The History of the Golf Shoe
The 1857 issue of The Golfer’s Manual hits the stands. The Scottish novice golfer leafs through the publication and reads a new recommendation: “The novice golfer is advised to wear stout shoes roughed with small nails or sprigs” while shuffling through the links. In addition to providing safety while simply walking over slippery ground, it provided a non-slip base while swinging the club.
Then, in 1891, golf shoes were introduced with separate screw-in spikes that provided even better footing and were much more comfortable than some of the shoes (and even boots) worn by some golfers. Not everyone was happy, however, as groundskeepers begin complaining about greens being damaged.
The early 1900s arrive as do the “saddle oxford” style of golf shoe with extra material around the laces and became more of a “standard” look for golf shoes everywhere.
The saddle shoe remains popular until softer, more flexible athletic-style golf shoes begin appearing in the late part of the 20th century.
Finally, groundskeepers everywhere are happier as soft spikes are introduced in the 1990s, and even “turf style” shoes become more popular. In addition, even advancements of styles such as golf sandals and golf “croc” style shoes become popular as more manufacturers experiment with types.
Why Golf Shoes?
As stated in the history, it is obvious and evident that golf shoes provide a good source of stability while traversing the golf course while ensuring the golfer maintains a solid base and stance while swinging. Through the shifting of weight and twisting of the body and hips, the feet should remain firmly planted and not slip while performing the stroke. In addition, the most effective golf shoes also provide protection from moisture while the golfer treks over eighteen holes of grass that is occasionally wet.
How do I know what to wear?
The best way to choose a golf shoe is literally the same as picking out any other shoe: trying them on and seeing how they feel. The most important deciding factor about choosing your golf shoe is if they are comfortable to wear for long periods of time. For example, one of the most comfortable men’s shoes you can purchase is the Etonic GSOK. For women, the Adidas Tour 360s are highly recommended. If you are a golfer that must consistently play in adverse weather conditions, dewy mornings, or a humid environment, it might behoove you to choose a shoe known for its waterproof nature such as the FootJoy DryJoy brand.
Bottom line: try some on. Wear them. Practice a golf swing or two. Make sure they feel good first. Then you can worry if they are stylish enough for you or not.
Read all of our golf shoe reviews below:
Why do I get the feeling Michael Jordan is behind these Nike Dunks? These are not your grandfather’s golf shoes!
The days of humping around the links in stiff, heavy leather golf shoes are over. I remember having to tape up my feet because they were so badly blistered from trying ...
There are some iconic names in golf: Titleist, Wilson, and Ping, to name a few. But perhaps none are so closely associated with golf than FootJoy -- makers of golf shoes, gloves, rain gear, hats, socks, and more. If you've ever watched a golf tournament on television ...
Not so long ago, if you were a woman looking for a pair of golf shoes, your choices were pretty thin and usually involved a "kiltie" on the front of the shoe. Not so these days. Today, it's possible to find everything from traditional saddle shoes, ...
Whether you're walking 18 holes, riding in a cart, or enjoying a cool beverage at the 19th hole, you won't break any clubhouse dress codes if you do it in the Payson shoe from Sandbaggers. The shoe features a modern styling flair and has been built with some ...
I really like the look of this classic golf shoe. I haven’t quite adjusted to the new flashy designs that Nike and Adidas are putting out there. I’ve read recently that FootJoy Classics are not being made anymore by FootJoy. This is another tragedy of the recent downturn ...
These FootJoy icons are a departure from FJ's "Classics" that go back to 1959. Due to this crappy economy, FJ has closed one of its plants in Brocton, MA. I'm a big FootJoy guy and really don't mess around with too many other brands. The reason ...
There are two things I have to worry about when wearing sandals golfing: my feet getting sunburned and my sandals getting stinky. Oh, and my golf buddies making fun of my gnarly-looking feet. (That's three things, actually.)
These Palm Springs Ladies Golf Sandals aren't my favorite golf sandals in ...
Golf sandals are a great idea in the summer to give your feet a break and get some cool tan lines on your feet. My first real golf sandals were Bite golf sandals. I say "real" because I've played some rounds in flip flops and Chacos. I wouldn't recommend ...
I'm the guy you want reviewing golf sandals -- I'm a sandal guy. Many of rounds, I've taken ridicule and persecution as I walked up to the first tee sporting my ventilated convertible foot wear. (My friends can be a little snooty when it comes to golf apparel.) The ...
I'm going to classify these shoes under stylish and comfort opposed to performance and durability. And so comfortable they are. When you put these on for the first time, you will be amazed. The shoe feels like it has already been broken in for a ...
Do your feet hurt after a round of golf? Do they stink? Mine do. Gross! Sorry, but I have to give it to you straight. My dogs are not just barking after a round of golf, they smell like they’ve been chasing cats in the rain and getting ...
