Investing in a pair of the best golf shoes can help you have a more comfortable day on the course and give you support during that all-important swing. But as you can't know how they feel until you get them on your feet, we've put them to the test.
We've tried each pair to see if they offer good traction on a variety of surfaces, are breathable enough to keep your feet cool even in sweaty weather, and whether the materials actually keep your feet dry in wet conditions.
Our favorite are the Adidas TOUR360 22, which isn't too surprising given that they're a popular choice for many of the world's top pro golfers. But we've also rounded up the best golfing shoes for a variety of different courses and conditions.
The quick list
Here's the best golf shoes you can buy right now based on our testing. Scroll down for more in-depth reviews.
A good and snug fit, durable outsole, excellent gripping to the ground, breathability and great looks. Along those lines, the Adidas TOUR360 22 golf shoes hits on all cylinders. Plus it doesn’t hurt that several of the world’s top golfers wear them.
Adidas offers the best of every world — support, traction, comfort, fit and literally everything you might look for in a golf shoe. The Adidas Tech Response 2.0 is offered in three colorways for men and three for women. These were the first golf shoes I purchased upon getting into the game, and they served me well for more than a year before I upgraded.
Packed full with golf-specific features, the Footjoy Fuel delivers sneaker-inspired looks. And that’s important, especially as golf attracts newcomers from other sports who are used to participating in sports with a certain aesthetic that feels like home to them.
This shoe is amazingly comfortable. It’s actually a popular shoe in trendy Southern California, mainly because the styling fits right in the outdoor lifestyle. There are no cleats on the bottom, so it’s often worn by golfers to the course — and then for the rest of the day while doing whatever.
The Fresh Foam X Defender weighs just 11.3 ounces, which is super lightweight for a golf shoe. It has an ultralight and waterproof skeletally engineered “FantomFit” upper that’s welded for ultralight support. The pattern and volume of protruding nubs recreate a cleated experience as closely as possible
The best golf shoes you can buy right now
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Best golf shoes overall
The very best golf shoes on the market will provide you with comfort, a good and snug fit, durable outsole, excellent gripping to the ground, breathability, and great looks. And your feet will feel just as energized when you putt out on 18 as you did stepping up to the first tee.
Along those lines, this model hits on all cylinders. Plus it doesn’t hurt that several of the world’s top golfers wear it. That includes PGA Tour pro Dustin Johnson, who says: “I really like its design and style, but the traction, feel and comfort I get definitely make this the best version of the Tour360 that I’ve ever worn.”
This has been adidas Golf’s iconic flagship shoe model for 17 years — the top-of-the-line kicks that public golfers like us can buy in the identical form as the brand’s Tour staffers wear. And from day one, it’s always been mostly about fit and traction.
Even if you’ve worn previous iterations, you will instantly notice with this rendition a more natural fit that offers better stability, better traction, and plenty of comfort. It’s built on the brand’s “Feet You Wear” last that mimics the natural shape of the foot, ultimately helping to create a better connection with the ground and accommodate the natural movements of your foot in all directions — as well as generating more power in your swing.
Inside, the shoe shines, with full-length proprietary BOOST cushioning for comfort. It also helps keep your feet energized, while you’re walking or riding the course. An EVA stability frame on the forefoot perimeter lends lightweight stability, comfort, and performance.
There’s collar padding to make fit and feel on the top of your foot even better, and a sock liner that adds cushioning. A fresh traction system on the outsole includes cleats that have been directly injected onto the TPU base for stellar gripping. In other words, the shoe includes all of the company’s premium technology and materials.
Speaking of, the upper features premium rich leather (replete with a one-year waterproof warranty), microfiber, and textiles that incorporate recycled materials – that’s all part of the adidas global mission to help end plastic waste.
That alone may make you feel good and responsible about your purchase. The shoe is offered in both a laced version and a BOA dial closure model for men and women, as well as a simplified lace model for juniors.
Best golf shoes for value
Year in and year out, Adidas Golf comes to market with shoes that offer the best of every world — support, traction, comfort, fit, looks, etc. Literally, everything you might look for in a golf shoe is here.
This affordable shoe is a prime example. Let’s start with the looks. It’s offered in three colorways for men and three for women. And you know what? They all look awesome.
These shoes have a really nice athletic style and the material usage is impressive, as well.
The spiked outsole provides stability and traction on soft surfaces, which is perfect for the golf course.
Subconsciously or not, that lets you be confident in taking a good whack at the ball from any lie by knowing the shoes will stand their ground.
