy Icon Shoes, which is everything a golf shoe should be. It has an upper created from the finest luxury calfskin leathers to give a superior finish and cork covered, cushioned footbed offers incredible longevity to allow you to play golf without foot fatigue.
The adidas Golf Adipure Flex shoes comes with Tour-performance last coupled with the brilliant Climaproof waterproof protection adidas golf shoes are famous for. The Nike Golf Air Zoom Precision Shoes come with excellent waterproofing, are super comfortable and won’t let you down on the greens.
Street golf shoes
The street shoe has made a name for itself by looking, feeling and acting like a regular trainer or stylish shoe which is golf course worthy. Sometimes with spikes, but more often spikeless, street shoes offer almost everything that a traditional golf shoe does.
Street shoes are predominantly lightweight, with flat, dimpled soles in place of standard spikes. Street shoes are also believed to help tackle pain in the back and foot, with manufacturers Ecco Golf going above and beyond to deliver quality comfort. If street shoes have any drawbacks, its their lack of grip on turf when lining up a swing, while the lack of golf spikes will make them less stable in long or wet grass, and typically they are not designed to provide waterproofing--performing much better in warm, dry conditions.
The
ECCO Biom Hybrid 3 Shoes have premium Yak leather to give excellent breathability and the BIOM natural motion technology helps keep the player closer to the ground. An anatomical last shape for extra comfort makes these shoes the perfect addition to your golf gear. The
PUMA Golf IGNITE PWR Sport offer superb comfort and traction, both on and off the golf course. This versatile golf shoe features a highly durable construction, with spikeless outsole, breathable and waterproof mesh, for use in all surroundings.
The hereUnder Armour Spieth 2 Shoes
is built with direct insights from 3-time Major champion Jordan Spieth! It’s got GORE-TEX® waterproof protection, it's lightweight, and it’s got a lockdown traction system that was built to handle Jordan’s unique swing.
Golf boots
Boots have been steadily gaining popularity during the colder months of the year. Those who wear golf boots profess they feel and perform just like traditional golf shoes, despite them looking closer to hiking boots or wellingtons.
Golf boots offer a much higher level of waterproofing and deliver excellent turf traction. Boots warm the feet and toes during adverse weather conditions thanks to being covered almost entirely in a layer of waterproof material.
A selection of available golf boots include the Callaway Golf Hurricane Boots, Callaway Golf Tempest Ladies Boots, FootJoy Zipped Winter Boots, FootJoy Winter Boots, Stuburt Typhoon Winter Boots, adidas Golf Climproof BOA Boots , Stuburt Endurance Waterproof Ladies Boot and Stuburt Endurance Waterproof Boot.
Leather golf shoes
Processed and then added to the golf shoes exterior, leather creates a stretch-free and tight-fitting waterproof experience ideal for any weather condition, especially summer, as the leather is more breathable than other materials. Leather golf shoes usually have a saddle design feature that stabilises the surface of the shoe to keep golfers balanced and comfortable. Most leather golf shoes come with a manufacturer guarantee of between one to two years.
Waterproof lining
Most golf shoes offer waterproof protection nowadays due to the unpredictable weather. One of the top materials in waterproof golf shoes is GoreTex, although there are plenty of variations available from other top brands which work just as proficiently. The extreme thickness of waterproof lining makes water penetration impossible, and this obviously makes it the ideal choice for winter play, whilst the material within is breathable and incredibly warm when compared to leather, which means it may not be ideal for hot summers or playing abroad.
Polyester lining
More reasonably priced for casual golfers but by no means lesser in performance to leather; lining is nonporous polyester that is spread over the shoes and this works to lend protection to the outer shell. Polyester lining is lighter, thinner and cheaper than leather, but still delivers on the greens.
Metal golf spikes
It is becoming increasingly more difficult to purchase metal golf spikes, as the age-old ways continue diminishing with each passing season. Becoming less and less common, they are still used by some of the top professionals.
Metal golf spikes are longer and sharper, offering greater turf traction on golf courses than plastic spikes, though their infamy for tearing great clumps of that turf from the ground has made them somewhat less popular with certain people. The heightened possibility of metal spikes becoming damaged during play, and the golf rules that strongly state repairing spike marks on the green is prohibited; plastic spikes have gradually pushed them out of the limelight and into the shade of the bunker. Metal spikes also cause some discomfort when walked on hard ground which can upset the rhythm of a golfer’s game.
Most golf courses have banned the use of metal golf spikes, so it may be worth checking ahead if you are going to play another course to see whether a switch to plastic spikes may be of greater long-term benefit.
Plastic golf spikes
Plastic spikes are far more common on golf shoes these days due to their lightweight appeal and lowered risk of tearing up the fairways. Plastic spikes are wider in size and this spreads the weight of the player across a larger area, which in turn creates less pressure and reduced turf damage. Plastic spikes are ideal underfoot accessories for summer conditions when the turf is hard and the technology of the plastic spike design is advancing at rapid pace, offering the same great traction as traditional metal spikes.