These shoes come with gems! Callaway has "be-dazzled" the shoe with genuine Swarovski crystals down the side… Oooooooooh! By the way, what are Swarovski crystals? And when did Paris Hilton take up golf?
Let's take a look at the functional parts of the shoe and get ...
Callaway isn't messing around with these golf shoes. This is a premium shoe designed with high performance in mind and some cool features to keep your foot comfortable and healthy in the process. Let's take a look under the hood.
First, I think it's a good-looking shoe. I ...
My grandpappy always said, "You get what you pay for." Grandpappy had a knack for stating the obvious. (He was also fond of saying, "You kids get off of my lawn!" and "Does anybody else hear that buzzing?")
These Climacool Tradewinds are only 20 bucks, and that's because ...
"So ya wanna playya da golffa? You wear-ra da golffa shoe, no? Ahh, I gotta da golffa shoe for you!"
Wow, look at these beautiful Italian-made golf shoes. These look more like you'd see them at a wedding or a fancy luncheon rather than on the golf ...
If you are a fan of Crocs, then you will love these golf shoes. Crocs, of course, are those ugly shoe sandal things that are built for comfort. You see the laid-back outdoorsy folks, hippies, and a few hip doctors sporting ‘em.
These Dawgs are a bit more appealing-looking ...
These shoes get their name from their ability to flip crazy "backside Ollies." Hold on, that's not right. This isn't "ZipSkateboarder.com."
All joking aside, the 360 stands for the 360wrap. This is Adidias' proprietary technology that surrounds your entire foot creating the most stability in ...
This shoe scores above average on my big three when it comes to a golf shoe: Performance, Comfort, and Style. Throw in a relatively good price for a high performance golf shoe, and you have a keeper.
Let's talk comfort first, because I think that's where the Tour ...
These chic Velas look like something the hipsters here in Portland, OR would be wearing around town. This is supposed to be a compliment. (Don't hate the hipsters.) This is a spikeless golf shoe designed for comfort and style probably more than performance on the golf course. ...
It appears Freddy Couples may have started a new trend in golf apparel. Everybody is talking about these shoes. I noticed them at the beginning the year because I watch the Champion's tour. Now that Fred sported them at The Masters, they've now shown up on ...
And you thought you were the biggest golf dork on the block already. Nope, not until you go out and fetch the morning paper sporting these bad boys. They are golf shoes for your bedroom. "Fore!"
Get this: They even have skid proof "cleats" on the ...
This Etonic Men's GSOK golf shoe is very popular because it is so comfortable. The secret is in the patented "SOK" which conforms to your foot along with the memory foam that hugs the top of your in-step and ankle.
"Look Ma, No spikes!" Another cool quality ...
The styles are getting wilder in men's golf apparel. Have you seen what John Daly has been wearing lately? These Casual Cool Ribbon Golf Shoes have a sporty look. They look like running shoes.
I like ‘em, but I'm sure the golf purist would disagree (but what ...
Here are some very comfortable golf shoes by Ecco. Ecco is that fashionable shoe company out of Denmark. These shoes have a modern look to them and are definitely not your typical-looking standard golf shoe. However, recently I spotted Champion's Tour pro Freddy Couples sporting ...
The same question has been asked throughout the ages: Is there a completely waterproof golf shoe that is also comfortable? Okay, maybe just asked throughout a few ages.
I believe Ecco has achieved this. These Ecco Men's Classic Saddle GTX are made with gore tex and completely waterproof ...
These FootJoy Contour series are the most comfortable shoes that I've ever worn. Right out of the box, they feel like they are already broken in. If you have problems with your dogs barking after a round of golf, you will want to give these shoes a try.
These shoes ...
Here's a bare-bones inexpensive shoe by FootJoy. This shoe is comfortable and will get you from point A to point B, but it isn't the most advanced shoe FootJoy has (by far.)
This shoe is made of imitation leather. It's a PVC (poly vinyl chloride). It is soft and water-resistant and has ...
FootJoy's DryJoys shoe has been an extremely successful model for the company. It comes in several different styles — we'll talk about the DryJoy in general first, and then we'll get to some details on the variations.
First off, let me just say that I'm going to gush a little in this ...
These Adidas Beacon Golf Shoes are some of Adidas' economy golf shoes. You're not paying a lot of money here, and like my grandmother used to say, "You get what you pay for."
This shoe is built for durability. They incorporate Adidas' adiWear technology. This is a non-marking ...
This golf shoe looks like you could run a triathlon in it. It has a mesh looking upper with a very sporty design. Let's look at the technology.
This shoe has Adidas' 50/50 technology. This revolutionary technology uses a water and soil repellent material in the lower part ...
If you are looking for a comfortable golf shoe, this is the shoe for you. This Adidas FitRX is form fitting. That's right; the shoe uses Adidas 3D FitFoam technology. This is a combination of three different base and cushioning layer foams. These foams absorb shock while ...
