In Pursuit of the Perfect Golf Shoe

Ever since I had been diagnosed with tarsal tunnel syndrome in 2018, I have gone through a long journey of recovery and further injury prevention. A big part of this is in the shoes I wear daily. I started putting insoles for arch support in all of my shoes and I’m very picky about what types of shoes I wear, including in golf. A few months ago I started to walk every round rather than take a cart, which was great for my overall health but it meant I needed to make sure I can find shoes I can play well in, but also be comfortable enough to stand and walk in for several hours. I think if you walk the course, the average 18 hole round is about 6 miles worth of walking. All of that really led me to look for the right golf shoes.

The requirements I had were pretty simple:

1. I needed something that had great traction
2. It had to be lightweight
3. It had to be waterproof
4. It had to be very comfortable. I know this one is subjective.

First, I tried one shoe that is supposed to be known to be very comfortable and considered the upper echelon when it comes to quality and comfort, especially for walkers. This is the ECCO Biom Hybrid 4. At first glance, it ticked all the boxes. It didn’t have traditional spikes but definitely not spikeless either. It is waterproof and known to be comfortable. However, I immediately disliked this shoe. It felt really heavy, bulky, and not at all comfortable. The shoe was very stiff and it just didn’t work out for me.

Secondly, I tried a brand that I was very familiar with: Puma. I got the Fusion Grip spikeless shoe. Problem is, this shoe is not waterproof and doesn’t have great traction either, even considering that it is spikeless. I think this is a good shoe if you play in a dry climate though. And it’s also pretty comfortable.

Next, I tried another brand I was familiar with and picked up a pair of True Linkswear All Day Ripstop V2. This is also a spikeless shoe but it is waterproof and it’s actually pretty comfortable. However, it also doesn’t have great traction so I realized I definitely needed shoes with spikes.

Next, I went back to Puma and got a pair of the Phantomcat Nitro shoes. This is an excellent shoe and ticked every box. Super comfortable, lightweight, waterproof and although their spikes are not traditional still had great traction.

Lastly, I tried one more pair and it is something that everyone is talking about these days: The Payntr Eight Seven SC. These are the shoes I think were developed along with Jason Day. These shoes are also excellent in every way and they look amazing. Between these and the Puma Phantomcat Nitro’s, it’s really kind of a toss-up. The Payntr has the edge in the coolness factor, but is definitely a lot more expensive though.