New Shoe Goofin' – A Shoe Review

For many the arrival of March means the start of a new golf season; for other lunatics (like me) the season never ends. No matter which camp you belong to, we all need (or want) new gear. Today, I'm going to be reviewing a piece of equipment that is literally the foundation of our game– a good pair of shoes.

We'll be taking a look at the 'Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour NXT%'. I'm a sucker for a good deal and when I was poking around at Golf Galaxy, I came across these shoes. The Treeline colorway caught my eye and the marked down price of $87.97 (plus tax) had me sold. I tried them on and my first impression is that they were narrow but the support is incredible. The molded spikes are pretty aggressive, and not my usual preference, but I'm willing to try almost anything once.

That same day, I wore them for a short practice session. Off the bat, I noticed that they left marks on the putting green, and this wasn't from dragging my feet. The spikes are just really aggressive. As I had previously mentioned they were narrow and felt a little tight, but by the end of the session I had broken them in and they were ready for my weekend round.

During my round the next day, I was extremely impressed with the traction these shoes provided. It felt as if I was able to really use the ground to my advantage and push off to get every bit of energy into my swing. The marks on the greens seemed much less severe than the previous day and at the end of the round my feet felt great. It's easy to say that when you ride in a cart though, so the following day I walked 9 holes after work to see if my tune would change.

Anyone who has ever walked a round can tell you it's quite different than playing from a cart. You get an opportunity to really take in a course and its terrain, it's a much slower experience, one a purist will appreciate. It can quickly sour if you don't have a good set of shoes on. For example, I have a pair of the Jordan 1 Low golf shoes; I would NEVER walk a round in them, because they don't offer much support. They definitely look cool though, but there are situations where function exceeds form, and in these situations the Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour NXT% excels. As the day before, my feet felt great and I absolutely love the feeling of swinging in these. You're not going to slip or slide on any turf or soft spots, and for former athletes, the sound they make on cart paths will make you nostalgic of days when you played baseball or football.

Overall, these shoes are a tremendous value for the price point. They fit true to size and the only issue I could see for some is the width, but they are available in wide, if you order them online. With a ton of different colorways, there is something for everyone. So, if you're in the market give these a shot. You won't regret it!