Best golf shoes for athletic style
Packed full with golf-specific features, the Footjoy Fuel delivers sneaker-inspired looks. And that’s important, especially as golf attracts newcomers from other sports who are used to participating in sports with a certain aesthetic that feels like home to them.
FootJoy used feedback from its tour players throughout the design process of this shoe. The company also claimed that because golf participation is exploding, its designers wanted to ensure this shoe style appealed to men, women, juniors, beginners, and low handicappers, alike — ultimately landing on a clean, sleek-looking athletic shoe that meets the needs of even the most avid golfer.
While introducing the latest version of these shoes, LPGA Tour pro Jessica Korda – who wears the Fuel in competition — says above all, this model is incredibly comfortable: “Very athletic, very lightweight. And I like the way that the spikes are done – spikeless is such a touchy topic because people are afraid they’ll slip. But so far these have been amazing – holding me perfectly” during the swing.
The shoe is made to last. Its synthetic uppers are waterproof and make for a comfortable fit with plenty of durability — something FootJoy is well-known for. These have lightweight Stratolite foam cushioning that ensures ultimate comfort and maximum walkability round after round.
The cleatless outsole is armed with plenty of molded traction nubs, as well as an all-new “Stability Bridge” that provides optimal support and control. And its last — essentially the shoe’s foundation — offers a fully rounded toe with a full fit across the forefoot and instep
A toe spring and a slightly narrow heel completes the athletic profile. A padded collar around the heel helps enhance comfort while keeping the foot secure.
That Tour pros commonly wear this model in competition should be enough of an endorsement that it provides plenty of lasting comfort, and that it’s stable enough to handle the most relatively violent swings. So for average golfers, it should be a slam dunk.
It comes in various colorways, in a vast variety of sizes and widths. There’s a traditional lace-up version available, as well as a BOA dial version. The latter will let you get the shoe nice and snug to your foot, and it won’t loosen up until you want it to.
Best golf shoes for comfort
From perhaps the best shoe brand you haven’t heard of, this shoe is amazingly comfortable. It’s actually a popular shoe in trendy Southern California, mainly because the styling fits right in the outdoor lifestyle. There are no cleats on the bottom, so it’s often worn by golfers to the course — and then for the rest of the day while doing whatever.
The Pacific Northwest-based company is big into the environment — thus its #ForeThePlanet social media mantra. So it should come as no surprise that the upper is made of 100% recycled, durable polyester ripstop; the wool liner is renewable and temperature regulating, and the outsole is made of recycled EVA and natural gum rubber.
Oh, and the shoe doesn’t come in a cardboard box but rather a renewable shoe bag. How lightweight is it? The company claims it wants its shoes to leave the lightest possible footprint on the planet. It’s so light, in fact, that it’s machine-washable — we don’t know of any other golf shoe that can be tossed around in a washing machine unharmed.
Speaking of washing, this shoe is water-resistant. The insert and liner are anti-microbial and breathable so they’re comfortable in any kind of weather. The shoe has a traditional drop of less than 6mm, so you will feel comfortable standing over your next shot.
Plus, its unique one-width fits all sizing means it can easily and comfortably fit a narrow foot, all the way to EE. But it’s the minimalist and ergonomic design that will lure you in. It looks more like a skateboarding or beach shoe that happens to have traction on the sole.
And the traction is more than sufficient for the course, providing good footing when you need it. Company officials say the shoe and more importantly, the outsole has been tested on tour. In fact, Tour pro Ryan Moore is one of the company’s owners. So he knows what a good golf shoe needs to have.
This is a brand that’s been around for many years, actually. It’s just that its earlier models looked more like large clown shoes than golf kicks, so it was a bit more difficult to recommend the shoes. But everything changed a few years ago with the shoe design, and golfers noticed the seemingly overnight upgrade.
This model comes in six solid colors, in sizes from 7 to 15. Walk 18 holes in them and you truly may never wear any other shoe — on or off the course.
Best golf shoes for cleatless experience
New Balance is perhaps best-known for its outstanding and comfortable running shoes. As a result, its golf shoes often are built with similar construction, for extreme comfort out on the course
The Fresh Foam X Defender weighs just 11.3 ounces, which is super lightweight for a golf shoe. It has an ultralight and waterproof skeletally engineered “FantomFit” upper that’s welded for ultralight support — imagine a minimalist synthetic performance mesh that keeps things light and breathable, while securing your foot into place.
To enhance the fit, the shoe features a form-fitting tongue that hugs the front of the ankle. It’s all complemented by a soft molded foam compound Cush+ insole for enhanced comfort that won’t sacrifice durability or stability, and a Fresh Foam X midsole cushioning that’s responsive and lightweight.
