One can never have too many Ecco shoes, whether they are golf shoes, street shoes or even hiking boots in my case. I have so many different pairs of Eccos I’ve lost count. Add one more to the lost count, the Street Retro.
Construction
The Street Retro is crafted in a tumbled, full-grain, pebbled nappa leather. The shoes are treated with Ecco’s Hydromax treatment which makes them highly water-repellent.
The sole of the shoe (above) has 100 “TPU traction bars.” Those are the little nubby things that look like mini-cleats. Each bar has several angles on it, netting a total of 800. More angles and surfaces to come in contact with the turf means more traction and stability.
The Street Retros feature Fluidform Comfort Technology and design that follows the contour of the foot.
Comfort
In terms of comfort, Ecco shoes can’t be beat and the Street Retro is no exception. The fit and feel is luxurious. They provide some nice cushioning, making walking the course or walking on the street enjoyable. Walking long distances on hard surfaces is as easy as an 8-inch birdie putt (if you don’t have the yips).
Performance
Ecco has proved to me time and again that shoes with great style and comfort can perform. The Street Retros provide a solid platform and stability, allowing the golfer to make powerful, accurate, and repeatable swings. If you have no traction or stability, the best clubs in the world won’t help. The street retro excels in performance. I’ve benefitted from the traction and stability the shoe delivers, including many different conditions and environments.
Final Thoughts
The Ecco Street Retro delivers in the three most important areas I need a golf shoe to deliver in: performance, comfort, and style. Whether wearing the Street Retros around the pro shop or on a hard and wet links course like Bandon Dunes, you can count on the Ecco Street Retro.
Related
Review: Ecco Cage Pro Golf Shoes
Review: Ecco S-Drive Golf Shoes
Ecco Street EVO One Golf Shoe Review
Review: Ecco BIOM Hybrid Golf Shoes
If the Seven Pairs of Shoes Fit, Wear Them
I was able to finish off testing out the Royal Albartross Strider Monochrome Hybrid golf shoes on the recent HOG World Tour visit to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort a couple of weeks ago. The varying weather was perfect for evaluating the shoe performance in a multitude of conditions, from sunny and warm to cold hard rain flying sideways. The results are in. The envelope please…
Strider Monochrome Overview
The Strider Monochrome from Royal Albartross is a hybrid shoe, one that can cross over between golf and street. It’s half golf shoe, half sneaker. Half shoe, half amazing. I may wear it more on the street than the course.
The uppers of the shoe are made from Italian leather, suede, and antibacterial treated canvas. Canvas? It’s like a piece of art, so that’s fitting.
To make walking more enjoyable and less wear and tear on the body, the shoe features an air cushion sole. The sole is enhanced with treads which provide traction no matter what direction. And when you have a spastic swing like mine, there are many directions.
For added comfort, the lining of the shoe is made from soft calf leather.
Style
Royal Albartross is perhaps the most stylish and upper class golf shoe maker on the planet. As one who knows Albartross would expect, the style is classy and unique. I’ve been very much into gray color-ways lately and I really like the black and multiple gray colors. The rainbow color accents are bold and at the same time minimal and not over the top.
The shoe’s unique shape separates it even more from the same old same old cookie cutter designs from other more mainstream golf shoe makers.
Sizes
The Strider comes in sizes 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. There are no half sizes.
Color Variations
There are two color variations of the Strider, the Miami and the Storm. These versions offer different color combinations.
On The Course
I’ve been very happy with the performance of the Strider. Even in some extremely wet, muddy and nasty conditions at Bandon Dunes I never slipped. The shoes did a great job keeping the moisture away from my feet. I walked close to 20 miles in them over the course of the trip and the shoes remained comfortable and low impact.
I’ve also been wearing the shoes at work and out on the town with great success. The neutral color scheme matches well with almost any of my apparel scripting configurations.
Final Thoughts
The Strider Monochrome ($265) is a super stylish hybrid shoe that is as good off the course as it is on. I have total stability and confidence in the golf swing, even in very wet and slippery conditions. They provide plenty of traction for walking up and down on hilly terrain. In addition to the performance, the shoe out-styles every other brand out there.
In for review are some very interesting golf shoes from a new brand called SQAIRZ. The key feature is the square toe, which allows golfers more room in the front of the shoe for comfort, flexibility, and range of motion.
I must admit when I opened the box that just arrived from SQAIRZ I was quite stunned by how sharp looking the shoes are. I picked the color scheme, but the photos online can’t do the ARROW – Black with Gray shoes justice.
Even the laces on these shoes are unique and advanced. One side of each lace has little rubberized squares which add grip and prevent slipping. No slipping means no need to readjust or retie during a round of golf.
I have yet to even try these beauties on, but I can tell you if they made street shoes I’d snag this same color scheme if they did. I’ll be putting the SQAIRZ in play and posting my experiences in a full review soon, so stay tuned.
I’ve been waiting a long time for the opportunity to review golf shoes from New Balance. Finally that time came but the timing wasn’t great. Unfortunately I didn’t get as many rounds with these shoes as I normally would have prior to my review, due to my shoulder surgery. I only had a few weeks with them when I normally like to test golf shoes out for a few months.
New Balance Striker Golf Shoes
The Striker is a sharp looking golf shoe with a ton of great features. Here are a few:
- “CUSH” foam provides softness and comfort
- “REVlite” foam is lightweight and provides durability and support
- The outsole is designed to move naturally with the motion of the foot
- 2- year waterproof warranty
- Waterproof microfiber leather upper looks sharp and provides ultralight support and fit
- Champ Slim-Lok Zarma Tour cleats
Colors/Sizes
There are three color ways available in the Striker. Pictured is the Grey with Blue option. Rounding out the three are Black with Red and White with Grey. They all look very classy.
Sizes available run from 8 to 16. Width options, not normally available in most golf shoes, are standard, wide and extra-wide.
On The Course
As I expected the Striker was very comfortable and fit my feet well. I had no wearing or blister issues walking rounds straight off. It was like the shoes were already broken in. The CUSH and REVlite foams obviously did their job because walking felt soft and low impact.
Power, accuracy and distance start with the feet and a solid, dependable base. The sole design and Champ Slim-Lok Zarma Tour cleats did a fantastic job providing the stability and traction needed for that solid base. In varying conditions from very wet and muddy to super dry, traction was terrific.
Final Thoughts
The New Balance Striker is strikingly sharp looking and provides terrific performance. I look forward to picking up where I left off with my Strikers. I have some unfinished golf business as soon as the shoulder is ready. Unfortunately that’s looking like sometime in 2020.
In for review here at Hooked on Golf Blog is a pair of New Balance Striker golf shoes. I’m glad to get a New Balance product in for review. This makes the first New Balance product to be reviewed in the 14 year HOG history! I’m excited to get on it. Here are a couple of preview photos.
As most HOG readers will know, I don’t do the 3-range-ball, fly-by review. I do a quick preview post (this post) and then begin testing the product for several weeks or even months before writing the final review. As it is winter here and there’s snow currently falling outside the HOG World Headquarters, I may not get to my in-play testing of the New Balance Striker shoes very quickly. Stay tuned for the full review to appear in the spring.
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