A few of my colleagues and I recently set out to accomplish what we’ve deemed “the Bethpage Gauntlet” — playing all five courses at Bethpage State Park in as short a timespan as possible…walking only. When you’re walking that many holes in a day — 54 on the first and 36 on the second — comfy shoes are ESSENTIAL.
I decided to go with the sock-and-shoe-change-between-rounds strategy. No shoe, no matter how comfy feels good after that much golf, so I figured I could save myself at least a little pain by swapping out my kicks.
For the first round, I wore the Ecco Boom H4. These sneaker-esque spikeless kicks have a pretty wide toe box and a cushy heel panel that make walking a breeze. They’re fully waterproof, so ideal for dewy morning golf.
In round two, I made a slight misjudgment by wearing brand-new, fresh-out-of-the-box pair of Nikes. How could I not! They look so sick! I can tell these are the type of shoes that get more and more comfortable as your wear them — that’s how I feel about all shoes with knit uppers. The heel panel is extremely cushy — like more so than I’ve ever seen on a golf shoe — so you don’t have to worry about back-of-the-ankle blisters. I love that these have a sneaker feel, but still have actual spikes.
Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour
During the third round, which consisted of holes 37-54 of the day, I wore Adidas Stan Smiths. I wear my non-golf Stan Smiths to walk around the city all the time, so I know how comfortable these shoes are. They don’t hug your foot as much as the previously mentioned pairs, which felt like sweet relief for my tired feet.
After a short night’s rest, I hit the course again the next morning rocking my True Linkswear True Knit IIs. Remember what I said before about knit uppers? I’ve had these in my closet for that last six months or so, so they feel perfectly stretched to my foot at this point. These probably would have been better served for rounds two or three of the first day because they’re very supportive and comfortable (and cool looking), but not waterproof, so I wouldn’t recommend on a dewy morning.
For the fifth and final round of the event, I changed back into the Ecco’s. My toes were quite sore by this point and the wide toe box felt like my saving grace.
All in all, I’d wholeheartedly recommend every single shoe on this list. It’s nice to have options that all feel responsive and comfortable on the course but give you a different look to match back to whatever style you’re trying to achieve.
