Welcome to I Tried It, a GOLF.com series about golf items — apparel, gear, accessories, etc. — that we’ve recently taken out for a spin. We’re here to give our honest, no-frills takes on the latest and greatest golf or golf-adjacent items. So, scroll down to read about what we love about golf’s newest (or new to us) products.
Over the last couple of years I’ve had the opportunity to work with the Softspikes team, and that relationship led into me becoming a big golf shoe nerd.
First and foremost, spikes are an absolute must. I refuse to wear spikeless shoes, and I really don’t even recognize those offerings as being golf shoes. The one variable that never mattered too much to me, however, was walking. I’ve been told many times from spikeless users that the most common reason they use spikeless over spiked shoes is that they are more comfortable to walk in.
While I think that’s an untrue statement in many cases, it did serve as nice motivation for me to continue my spiked shoe testing. I’ve found a bunch of shoes that are more than comfortable to walk in, but there’s one pair of shoes that I continue to go back to, and the only shoes that I’ll walk more than 18 holes in.
The Skechers Blade Tour golf shoes have solidified their place in my lineup as the go-to golf trip shoe. I recently took a trip with some buddies to Rodeo Dunes, and I was also in Pinehurst to play some golf, and on both occasions I brought the Blade Tours. Over 3 days I walked 54 holes at Rodeo, and then walked No. 2 at Pinehurst just a couple of days later. At no point in any of that time did I have any complaints about the way my feet were feeling. The best part? The shoes felt great right out of the box. There really wasn’t a break-in period. The shoes were ready to go right from the jump.
The big worry that I had was making sure that I wasn’t sacrificing stability for the sake of comfort. Honestly, the idea of the shoes being slip-in capable also worried me. I refused to sacrifice the benefits that spikes provide simply to be more comfortable when I do walk. I’ve tried some other shoes that touted their comfort, but it was a very noticeable difference in performance. I’d rather retain performance and stability benefits and have a shoe in which the comfort is ‘fine’ than the other way around. The Skechers did not disappoint, and the slip-in aspect is actually super convenient.
The Blade Tours come with Softspikes Tour Flex Pros right out of the box, which offer the most traction both statically and dynamically. Because the spikes have a stinger post in the middle, they are also very helpful when clearing debris such as leaves, pine needles, or other small common obstacles when you miss the fairway. There’s a 7 spike configuration that includes a well placed toe spike, and although I wish there was a 9 spike configuration with 2 more in the heel section, I can’t say I ever noticed any stability changes compared to other shoes I own. I do still think that the Under Armour S-3 spike is something special, but it can’t be installed onto other shoes.
The Blade Tour shoes are also waterproof, which was thoroughly tested as I played an entire round in the rain at my home course, including a nice accidental step into a giant water-filled hole.
Skechers may have a reputation as a shoe for the older crowd, or that they don’t take the performance of the shoe seriously enough, but I hope to be a part of the group that can help squash that thinking. These shoes are wonderful, and so are the Prestige GO shoes that I was able to test out last year and have a bit more of a classic look. Skechers also allowed me to gift my dad a pair of the shoes, and he was impressed by how comfortable they are out of the box as well.
Being able to mess around with tons of shoes over the last year and really get a feel for the differences in performance, comfort, style, and stability has been quite fun. I’ve got a handful of shoes that I really like to wear for different reasons, but if I am going to prioritize comfort over everything without feeling like I lose any performance, the Skechers Blade Tours are going to be the shoes I reach for.
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