These days it is hard to tell where golf shoes end and street shoes begin. There are many “hybrid” models which work well in both places, some even better off the course. Case in point is the new FootJoy “City” shoe. This is a hybrid golf/street shoe which may find more time in the office than on the course. I’m not referring to the tread/bottom of the shoe when using the term hybrid, or speaking to the tread’s versatility on and off the course. I’m talking about its style.
FootJoy City – Black/Mocha
Construction
The FJ City is a full grained leather shoe, guaranteed to be waterproof for two years. The leather is very soft, sharp looking, breathable, and comfortable.
The footbed of the shoe provides great comfort and features vibration and shock absorption, making walking around the cubicles or the cart paths enjoyable.
There are spiked and spikeless models available. The City pictured in this article obviously is the spikeless version, and gets more wearing time from me off the course than on.
FootJoy City, on top of FJ City shoe bag
Sizes/Styles/Colors
There are two styles available currently, regular and wingtip. Photos in this article are the black mocha wingtip model. Each style has three colors available. The wingtip colors are black mocha, tobacco, and off-white. The non-wingtip model colors are gray, tan, and white.
Sizing for men ranges from 7-15, while women’s models range from 7.5-13.
Love the wingtip style!
On The Course / At The Office
I’ve been quite surprised at the traction and performance I get with the spikeless version of the FJ City on the golf course. On appearance alone, the spikes don’t look like they would be close to as effective as they are. From a comfort standpoint I’ve really loved the City model, and it gets more comfortable the more I wear it.
Stylewise I feel a little silly in the summertime wearing wingtip shoes and shorts, but that’s how I roll.
I really dig wearing the FJ City shoes, well, in the city. Even after long days at the office or post-long walks around town, my feet, lower joints, and back are fresh.
Critiques
I do have a small critique/beef. My City model is black/mocha in color. I’ve been finding that these don’t match many “black” items in my massive golf apparel collection. When comparing the City’s black to other blacks, they appear like a very dark blue.
Conclusion
The versatility and style of the city shoe is matched by its great performance and comfort, whether on the course or out on the town. Great shoes.
Related Links
Check out the HOG FJ City image gallery.
Other Hooked on Golf Blog FootJoy reviews.
Ecco Street EVO One Golf Shoes
Ecco is widely known for its very comfortable street and dress shoes. That style and comfort has translated well to the new Street EVO One.
The Street EVO One is a hybrid golf shoe, meaning it is designed for use on the course and off the course. Rather than having removable golf spikes, the tread of the shoe provides high traction on the golf course yet is low profile enough to wear anywhere.
Part of Ecco’s advantage is the fact that they own their own factories and can completely control the entire shoe-making process.
Design
Ecco Golf designs their shoes with a “foot first” approach. This is the opposite of some golf shoe makers, who focus on traction and stability first, often sacrificing comfort. Ecco builds the shoe around the foot, yet manages to maintain stability and traction.
Traction Bars & Traction Angles
Traction is achieved through the shoe’s roughly 100 molded “traction bars,” which each have four angled spokes. Those spokes provide some 800 “traction angles.” Simply, there is more surface area on each spike, giving the shoe a vastly larger gripping surface. On my shoes I counted 78. Yes, I counted them. I suppose larger shoes have more surface area and thus would have more traction bars.
The Street EVO One is available in high-grade cow leather and genuine camel leather versions. Both versions feature Ecco’s “Hydromax” weather resistance treatment.
Style
The Street EVO One is as stylish as it is comfortable, and that is saying a lot. There are no crazy designs, no outlandish colors, no bizarre and unnecessary appointments. The two-color upper is modern looking but hints of a classic style.
On The Course / On The Street
Honestly I’ve worn the Street EVO One’s off the course at about a 10/1 ratio to on the course. They’re very comfortable, especially when worn with a high end wool or compression sock. Through the work day and even at times when walking long distances around town, the Street EVO One keeps my feet comfortable, dry, and feeling fresh.
Ecco Street EVO One – Style
On the golf course the Street EVO One performs flawlessly. Power and control starts at the base of the player’s body, where the feet connect to the ground. The stability and traction I have, even in my somewhat spazztic swing, is fantastic. With such a great foundation and great traction, I’m able to generate full power and control, yet keep a fine balance.
Shoveling Snow
Unfortunately it is winter here and the only golf I’ve managed to play for the last four months has been when I leave town and go south. There has been quite a bit of snow lately, and I’ve had to shovel the driveway numerous times in the last month. One day after returning from work I grabbed the snow shovel and got after it. After a few minutes I realized that I was shoveling snow, in shorts, wearing Ecco Golf shoes.
Ecco snow shoes!
I can now confidently say that the Street EVO One is a great shoe for snow shoveling. Great traction. As a bonus, it leaves really cool tracks in the snow thanks to the traction bars.
