Among the many different sport-specific athletic shoes out there, the best golf shoes boast some of the most sophisticated style. If you head out to play a pickup game of basketball, you’re going to lace up a pair of high-top sneakers. You can get away from the high-tops, but you’ll be staying in the sneaker category for tennis. Football, baseball and softball all demand cleats of some length or variety. Step out on a golf course, and you’re spoiled for choices.
Men’s golf shoes run from the dignified leather of a formal wingtip Oxford to high-tech athletic gear to very casual loafers or slides. Their soles can pack spikes, cleats or grippy grooves. They can maintain a conservative dignity or reach for a sense of beach bum cool. Regardless of your style choices, they need to keep your feet healthy and comfortable for a sport that keeps a player walking for about nine miles if he or she forgoes a cart.
Because there are so many options, and because golf courses are finally starting to open, we wanted to help our readers find the best men’s golf shoes for spring and summer 2022. You’ll find an array of styles and functions in this list, so it’s par for the course to find a pair that’ll work for your game on your favorite course.
So grab a pack of your favorite golf balls, dust off your golf bag, and take a look at our list of the best golf shoes for men below.
1. Royal Albartross The Driver Brown
BEST FOR THE BUSY GOLFER
One of the younger brands in the golf shoe game, Royal Albartross wants to take on the luxury market with sophisticated designs and the finest materials. They make golf shoes a player can wear for a lifetime of play. Starting out, the London-based company stuck with traditional, even conservative aesthetics. That changes with the new SS20 line — shoes that maintain the same excellent build quality while offering more casual styling and playful colors. If the golf lover has plans after a round, these great looking shoes transition well to life off the links.
We love the Driver Brown specifically because of the small styling details, plus the overall comfort. The pops of blue on the sole and the stitching help give the shoe a unique look, while the supple leather makes them extremely comfortable, even after a long game. If you’re looking for an overall great shoe for a golfer at any level, this is the one to get.
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2. Asics Gel-Course Duo Boa
BEST FOR THE WALKING PLAYER
For the uninitiated, a “boa” shoe uses a modern lacing system that the wearer tightens or loosens via a dial along the shoe’s side — making “tying” the shoes unnecessary. Asics forged a footwear partnership with the Cleveland Golf and Srixon Golf family awhile back to produce shoes dedicated to the sport. The Gel-Course Duo Boa steps near the top of the resulting product line, providing a precise fit that adheres snugly to the natural shape of the foot. The result is a shoe that feels custom-built, offering prime support for the golfer who abhors a cart.
3. FootJoy Pro|SL Golf Shoe
BEST FOR THE ASPIRING PLAYER
If a weekend golfer wants to play in the same quality of footwear their favorite PGA player takes to the course every weekend, it’s a safe bet a pair of FootJoy Pro|SL Golf will get them there. Built to stand up to multiple rounds from year to year, the Pro/SL includes the new FootJoy Infinity Outsole that provides 30% more points of traction. That boost not only makes each step more stable, but it gives the player a stronger base for each swing and a better chance of increased power and distance.
4. Nike React Infinity Pro Golf Shoe
BEST FOR THE FASHION-CONSCIOUS PLAYER
When Tiger Woods struggled through serious injuries before last year’s Master’s victory, Nike got out of the golf equipment business. Without their standard-bearer at 100%, Portland’s own show-builders decided to stick to just golf apparel and shoes. Tiger’s resurgence no doubt convinced Nike that they made the right call in sticking with the great game. Even in a more limited capacity, Nike still makes some of the best golf shoes on the market. On top of that, no one makes better-looking golf shoes than Nike, and the pristine, high-tech React Infinity Pro design combines cutting edge fashion with the latest insole support technology.
5. New Balance Breeze
BEST FOR OLDER PLAYERS
New Balance makes athletic footwear for everyone. To the brand’s credit, their build quality and orthopedic understanding is so strong, they earned a reputation for making great shoes for older athletes — including golfers. It’s not that New Balance builds shoes dedicated to players with a few more aches and pains. Those more senior golfers seek out New Balance because their designs go easier on aging feet. Light and breathable, the Breeze include REVlite Cushioning to lighten the load for the veteran player.
6. Callaway LaGrange Men’s Golf Shoes
BEST FOR THE LOW HANDICAPPER
These are very serious golf shoes for very serious players. You don’t wear a pair of these into the clubhouse or home in the car. They go on in the dressing room and come off when the round is over, lest their very serious grip technology do some damage away from the course. A very specialized design for the sport of golf, Callaway included its Fusion Lite TPU outsole with nine removable, adaptable Silver Tornado Spikes. That toothy tread provides maximum traction for walking rounds and firm footing for every surface from fairway to rough to sand. The full-grain leather upper offers Opti-Dri waterproof protection.
7. ECCO Men’s S-Three Golf
BEST FOR THE RAINY DAY PLAYER
The best men’s golf shoes don’t always look like golf shoes. Case in point: the S-Three line. ECCO sells an impressive variety of golf footwear, all focused first and foremost on offering immediate comfort right out of the box. Having played plenty of golf rounds in ECCO shoes, I never once worried about a foot ache, a blister or any material breakdown. The S-Three Golf shoes use GORE-TEX waterproof material technology to remain fully breathable with wet weather protection.
8. Adidas CodeChaos Boa Golf Shoe
BEST FOR THE BOLD PLAYER
Adidas offers a wide range of golf shoes amidst its inventory of athletic gear. The CodeChaos certainly represent the brand’s most aggressive styling. Walking to the first tee in a pair of these tells the world a golfer is either supremely confident or entirely unconcerned with anything but looks. Though they come off like a stunt shoe, that doesn’t mean they’re in any way a lesser member of the Adidas family. Made with modern, lightweight materials, the shoes include an Adidas TRAXION outsole.
9. Skechers GO GOLF 19th Hole Sandal
BEST FOR THE VERY, VERY CASUAL PLAYER
It doesn’t get much more casual than this. If you’re a player who comes off the beach wanting to play a quick nine, or a golfer looking to rush to the pool instead of the 19th hole, the Skechers GO Golf 19th Hole Sandal is a simple slip-on with gripping grooves along the soul. Perfect for the very casual player who’s playing a little island golf with friends, they offer Skechers’ traditional longterm comfort.
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