I’ve been testing out the new Nike Air Rate golf shoes for a bit. Unknowingly I picked a perfect time to do my review of these babies. Read on to find out why.
Nike Air Rate Golf Shoes - Click image to see more
Nike Air Rate Construction
I have a new pair of training shoes I use when I work out, Nike Air somethings… They’re so light I can hardly believe they’re on my feet. They conform to my feet so well it is like they become one with them. That is exactly the feeling I’ve gotten with my new Nike Air Rate golf shoes. These things are so light I feel like I weigh less with them on than with them off.
Air Rate's Mesh - click to enlarge
The upper of the shoe is one piece of synthetic leather which has a very cool looking mesh pattern. The mesh is precisely carved out of the upper with a laser. The pattern serves more of a purpose than just looking cool. The mesh makes the shoe lighter and provides a ventilation system. I hadn’t read the specs on the shoes before I wore them, and the ventilation was the first thing I noticed. It is about 100 degrees here now, and when a light breeze kicks up I can feel the wind blowing through my shoes. This feels so good, especially for someone who rarely wears shoes and socks because my feet get so hot.
The sole of the Air Rate is a super light “Phylite” material with an “air unit” in the heel. Unlike standard golf shoes which have a leather or hard sole, the Air Rates don’t beat up my feet, my knees and my back. The padding in the sole and air in the heel makes walking the course more doable for me, and more enjoyable. I’m able to play golf and not think about the fact that my knees or feet hurt.
Looks
If you are into the traditional golf dress shoe look, these may not be your cup o’ tea. But I really like the look of my Air Rate golf shoes. They’re a little rebellious and a little higher tech looking.
On The Course
The comfort of these babies is off the charts good. Despite the fact that they’re tightly conforming with the shape of my feet, they still feel soft and deliver very low impact when walking the course. Getting beat up by the hard ground is one of the things that sucks about walking, and the Air Rates reduce that greatly.
Despite the fact that these golf shoes don’t have traditional screw in or click in spikes, I have fabulous traction. I hated switching from metal spikes to soft spikes years ago because I slipped all the time. Thanks to the Air Rate’s “Integrated Traction” I have yet to slip once in dozens of holes, hundreds of shots.
As mentioned, perhaps the best part of these shoes is the ventilation. With mid summer temps here around 100 degrees, my feet are as cool as they could be on the course.
Not Waterproof
The benefit of the ventilation is great, but it is obvious that these shoes are not waterproof. If you are playing in the rain, or plan on stepping into some standing water you may want to use a standard set of waterproof golf shoes. Obviously water can get into the shoe through the ventilation mesh.
Colors
The Air Rate comes in two colors: Khaki/White (pictured in this article) and Gridiron/Wolf which is a dark gray with yellow in the mesh.
Nike Air Rate Golf Shoes - click for more
Conclusion
The $110 retail Nike Air Rate golf shoes are excellent, comfortable and very light weight golf shoes. There’s a lot of talk in club shafts and club weighting these days using the “super-light” buzz term. If golf shoes can be classified as super-light, the shoes would be the Nike Air Rates. The ventilation of the shoe is fantastic and refreshing. The comfort level is very high.
The best part of these shoes is the fact that the light weight, ventilation and comfort of doesn’t compromise the performance. In fact, they enhance it.
Related Links
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I just want to comment in here to the spammer which keeps putting spam links to a Nike store or whatever it is. You can stop posting your comments because they’re never going to see the light of day here.
Move on loser.
Tony, I know you are a guy and well can’t test out equipment for the ladies, but they actually have an awesome women’s version of this shoe and its a lot cheaper. The cost must come way down when they decide not to include a tongue in your shoe. Weird I know. Anyways, if you have any female readers they should check out the Nike Air Summer Lite III Women’s Golf Shoe. They are so comfortable, but like you said they are not good on a rainy day, also the only other draw back is that they don’t have replaceable golf spikes, so once they wear down you can’t really wear the shoe golfing anymore.
Thanks for the tip for the women golfers Jennifer, and thanks for stopping by HOG.