What Golf Shoes Do Pros Wear?

What Golf Shoes Do Pros Wear?

In the world of professional golf the top players think about every single aspect of their golf setup.They tinker with their clubs to make sure they can perform at their best and they do not compromise when it comes to what they wear either, especially when it comes to their feet. They want to make sure they wear the best golf shoes for them to compete.

Video: Best Golf Shoes 2022

After all, the feet are the only part of the body to be in contact with the ground throughout the swing so it stands to reason that they need shoes to keep them balanced, stable, and give good grip. Additionally all the top players hit the ball a long way and most of them use the ground as a way of producing that distance. Tour players are also clearly aware of how they look on the course and television too so modern golf shoes have to look good as well. So which models do the top-20 and high profile male players in the world wear? We have taken a look below to give you some small insight into the world of professional golf and what is great about all the models is that we can wear them too! Also if you are in the market for new golf shoes, check out some of our guides on the best spikeless golf shoes, most comfortable golf shoes, or best golf shoes for wide feet.

What Golf Shoes Do Pros Wear?

Cuater The Wildcard Leather Golf Shoes

Worn by - Jon Rahm

Sizes: 7-13 Colors: 2

Spaniard Jon Rahm signed with Callaway in 2021 and with that he started to wear TravisMathew apparel. Within that brand is Cuater, the shoe designing branch and Rahm currently uses a model called The Wildcard.

They have been inspired by South Carolina and are a lightweight, spikeless design made from 100% leather. A SweetSpot Cushioning System adds comfort to the shoe that has been designed with the simple, casual style.

There are two nice colors available, the white model pictured above which Rahm wore during his 2021 US Open victory, and a black design.

Adidas ZG21 Golf Shoes

Worn by - Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele

Sizes: 6.5-12 Colors: 4 (plus special editions)

adidas has some of the best player's in the world contracted to them; including Major winners Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa, as well as Olympic Gold medalist Xander Schauffele. All three Americans use the ZG21 shoes and given the review we did on them it is not hard to see why.

From a looks perspective adidas really got it right here, keeping a classic design but implementing some modern flourishes as you can see from the 'USA' special edition above.

The design performed really well too and the first thing we noticed was how light these are compared to the Tour360 XT in particular - 20% lighter in fact.

Softness and comfort came from the Lightstrike foam and famous Boost technology whilst they performed brilliantly on every shot from every lie.

Adidas ZG21 Golf Shoe Review

FootJoy Premiere Series Tarlow Golf Shoes

Worn by - Justin Thomas, Webb Simpson

Sizes: 6-14 Colors: 3 (plus special editions)

Justin Thomas is regularly one of the best dressed golfers on Tour and what goes on his feet, as well as Webb Simpson's, is part of that. Both of them wear the Tarlow from FootJoy's Premiere Series which is named after Bill and Dick Tarlow who bought the FootJoy business in 1957 and focused the brand primarily on golf.

A modern take on a classic toe cap design, the shoes are made with a natural grain leather along with a croc print in the heel, cap toe and lace area.

They really look the part but the spiked design also gave us ample grip, good waterproofing, and top-notch comfort because of the soft sheepskin lining.

Puma Ignite Pwradapt Caged Shoes

Worn by - Bryson DeChambeau

Sizes: 7-15 Colors: 4

Bryson is not the player to take any of his golf gear lightly so it says a lot that he continues to wear the Ignite Pwradapt Caged shoes from Puma.

The big story here is the locked-in stability which was outstanding because no matter how hard we swung, we felt a connection with the ground and good traction thanks to the cleats.

The underfoot cushioning from the Ignite foam felt lovely and we also like the sporty, sneaker-like aesthetic.

Puma Ignite Pwradapt Caged Shoe Review

FootJoy Pro/SL Carbon Shoes

Worn by - Louis Oosthuizen

Sizes: 6-14 Colors: 2

South African Oosthuizen opts for the Carbon version of the FootJoy Pro/SL, which is a shoe he has worn for a while now. One of the most popular shoes in the world, it is surprising more top players don't wear them in competition but regardless Louis seems to be a fan as are we.

A model which made our list of the best golf shoes for walking, the Carbon is a significant upgrade on the regular model.

The name itself comes from the carbon fibre inlay which runs along the length of the shoe which aids stability, and there is also extra padding around the ankle which we greatly appreciated during testing.

FootJoy Pro/SL Carbon Shoes Review

Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour Shoes

Worn by - Brooks Koepka

Sizes: 7-12 Colors: 8 (plus special editions)

A model of shoe you will have seen on the feet of Brooks Koepka, these shoes were inspired by his habit of chipping and putting in Nike running shoes and as such they are designed to provide speed and comfort to golfers.

In testing we found them to be extremely comfortable and from a looks perspective we think they look great not only in the traditional colors, but also the special edition versions like the PGA Championship design above.

Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour Shoe Review

FootJoy DryJoys Tour Golf Shoes

Worn by - Patrick Cantlay

Sizes: 6-14 Colors: 3

Patrick Cantlay is one of very few golfers not to be wearing the Premiere Series or Pro/SL's from FootJoy because instead he goes for DryJoys Tour shoes.

The DryJoys line was first launched in 1989. A waterproof shoe was something the entire golf shoe industry was looking for at the time, and the DryJoys from FootJoy turned out to be the answer.

The brand continues to refine the shoe and Cantlay's actually have the BOA closure system for a snug and easily adjustable fit.

FootJoy Tour X Shoes

Worn by - Harris English

Sizes: 6-14 Colors: 2

Another different FootJoy shoe to be seen on Tour is the Tour X. Briefly worn by Patrick Reed, the design is worn by Harris English pretty much exclusively.

When the design came out FootJoy made very clear it took on board feedback from the tour and combined the best attributes of some of their most popular models, which helps explain why we gave it five stars in our comprehensive review too. 

As soon as you lace them up, the PowerStrap across the midfoot comes into its own, providing superb levels of support and stability. And when swinging, the spikes underfoot deliver excellent grip across the board.

FootJoy Tour X Shoes Review

FootJoy Premiere Series Packard Golf Shoes

Worn by - Abraham Ancer, Patrick Reed

Sizes: 6-14 Colors: 2 (plus special editions)

Another Premiere Series shoe to be very popular out on Tour is the Packard.

Available in all black, or all white, along with some special edition versions, the shoe is inspired by Frederick Packard, FootJoy’s founder and a shoe pioneer who drove the adoption of many modern manufacturing and design innovations that are still used today.

They are truly stunning shoes and feature premium touches like the pebble grain leather as well as the calfskin croc print in the saddle area.

Additionally FootJoy has combined the VersaTrax+ outsole with Pulsar Low Profile Cleats to give outstanding grip and traction when needed.

Under Armour Spieth 5 Golf Shoes

Worn by - Jordan Spieth

Sizes: 7-11 Colors: 1

Spieth turned many heads when he was wearing the new Spieth 5 shoes at Augusta National in 2021.

He himself was involved in the design and the other big story is the inclusion of a 4th dimension of traction called internal traction. This manifests itself in the form of a new and unique 3D moulded footbed that features an additional wrap over the inside and top of the foot.

Now when it comes to traction and grip we should admit we tested the spikeless version, not the cleated model in the picture above, but performance was still right up there with some of the best spikeless golf shoes out there.

Under Armour Spieth 5 SL Shoe Review

Nike Air Zoom Victory Tour 2 Golf Shoes

Worn by - Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler

Sizes: 3.5-16 Colors: 4 (plus special editions)

Rory McIlroy is the biggest player to use the Nike Victory Tour 2 shoes.

The premium leather gives a refined look with some cool modern touches like the stitching, Nike swoosh effect, and of course the Air Zoom unit.

Speaking of Air Zoom, this technology makes these shoes incredibly comfortable because of the cushioning on offer, and the Fitsole sock liner adds a plush, premium feel too. It really wraps around and underneath the foot well.

Nike Golf Roshe G Tour Shoes

Worn by - Viktor Hovland

Sizes: 3.5-16 Colors: 8

Viktor Hovland is one of many golfers to use the Roshe G Tour shoes from Nike. Available in lots of different colors, the design is very understated and classy by Nike's standards.

Nike has also used a waterproof microfiber, synthetic leather upper and incorporated a spiked sole into these shoes so you can use them all year round

Adidas CodeChaos Shoes

Worn by - Tyrrell Hatton, Daniel Berger

Sizes: 6.5-11 Colors: 5

Both Hatton and Berger continue to wear the previous generation Codechaos shoe from adidas.

Of course many people focus on the unique look of the shoes but we found them to perform well too. They are lightweight, breathable, waterproof, and the Full length Boost cushioning features across the entire midsole, creating energy rebound and putting a spring in your step.

Adidas CodeChaos Shoe Review

Asics Gel-Ace Tour Golf Shoes

Worn by - Hideki Matsuyama

Sizes: 6-13 Colors: N/A

2021 Masters Champion Hideki Matsuyama opts for Asics Gel-Ace Tour shoes and has done for a while now.

Given how hard these are to get hold of, we haven't been able to review them but we do know the brand makes them in a variety of colors which Hideki takes full advantage of out on Tour.

G/FORE Gallivanter Golf Shoes

Worn by - Phil Mickelson

Sizes: 7-15 Colors: 4 (plus special editions)

Our final Tour pro shoe is the G/FORE Gallivanter worn by 2021 PGA Champion Phil Mickelson.

Featuring his iconic Masters celebration on the heel, the shoes are 100% waterproof thanks to pebble full-grain leather and the bespoke cleat design on the bottom gives optimal on-course traction.

We were recently sent a pair in white with a camouflage sole and they felt like such a premium product that we didn't want to take them out of the box!

For more golf content, check out the Golf Monthly website.