Years ago, golfers wore metal spikes to give them more traction and keep them more connected with the turf as they hit shots. Today, those metal spikes are really only used on the PGA Tour. Amateur golfers are stuck with soft spikes.
The good news is that spiked golf shoes have come a long way, and they can offer some great performance for players. However, the best spiked shoes on the market have a great mix of comfort, traction, stability, and overall performance.
After testing these shoes on the golf course, and comparing their features, here are the best spiked golf shoes.
Best Spiked Shoes: Our Top Picks
Best Overall: Adidas Men’s Tour 360
Best Value: Adidas Men’s Tech Response
Best For Stability: Sqairz Speed Golf Shoes
Best Waterproof: FootJoy Tour Alpha
Best Premium: Ecco Athletic Men’s Biom G 3 Gore-tex Golf Shoe
Best Comfort: FootJoy Men’s Fury
Best Overall: Adidas Men’s Tour 360
The Adidas Men’s Tour 360 is not a new release to the market, but it has been tweaked through the years to further improve overall performance. Overall, you will find this to be a premium golf shoe suitable for the most demanding players.
With the Tour 360, you will immediately notice the leather upper has a smooth and comfortable feel. In addition, there is a midsole technology called “Boost” that helps to make the shoe more responsive and comfortable.
We like the grip the spikes provide on the bottom of the 360, as they will help even in conditions where the turf is wet. If you need a go-to spiked golf shoe and you want it to last for years to come, the Adidas Tour 360 is a great option.
Best Value: Adidas Men’s Tech Response
These are the best golf shoes for the money. Hands down. They offer fantastic comfort in spiked golf shoes, are lightweight, breathable, and affordable; players of all abilities can benefit from the technology in these shoes.
- Synthetic upper stays in good condition
- Good grip and balance
- Thintech EXP cleats are easy to install and replace
- Very fair pricing
- Several color options
- Wide range of sizes
- More of a sporty type golf shoe does not have a classic look to it
Golf shoes are not getting cheaper, but the Adidas Men’s Tech Response shoes give you some really good performance for the money. This is one of the market’s most affordable pairs of spiked golf shoes.
Adidas Tech Response shoes are made with a lightweight and breathable material. These shoes do come in a spikeless design as well, but the spiked option has much better traction.
Golfers will find that the Cloudfoam sock liner also makes the shoe feel a little more comfortable. We can’t tell you that the performance of the Adidas Tech Response is anything better than other spiked shoes on the market.
However, when you look at the pricing and what the shoes have to offer, it’s pretty impressive.
Best For Stability: Sqairz Speed Golf Shoes
The Sqairz Speed is the best shoe for stability; with the square toe design, you will immediately notice that the shoe works as a strong support base.
- Athletic looking shoe
- Improves connection with the ground
- Comfortable and stable at the same time
- At first, the squared-off toe is a bit to get used to
The Sqairz Speed is a unique shoe with a square toe design. If you can get over the front of the shoe with a unique look, you will benefit greatly from its stability. One of the things we like about Sqairz is the testing they did to see how stability impacts the distances you can hit your shots.
Sqairz determined that the Speed style golf shoes help to increase overall distance by about 8 yards. Of course, this is compared to a shoe with much less stability, but it’s still nice to know that distance was kept in mind while developing this shoe.
The Speed from Sqairz is considered their most athletic style. Even though your toes have plenty of room to spread out, the shoe still looks sporty. In the end, sometimes something outside the box is a great choice.
Best Waterproof: FootJoy Tour Alpha
The FootJoy Tour Alpha has incredible stability, performance leather technology, and the Ortholite Fitbed; this is a great shoe for golf all year round.
- Made with 100% waterproof leather
- Very comfortable golf shoe
- Waterproof warranty
- Good stability long term
- FootJoy tour-level shoes are a bit more expensive than others
FootJoy golf shoes are designed with incredible stability and longevity. However, this particular shoe, the FootJoy Tour Alpha, was our favorite choice for waterproof protection on the course. If you have ever played golf with a wet golf shoe, you know how important waterproof technology can be.
The Tour Alpha is a comfortable shoe thanks to the OrthoLite Fit Bed technology. The cushioning is long-lasting. If you are accustomed to a shoe starting to feel hard over time, the OrthoLite softens things up and makes it more comfortable for the life of the shoe.
Footjoy incorporated their Laser Plus Last, which rounds out the toe a bit and makes the heel a little more narrow. The result is more comfort and an easier time if you have a good amount of speed in your golf swing.
Best Premium: Ecco Athletic Men’s Biom G 3 Gore-tex Golf Shoe
The Ecco Athletic Men's Biom G 3 Gore-Tex Golf Shoe is one of the most high-performing shoes in the game.
