Why The Revamp Of This Iconic Golf Shoe Will Divide Opinion

The FootJoy Pro/SL is one of the most successful shoe franchises of all time. It launched in 2016 to great fanfare as a clean, premium spikeless shoe that was instantly recognisable and incredibly popular on tour.

Since then, there have been subtle evolutions, but for 2026, it has undergone a dramatic transformation. Can you recognise this as the Pro/SL you once knew? I certainly can't.

It's like seeing pictures of one of your favourite Hollywood movie stars after they've spent months away from the public eye, only to see them reappear 75lbs lighter after hitting up the prescription weight loss drugs and with a full head of hair after a trip to Turkey. Is this transformation a good thing? I had to head to the golf course to find out.

Indeed, it’s pretty much a complete overhaul. New materials, a new outsole design, and even a new last (the foundational mould that dictates the shape of the shoe) combine to leave the new Pro/SL looking unrecognisable compared to the lineage of legendary siblings that came before it.

I’ll be frank and quick about my opinion on the looks: I don’t like them. The Pro/SL used to be a far sleeker and more luxurious-looking shoe. It used to be the most desirable shoe on the market not that long ago, but I don't think the same can be said now. This is my subjective opinion, of course, let me know in the comments if you disagree with me.

I’ve seen comments and have had messages about the ‘plasticky’ look of the upper material. FootJoy has moved to synthetic materials on the Pro/SL, but it is for a very good reason.

Leather is luxury, yes, but it won’t perform as well as the purpose-built synthetic materials brands are now using in many of the best golf shoes. By making proprietary synthetic uppers, brands like Under Armour and now FootJoy can manipulate the material to their exacting specifications and therefore build it to support and move with the foot exactly where they want it.

That being said, Under Armour has done a far better job in elevating the looks and feel of their new upper material than FootJoy has. Where the Under Armour Drive Pro Clone shoes have an almost matte finish and are soft to the touch, the finish on the Pro/SL is less refined.

Though I totally understand and appreciate the use of synthetic materials in a shoe like that, the finish and feel of the shoe doesn’t agree with the £160 price tag attached, again in my opinion.

The performance and user experience of this upper, and the Pro/SL as a whole, however, is exceptional. I can’t fault how the upper and outsole work together to offer golfers excellent support through the swing and grip.

The Z-Tec upper provides the sort of targeted stability you need from a performance standpoint while also allowing flexibility in certain areas to harness energy throughout the swing. It has the rigidity in areas that leather simply cannot provide, and is therefore a much better material to use here.

Spikeless outsoles have gotten better and better as the years have progressed, and the best spikless golf shoes can absolutely compete with the best spiked shoes for out-and-out grip.

The new outsole on this year's Pro/SL is the culmination of years of great work by FootJoy, the brand’s best to date and one of the best spikless outsoles on the market. For me, it's the highlight feature of this shoe.

I first tested these on an especially greasy day, where the ground was both sodden and with lots of surface water on top. The Pro/SL didn’t fail me once, and I could hardly tell that I was wearing a spikeless shoe, not a spiked one. The days of assuming that spiked golf shoes offer significantly more grip are gone, and this is a fine example of that.

Elsewhere, don’t expect a soft and cushioned feel underfoot here. Performance spikeless golf shoes are much firmer than the best casual golf shoes we’re seeing more of, but the Pro/SL is especially firm in the forefoot area.

While there is good cushioning in the midsole heel area where StratoFoam has been used, that seems to disappear the further forward you go in the shoe. It doesn’t make for the most comfortable ride for your toes, and it's one of the firmer forefoot areas I've tested in a shoe. Nevertheless, this has got a much wider toe box than previous designs, which gives your toes more room to naturally spread as you walk.

Again, the Under Armour Drive Pro Clone SL does a far better job here of marrying the stiffness and support needed from a performance shoe with walking comfort.

That being said, this is one of the lightest golf shoes I’ve ever tested. Around 30% lighter than the last Pro/SL, it will likely be the lightest shoe on the market in 2026, even more so than the likes of the Adidas Adizero ZG I tested last year.

Having to carry a light shoe on your feet does a lot to help foot and leg fatigue over the course of a round of golf, and it’s impressive seeing how much tech has been packed into the shoe.

I understand the vision for the new Pro/SL. FootJoy has looked to really target its purpose as a high-performance spikeless golf shoe, rather than have it exist as a jack of all trades at the very top of its hierarchy.

FootJoy now makes so many great golf shoes, it doesn't need the Pro/SL to do everything - it can now complement the likes of the HyperFlex and Premiere Series Packard among the very best FootJoy golf shoes by offering something different.

The extent of FootJoy's impressive shoe range creates something of a problem for Pro/SL. The HyperFlex is more comfortable underfoot and better looking, while the Premiere Series is a profoundly better-looking shoe that has seen a delightful 2026 facelift. And if it's pure comfort you're after, the Quantum delivers an unmatched sensation underfoot.

Though the new upper is technologically sound and the outsole is a very high performer, there are just too many nagging issues for me. Is it a backward step for Pro/SL? Possibly in terms of the visuals, but I couldn't fault the playing experience.