Footwear Brands, Brands, Brands, Brands.
In Part 2 of our fashion feature, we'll look at some of golf strongest footwear brands. Some old faithfuls and some up and comers. We'll also read in between the lines to tell you what your favorite brands say about you.
Adidas (footwear)
Top products include
Editors notes
The ZG 21 is the shoe of choice of Colin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson and Jon Starek, all great drivers of the golf ball. The Tour 360 22 is worn by Xander Schauffele, Chad Bergman, and Chris Cruz. All adidas shoes are known for their comfort. Though most would consider both models to be of the new school design of golf shoes blending traditional golf shoe design with sneaker design. The ZG 21 leans more heavily into the sneaker style and are amongst the lightest golf shoes of any on the market, arguably making them a little more comfortable for walking 18. While the Tour 360 22 lends itself to better stability and waterproofing. One quick note the Tour 360 22 spikes are molded into the sole, making them non-replaceable, if you plan on keeping the shoes for more than a 100 rounds of golf this might be a deal breaker as durability of the spike is still unknown. But in terms of overall durability Adidas shines as Nick Ward is still using a predecesor to the ZG21.
Who else wears Adidas?
Like the other Mainstream sports apparel brand on this thread, wearers tend to be those who played competitively in other sports and now play golf. Additionally, those who value a more modern sneaker/hybrid style look but are not willing to sacrifice performance or comfort for that look.
Nike (footwear)
Top products include
Editors notes
I've owned a lot of nike golf and non golf footwear in my life. Now the behemoth, they were originally the innovative challenger brand, and their innovation in the golf footwear market has come mostly in the form of bringing sneaker style and culture into golf footwear and aesthetically they've done it well. The Air Max 90 G looks almost exactly like the sneaker version, to the point where it could be worn as a street shoe, and therein lies the conundrum. If it looks so good that it can be worn as a street shoe, how will it perform on the course. The short answer is (specific to Air Max 90 G), not great. The longer question to ask is, does it matter? Commissioner Cruz has been known to wear an Air Max 90 G when it matches the shirt or using the "bookend look" with a matching hat.
Beyond the Air Max 90 G, their other 2 flagship styles, the Air Zoom Infinity Tour series and the Air Zoom Victory Tour series have more golf DNA built into them. The latter of the 2 models being the shoe of choice for Rory Mcilroy. Both are fine shoes, however the Victory Tour have a somewhat narrow cut, and for me the Infinity Tour felt a little like I was too high or disconnected from the ground.
Who else wears Nike?
People that took up the game in the "Hello World" (Post tiger joining the tour) era. These folks main focus was on more mainstream sports like basketball and baseball, then came Tiger. They also took up the game in a time when golf fashion was transitioning from strictly Rich Old White Guy apparel to a more diverse and trend driven design. Also its likely they value form over function, possibly sacrificing some performance benefits to look good.
Footjoy (footwear)
Top products include
Editors notes
Speaking of Rich Old White Guy style, I would say in the pre tiger and early Tiger era. No Brand was more resonant with golf footwear that Footjoy. Accordingly the brand catered to mostly Rich Old White Guys.
However, like most products in life that go from cool to not cool and back again. Footjoy and their latest run of products are resurging with younger and newer players. It's the whole "my dad doesnt wear it must be cool" thing . Now that were the dads, many of us grabbing Nikes on and off the course. Our kids want the rebel or retro look, and now Footjoy is starting to cycle back to being cool, unique, vintage. And the footwears performance has never been questioned. Even the most wealthy Nike Golf athlete in the world, Tiger Woods, most recently has been wearing Footjoy Premiere shoes for the stability benefits.
At this years OBI you'll see past champion Lawrence Duncan, donning the Footjoy Pro | SL.
Who wears Footjoy?
People that took up the game up Pre Tiger Woods and have remained loyal to the brand. They probably had a father that introduced them to golf at a very young age, and that dad only wore footjoys, so thats what they wore. Also the next generation of golfers is embracing retro looks with modern performance. Don't be surprised to see the high school team captain on the driving range with his FJ Premiere's and some crew socks.
Cuater (footwear)
Top products include
Editors notes
Noob Competitors Jeff Johannes and Brett Erwin are opting to rep the same footwear brand as Top 5 ranked player Jon Rahm.
Where other brands try to blend Classic golf shoe performance with a modern sneaker look. Cuater opts for a hybrid of a different color, blending golf performance with Southern California Vibes.
Who else wears Cuater?
The Cuater footwear company is a sub brand of an acquired brand. What this means is that there is no intial brand loyalties here. Golfers choosing Cuater are going strictly on that so cal casual styling and instore try on. Or maybe they have stock in parent company Callaway Golf and are trying to make their money, make more money.
Air Jordan Brand (footwear)
Top products include
Editors notes
Micheal "Air" Jordan, sports icon, and fanatical golf nut.
In 2017 Nike released the reborn Air Jordan 1 golf high top, using a sole design that was similar to Tiger Wood's shoe line, with an upper that was a visual (and now water proof) recreation of the Original Chicago Jordan 1's. If you were lucky enough to score a set at retail (and not wear them)before they became grossly over demanded, you're investment would pay out today north of 10x, as the once 200 dollar at retail shoe now goes on auction sites for anywhere from $2000-$5000. Amongst golf sneaker heads, the Jordan xi Low Golf has been dubbed the holy grail, blending fit, comfort, fashion and performance using the same sole as the Roche Tour ( Nike's most popular model amongst tour pros in recent memory) . Though not as rare as the Jordan 1 high top, brand new pairs still fetch a hefty price, sometimes over $1000. Nike now releases 1-2 retro models every year and they sell out within minutes.
At this year's OBI you will likely see Noob Kyle Crowley rock the xii's an Commissioner Cruz rockin the xi's.
Who else wears Jordan?
If you played competitive basketball and grew up in the Jordan era, you probably pine after these shoes. If you even were ever into basketball culture and just played for fun but now play golf, theres a likely hood that you either own or wish you owned a pair. Lastly those that wear Jordan shoes are often the lucky ones who win the shoe lottery on release day.