That midsole has been modified for this shoe, to give you much improved energy return with every step, along with reduced weight and the most cushioned underfoot experience to date in a New Balance golf shoe.
The TPU outsole is designed to move with the natural motion of your feet, while you walk the course and take a swing. Its sculpted design lets the outsole provide top-notch traction where you need it and flexibility where you want it.
While there’s also a cleated version available, the outsole on this “SL” model is cleatless. But the pattern and volume of protruding nubs recreates a cleated experience as closely as possible — right down to the sound cleats make walking on cement. To top it off, each shoe has a welded form-fitting tongue that helps lock your foot in place.
It’s available in both white/gray and black/red colorways. This is also one of the few golf shoe brands that make its shoes available in a variety of widths, which is huge for golfers with narrow or extra wide feet. Mind you, it’s built on a foundation that has a wider forefoot and shallow toe box, for a roomer fit and ease of fatigue during the round.
And there is an 11.1-ounce, spikeless version of the shoe — coined Fresh Foam X Defender SL — that’s also offered, for $10 less. Whichever model you opt for, you will immediately notice the comfort factor the moment you slip your foot into it. It’s what New Balance strives for with its running shoes, as well, and one of the main reasons runners flock to the brand.
How to choose the best golf shoes
You’ll spend more time in golf shoes than in any other sports shoes, thus, they should be lightweight, well-cushioned, and fit you perfectly. No, your running shoes won't do on the green — here's how golf shoes make a difference to your game.
Because bones and ligaments can take a pounding during an 18-hole walk, your feet need a stable outsole and a reinforced upper for support. That’s why we’re listing several models that use running shoe outsoles, materials, and cushioning features that help enhance forefoot flexibility and heel stability.
In other words, the shoes naturally move with your feet. And whether you choose cleated or non-cleated models, you want to make sure that you have enough traction to swing a club, as you generate power by pushing off your feet to start the downswing. If your shoes slide the slightest amount, you’ll lose precious power.
So again, on the carpet, try taking a few mock swings to ensure you have that stability. Finally, feet can get wet while playing golf from the outside — morning dew or rain seeping in — or from the inside, where you perspire about a shot glass of water per shoe during a round.
That’s why good shoes tout some sort of ventilation and moisture-wicking lining. No matter what golf shoes you end up buying, you should make sure to keep them in good condition. Here's how to clean your golf shoes.
How we test the best golf shoes
We test the best golf shoes by playing golf in them. While this seems obvious, hitting the course with a pair of golf shoes is the only reliable way to determine their worth.
Our expert testers put the golf shoes through their paces on and off the green, in multiple conditions, and on numerous courses.
When testing, we are looking for comfort, cushioning, and support when walking and playing, as well as how waterproof the shoe is and how ventilated it is. We also look at the style of a shoe — while it's not the most important factor, golfers like to look cool on the course, and we don't want to fill our list with ugly shoes.
We also test spikeless shoes in lifestyle settings such as general walking, shopping and light jogging to see if they're up to snuff.
FAQs
Is it OK to play golf in running shoes?
In a word, no. We asked a golfing expert whether golf shoes really matter and he said, "Golf is no different from any other sport. There are features of the golf shoe that work with the game of the golfer, their swings, and their foot movement."
While you might be able to play in your everyday sneakers, there are drawbacks to doing so. In a pinch, I've worn sneakers because I forgot my golf shoes in the past and I found that I played worse. It may be partially mental, but whatever the reason, I always keep a backup pair of golf shoes in my car in case I forget my FootJoy Fuels again.
Golf shoes will have better traction than sneakers; most golf shoes are waterproof, while most sneakers are not. Even if the weather is good, there are still situations where the course can still be wet (watering the course, overrunning water hazards, leftover rain due to drainage, etc.), so it's always good to have waterproof golf shoes.
Should I buy spiked, or spikeless golf shoes?
In recent years, the golf world has moved towards spikeless golf shoes as they are often more comfortable, give you a better grip, and allow you to wear them into the clubhouse at the end of the game. That said, it's personal preference.
I've worn spiked and spikeless shoes for extended testing periods and found almost no noticeable difference in my swing or golf performance. That said, I prefer spiked just for the extra traction to avoid embarrassing slips and falls when it's extra wet out.
Do golf shoes run true-to-size?
It will depend heavily on the brand, as every shoe brand differs. However, most golf shoe brands run similarly or similarly to other shoes. I've extensively worn Adidas and Footjoy golf shoes, which are the same size as my regular sneakers and shoes.
Thankfully, most retailers have generous return policies, so if your shoe doesn't fit, you can exchange it for the correct size. But starting with your regular shoe size should steer you in the right direction.