Check out these cool Nike golf shoes. I like the sporty look of these shoes. Let's take a look under the hood.
First of all the" Zoom" in the Nike Zoom is a lightweight extremely responsive cushioning. Nike makes the padding super thin, which brings your foot closer to ...
These are some pretty ugly golf shoes, but the price is right! I'm really not feeling the grey stripes on the brown leather. However they do come with some pretty cool technology.
For one thing, they are waterproof. They have Adidas' ClimaProof Technology. The ClimaProof technology gives ...
Here's a comfortable, inexpensive golf shoe from Nike. I really like this Nike Air Tour Golf shoe because you are getting a lot of shoe for a low price.
The shoe is very sporty looking, all black with a grey swoosh. The full-grain leather is extremely comfortable and gives ...
Tiger Woods has worn this shoe. No, not this specific shoe -- you get a brand new one -- but this particular model. It has a laser-etched logo on the heel to commemorate Tiger's tenth-year anniversary of his first major.
This shoe is a great buy because it's a ...
Check out these golf shoes by Adidas that look like they are made out of mesh. Just looking at these shoes it appears that they would be as comfortable as bedroom slipper. Let's take a closer look.
The comfort comes from the 50/50 Protect material. This innovative technology uses ...
Here are some lightweight economy golf shoes by Adidas. The Men's Tech Response Golf Shoe is a comfortable golf shoe at an affordable price.
The best thing about these shoes, beside the price point, is their durability. These Tech Response Golf Shoes have Adidas' adiWear technology. This is a ...
This is a great looking golf shoe. You can get it in all black or all white. It is from Nike's 2009 Air Max line.
The Air Max technology takes Nike's old standard Air Technology and adds extra impact cushioning. This is Nike's attempt to counteract ...
Check out this ultra comfortable shoe from Adidas. This shoe is so comfortable you could almost go jogging in it. Let's take a closer look.
The secret behind its extreme comfort is the 50/50 Protect technology. This revolutionary technology uses a water and soil repellent material in the lower ...
PGA professional Sergio Garcia sports this tour quality high performance shoe. This is the Adidas' baby and their top-of-the-line golf shoe. This bad boy has more cutting-edge technology than the space station. Let's take a look.
The best thing about this shoe is the high performance and stable ...
I'm not a big fan of these golf shoes. Don't get me wrong; FootJoy makes a great product, but these are their scaled-down model. Let's call it the "Economy" FootJoy.
Let's point out the positives first. It's inexpensive. Plus, the shoe is waterproof. It has a ...
These cool FootJoy SYNR-G golf shoes were designed for golfers looking for stability and motion control. The three main features at work here are the FootJoy's Tri-lateral Stability Frame, Alloy Stability Bridge, and Stinger Cleats.
The Tri-Lateral Stability Frame is built with TPU (thermoplastic urethane) and EVA (ethyl vinyl acetate) ...
Here's a sturdy golf shoe by Nike. The look of this shoe doesn't knock my socks off, but it is a tour quality shoe that is very durable and waterproof.
I live in Portland, OR, where rain and mud are typical conditions. A lot of golf shoes advertise that ...
I love the look of these Adidas Powerband 2.0 golf shoes. They look like you could go out and run a marathon in them. They are very sporty looking and have some great technology.
First things first, when you live in the Northwest like I do (where it rains nonstop), you ...
This is a comfortable golf shoe by Nike. Since this is an older model, the Nike Mens Air Tour TW is a great shoe for the price. Let's have a "look-see" at all the great qualities of this shoe.
As I already mentioned, the best thing about this shoe is the ...
The golf swing starts from the ground up so you better have a good golf shoe. It doesn't get much better than these Adidas Tour 360 LTD shoes. These shoes have more technology built into them than the "radials" on your truck. Let's take a look, ...
Sometimes you need to find that little gift that a golfer may not have. Something that they would never really spend their own money on, but may like to have if someone else footed the bill. Something like a Scotty Cameron Putter. Something like a membership to Pebble Beach. ...
The Callaway Sport Era Golf Shoe is Callaway's take on a semi-formal, comfortable golf shoe. It is designed to be light, breathable, durable and stylish, while not breaking the bank.
The shoe is lined with moisture-wicking, breathable material that will keep your feet cool and dry, which fixes a problem often encountered ...
The Nike Air Zoom Elite Golf Shoe is a stylish, sleek-looking shoe that looks complex, but does it perform as well as it looks? Let's take a look inside to find out.
The first thing you'll probably notice is the Zoom Air unit in the heel, designed to add comfort and cushion to the ...
I have been known to like gadgets. It's true. New innovations that make things easier or faster are always interesting to me. When I saw this shoe come up for review, I was excited because I knew it had something different than I had ever seen before.
The Footjoy ...
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