The ultimate compliment you can bestow on a pair of golf shoes is that you forgot you were wearing them. After walking 4 or 5 miles up, down and over grass, sand and dirt, you never slipped, you felt secure when you made your swing, and, most importantly, your feet stayed dry and comfortable.
None of those things will be possible, however, if your golf shoes are not well made or don’t fit your feet properly. Poorly made shoes can irritate your feel, encourage blisters to form and increase the chances that you will slip on tee shots. They can transform a gorgeous walk around a venue like Bandon Dunes into a miserable hike that you can’t wait to end.
To find the perfect pair of golf shoes, you need to look past the aesthetics and concentrate on fit and performance. To teach you more about things like traction, waterproof materials and cushioning, Golfweek spoke to three leaders in the golf footwear game: Masun Denison, Adidas Golf’s global footwear director; Justin Tucker, Puma Golf’s design director; and Keith Duffy, FootJoy’s principal of advanced concepts. Below are their answers to common questions, along with a list of some of the best golf footwear on the market today.
Some answers were edited for clarity and length.