For the life of me, I cannot find a pair of really comfortable golf shoes. I've done all the stiff soled leather major brands, and recently, I've gone to the softer fabric type of sneaker. By the end of a round, my feet are real tired, and sore, and ache. Thinking of trying a pair of Sketchers golf shoes, I know their regular shoes are comfortable. I'm open to suggestions, wear an 11 wide.
Golf Shoes
If you've tried all the major brands, I got nothin' for ya. If I know I'll be walking a lot during a round, I have a pair of Adidas spikeless shoes that are as comfortable as my sneakers (Adidas Adicross IV).
Walking and standing for 5 miles and sometimes 5 hours takes a toll on just about anyone. My gut reaction if you're unnaturally uncomfortable is that you either have a medical issue or you're wearing the wrong size shoes.
Alternatively, try an Adidas "boost" shoe. That sole material is unlike anything I've ever worn. Every other shoe feels like trash in comparison. They make a full Boost golf shoe now, I believe.
I've replaced my running and basketball shoes exclusively with Boost. There's seriously nothing like it. Try to get a full boost sole rather than just the heel, but even the heel will make a huge difference. Depending on where you're hurting, it could be enough.
Go to rockbottomgolf.com and search for "crossknit boost golf" shoes. I'd be shocked if those weren't the most extraordinarily comfortable golf shoes you've ever worn.
They have the tour 360 boost for $120 as well. Not bad at all. I need to throw my wallet into a river.
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Any full line shoe company's product will be good since they "make shoes" and not a side line division for them.
I used to like footjoy products but recently their lines are stale and customer service stinks ( since the new ownership).
Adidas and Puma , ( Sketcher ) will have one of the model suits your needs. Try them on in store to find your favorite. Shoes are among the items not to buy off internet unless you know what you want.
Since my experience with the last pair of Footjoy, my current new pair of shoes is Adidas with BOA, which saves me some time to put it on and take it off.
I wear 11 4E shoes, and have a wide toebox, and the Footjoy Contour X-Wide are one of the few that work for me.
Most other brands have really narrow shoes, these work great.
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I'm either wearing FJ Contours or Sketchers sneaker-type shoes in the summer months when it's dry.
Can't do hard leather... need something pliable and comfortable, because of plantar fasciitis. But size 11, 4E shoes.... good luck with that!
When it's dry, I wear the Sketchers Go Golf Lynx from last season. They're awesome... seriously, like wearing sneakers. Not sure what their width sizes run. I have this exact pair, they're spikeless.
FootJoy Hyperflex Golf Shoes are really comfortable and light. I walk all the time, usually 4 or 5 rounds a week. Footjoy Icons are also very comfortable but a bit heavier. I use both on a rotating basis.
My feet are 11.5 wide, and I really like True Linkswear. They are really wide in the forefoot.
Sketchers would be another great choice.
+1 to the Adidas Boost shoe. Its fantastic. I think alot of senior tour guys use Ecco which is probably good for walking with 75,000 foot, back and leg injuries.
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I have bad arthritic feet but love to walk so comfy shoes are important.
Won a pair of these Adidas in a tournament last year and they are incredibly comfortable , and so stable as well. Ecco shoes are also fantastic but at roughly $300 a pop up here, pricey.
I have tried the running shoe flat types , have two pair in Arzona, they are fine for carting but all lack in proper support for walking
I need a EEE or 4E wide shoe too, so I know that you can forget Ecco, Puma and even Nike (their wide sizes are not that wide). True Linkswear are naturally wide shoes but I have not had a pair that lasted a season. I usually end up in FootJoys. New Balance makes golf shoes in wide sizes - they're not in GolfTown so I haven't tried them but I love their regular walking shoes. Would like to try Sketcher's too now that they are more widely available in Canada.
Footjoy Contour's are the most comfortable I've ever worn.
IMO you have to find a shoe that fits your feet well. I find the adidas pure 360 and the puma Titan tour ignite to both fit well, tiny bit of arch support. Otherwise I'll go with a true linkswear with an insert with some arch support, a cmpletely flat shoe with some room in it to allow an insert....Works pretty good for me. The titantour ignite are really slick looking and comfy.
I'd try to find somewhere to try on some different models and walk around the store for a bit.
If you have narrow feet, addidas boost style is hard to beat. Can get them for $55 at golfhq.com. If you have wider feet, I'd recommend the newer model footjoy contour fit. At $120 they aren't cheap (I am a last years model guy) but they aren't super expensive and feel awesome.
I walk over 150 rounds a year and the only shoes that fit and are very comfortable are
Skechers and FootJoy (Superlites or Contours). Especially like the Skecher Elite. YMMV.
Footjoy Freestyle. FTW, the most comfortable shoe ever for walking
I'm pretty much an Ecco guy now. Maybe not the most comfortable, but they last. The soles and uppers are melded together to form one peice during production so the sole won't come apart. Don't know if it's the heat here in Florida, but the glued soles always come apart after awhile.
There's an Ecco outlet store within reach of me now so I should be all set. Have several pairs which I picked up for as low as $59.99. I walk three days a week and find they're comfortable enough.
On a side note. Went to a running shoe store called Fit to Run recently. My wife had a gift certificate so she was fitted to a pair of sneaks for exercising (treadmill etc.). They put you on a treadmill and video your feet as you run. The purpose is to see if you need sneakers that are what they call regular or pronated.
Long story short. My wife has one foot that needed pronation and one that did not. So she went with regular. My video showed I needed pronated shoes in both feet, so I bought a pair of Mizuno's that were pronated.
Basically if your feet slant inward when you walk or run a pronated shoe offers more support. The pronated shoe has more build up under the inside portion of where your arch hits. First I've heard of it. It seems several of the major running shoe companies make two different models regular and pronated.
Most companies call this a "stability" shoe, or a "motion control" shoe. They can be good for some people, but the body is pretty resilient. Sometimes trying to make what seems like a good functional decision like that can result in a lot of discomfort if your body has adapted. May be hard to train it back.
I have (unfortunately) very flat feet which results in significant pronation. Tried very expensive orthotics, but it ended up warping my shoes and creating weird pressure points in my feet. Have been without them for almost a year now, and feel as good as ever. I'm theoretically at a disadvantage because my ankle ends up lower than it should (beyond "neutral") but it hasn't held me back.
I feel better after walking 18 without the extra crap in my shoes. Hopefully your experience is better.
But, again, for shock absorption, energy return, and overall comfort, there is seriously nothing like Boost.