Critiques
My beef with Ecco golf shoes remains the same as it has always been, European sizing. My shoe size is a straight up USA 9. Ecco’s euro-sizing comes in USA half size increments. For instance, a 42 in their sizing equals a USA size 8-8.5. A 43 equals a USA size 9-9.5. Since I’m a 9, the 43 is too big. Sort of like wearing clown shoes. I end up having to order a 42 and “hope” the shoe fits a little on the big side. Fortunately for me the 42’s have fit great, though converting them to USA size says they should be half a size too small.
Conclusion
Most of my golf shoes sit in the garage and are only used on the golf course. My Street EVO One’s sit in the shoe rack of my closet. I wear them regularly. In fact, I’m wearing them right now, along with my pajamas. 🙂
Related Links
Ecco Street EVO One photos
Other Hooked On Golf Blog Ecco Reviews
In for review is the new Street EVO One hybrid golf shoe from Ecco Golf.
Ecco Street EVO One Shoe
I’ll be putting these in play as soon as possible, as in when the snow melts. Stay tuned for my review, hopefully very soon.
Introducing GoBe
GoBe is a new company I found at this last year’s PGA Merchandise Show. They have a cool new golf shoe line with some unique styles which run in the hybrid/casual genre. No dress shoes with spikes. These are stylish golf treads players could wear on or off the course.
GoBe Prodigy Golf Shoes – click for more
Though they’re hybrids (shoes which cross between golf and casual use), performance is the most important feature for GoBe. Do they perform? Read on to find out.
GoBe Prodigy Golf Shoe
My first GoBe shoe is the Prodigy in Black/Red (pictured through this review). This is a very unique looking golf shoe with its semi glossy black finish and cool black/red color scheme, accented with silver.
Prodigy Features
The semi-gloss black upper I mentioned previously is made of a material GoBe calls “PurTEC.” PurTEC is 20x more water resistant than treated leather. Despite the high water resistance, the upper is very breathable.
The platform the shoe provides is nice and roomy, with plenty of space for the toes to spread when the player walks.
Star atTRACTION – click for more
The treads on the Prodigy feature GoBe’s “Talon” traction system. Looks like simple stars to me, but there’s much more to those hybrid treads. The star shapes increase the surface area of the hybrid spikes, giving the shoe amazing traction. The sole material is a very durable Grade A material so the traction should last long time.
Colors – Sizes
The $159.99 retail Prodigy comes in two color schemes: The first is the black/red pictured in this article. The second is white version with black and orange accents.
Sizes range from USA 7.5 to 12.5, 41-46 UK.
On The Course – On The Town
Sadly, I took my time getting to this review. The shoes sat in my garage for quite a while. The primary reason was that I doubted the soles would have enough traction for my spastic swing, especially with all the rain which has hit my area recently. That was a mistake.
GoBe Prodigy Golf Shoes – click for more
I quickly noticed that I was mistaken about the traction. My feet felt like they were glued to the ground, even in wet conditions. The Talon system works brilliantly. With that better traction came more accuracy and more power. What golfer doesn’t want that?
The looks and style of the Prodigy are great. The color scheme is perfect for my college team, the Utah Utes. I’ll be sporting these babies tomorrow night with when I watch the football game in forecasted rain. I’ll be taking advantage of that water resistance.
The Prodigy is very comfortable too. Walking the course is a joy. The feet don’t ache and the knees feel great. The support is just right.
Critiques
I do have a strong critique for the GoBe shoe brand, and it is the same I’ve had for Ecco golf shoes. The sizing selection needs work. GoBe uses a european sizing scheme. So the sizes come in ranges of full USA halves. For instance, my shoe size is a 9. GoBe’s selection is either a 9 to 9.5 or an 8 to 8.5. I don’t understand how a size 9 shoe can also be a size 9.5 shoe. Why not just make a size 15 shoe and say it’s any size between 1 and 15?
Being a 9, a shoe which sizes “up to” a 9.5 is too big for me. I felt like I was wearing clown shoes when I first tried on the 9.5’s. I had to send them back try out the 8 to 8.5 size, in hopes that the 8.5 ran larger than 8.5. Fortunately for me the 8.5 did run larger and fits just right.
Conclusion
Sizing issues aside, the GoBe look is really unique yet classy enough to wear to the office in business casual style.
My three top requirements for golf shoes, in order of importance are: performance, comfort, style. In all three areas the GoBe Prodigy does a fantastic job.
Well played GoBe. Looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this new company.
Related Links
Hooked On Golf Blog GoBe photos
GoBe website
Opener Option #1
Last Thursday I shot my best round of the year, a 70 (-2) on a tough Arthur Hills course. I’m playing again tomorrow. Being a typical golfer, I’ll be replicating everything I did last Thursday, from wearing the same underwear to eating the same cereal to using the same bath towel. I’ll be wearing the same shoes for sure and not just because I’m superstitious. I’ll be wearing my new Royal Albartross Black Jack Nero shoes because they’re so comfortable.
Opener Option #2
Had I had my new Royal Albartross patent leather golf shoes when I tied the knot back on May 22 of this year, I would have discarded the rental shoes from Men’s Wearhouse which came with my tuxedo, and replaced them with my Black Jack Neros. They’re by far the nicest shoes I own and about as comfortable as my Vans.
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