- Biom natural motion technology for better connection to the ground
- Breathability and protection from the elements
- Extra cushioning
- Very high pricing because of the included technology
If you have some extra money to spend, you may want to think about giving the Ecco golf shoes a try. Ecco makes premium footwear for golfers, and although it is expensive, you will be impressed with what the shoe is capable of.
One of the first things that help Ecco Biom stand out is the Biom Natural Motion technology. With this, you will stay close to the ground and feel a bit more connected to the ground. In addition, the internal removable and washable sole makes it a more comfortable design with plenty of extra cushioning.
In addition, the Zarma Tour Spikes stay in great shape and will not cause issues if you play a lot of golf.
Best Comfort: FootJoy Men’s Fury
The FootJoy Men's Fury is the best spiked golf shoe for comfort; with dual-density foam and an athletic-inspired fit, the Fury is truly one of the more impressive shoes on the market.
- Made with 100% textile material that is breathable and lightweight
- Sporty-looking golf shoe
- Waterproof protection
- Tour proven
- Not as much traction as other Footjoy golf shoes
The FootJoy Men’s Fury is designed for overall comfort and affordability. However, since this is a spiked design, you also get good stability. With waterproof protection and the Ortholite Impressions Fit Bed, your foot stays dry and does not hurt at the end of your round.
One of the things we liked about the FootJoy Men’s Fury was the sporty look that it provides. Many of the spikeless shoes are a bit better looking when it comes to athletic designs, but the Fury fits in well and gives you the performance you can count on from the spikes.
Overall this is a comfortable golf shoe with tour-proven performance and a fair price.
What to Consider When Buying Spiked Golf Shoes
Here are a few of the things that you should consider when buying spiked golf shoes. Remember that each manufacturer does something unique with their golf shoes to help them stand out; make sure you choose the shoe that works specifically for your preferences.
Traction
Traction is how much the shoe helps you grip the ground when you swing. When your shoe has a lot of traction, you can stay in place and go after the ball at full speed.
Balance in the swing is so important, and golfers can get better balance and torque when they have this impressive traction from their golf shoes.
Spiked shoes tend to naturally have more traction than spikeless, so this is a great benefit to consider.
Stability
In addition to the traction that gives you some more grip on the ground, stability is also important. Players will feel more powerful with a stable base under them.
If your swing has some issues with losing balance on the backswing or in the follow through, a stable shoe is important.
We also like to mention that stability is important for golfers looking to walk the golf course more. A stable shoe can make walking up and down hills easier, as well as improve swings from lies where the turf is uneven.
Comfort
A comfortable golf shoe is incredibly important. Golf shoes years ago hurt to wear, and we have just now realized that this is entirely unnecessary. If you are smart about the shoes you purchase, they don’t have to be uncomfortable.
Choose something that gives you the feel of putting on a pair of your favorite old pair of sneakers, and you will be pleasantly surprised by how you don’t want to take these off after a round of golf.
Foam technology, orthopedic liners, and more are all good options for increased comfort in the golf shoe.
Pricing
Spiked golf shoes range in price from around $60 to more than $300. Most golfers can find a great pair of shoes between $100 and $200.
The more expensive shoes usually have waterproof technology.
If you are worried about pricing, you can look for a lightweight shoe not made with leather material; these are typically the most affordable golf shoes on the market.
Size Options/Availability
Size options for spiked golf shoes vary, but it’s most important to find a width that works for your foot. Some golf shoes are not available in wide or narrow. This can be an issue for a player that has anything but an average size foot.
Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about the best spiked golf shoes. Spikes in your golf shoes are not a thing of the past; some golfers still rely on them to get the connection with the turf that they need.
FAQs
Spiked and spikeless golf shoes are both great. If you want versatility, the spikeless shoe is a great choice. For golfers that are looking for more stability and balance, the spiked shoe is a better choice.
Professional golfers use spiked golf shoes. Most PGA Tour events allow golfers to wear spiked golf shoes, but amateurs are not able to wear them. However, amateur golfers are not allowed to wear spiked golf shoes as it tends to do too much damage to the course.
Golf courses allow spiked golf shoes for PGA Tour players during events. However, when it comes to amateur golfers playing, the spiked shoes are not accepted. Spiked shoes made it very difficult for golf course superintendents to keep the course in great shape.
Golf shoe spikes are changed every few months. However, if you hardly play golf you can change them once a year. Invest in high quality spikes; they will help keep total costs down.
Final Thoughts
We hope you now feel a bit more knowledgeable about the best spiked golf shoes on the market. The Adidas Men’s Tour 360 stands out as the best overall. Even though this shoe has been around for quite some time, it has improved through the years and really stands out as one of the best around.
It’s good to switch to a spiked golf shoe if you are looking for premium performance and feel and you have trouble with stability and balance. In addition, when the spikes on your shoes start to wear out, you can replace them with new ones; no need to buy another pair!