Municipal Origin Shoe Review - we test Mark Wahlberg's new shoe

Municipal Origin Shoe Review

Let me come right out and say these spikeless shoes are probably not the best for use out on the golf course when the weather takes a turn, but if you are in the market for a shoe for practice, the driving range, summer rounds, AND for use off the course, then the Municipal Origin’s are definitely a model to consider. 

Who are Municipal I hear you ask. Well in short the brand was co-founded by actor Mark Wahlberg in 2019 and its primary focus since then has been on sports utility wear - namely clothing you can work out in but wear just about anywhere. It also started making golf apparel too and you would’ve undoubtedly seen Wyndham Clark win the 2023 US Open wearing Municipal clothing. Then in 2022 Wahlberg, who has said for many years he wanted to get properly into the shoe designing game, invested in sneaker brand P448 and its parent company StreetTrend, which led to all three brands coming together for the Origin shoe I have reviewed here. 

“I wanted to have the comfort of like a Boost and a Yeezy, but then I wanted the stability of a performance shoe,” Wahlberg said. “I wanted something that you could wear to work, you could work out in, you could wear around the house.”

So how did it perform? Well I haven’t worn a Yeezy before but I know adidas boost shoes well and know how comfortable they are, and I can honestly say the Origin shoes compete at the highest level here. The company uses something called M.Float technology which is based on sandwiching different compound densities on an anatomical baseline composed of rubber, memory foam, 40 shore EVA and latex. That is quite the mix of materials and the result is outstanding. The shoes are comfortable straight from the box and I had no issues towards the heel which is an area I can often get painful rubbing or blisters when testing new shoes. Simply put, I test a lot of shoes, and these compete with the best - such as the Nike Air Zoom Victory 3’s, Cuater Ringer’s or Ecco Biom H4’s. 

Moving on to grip and stability, as I said at the start of this review, I would not use these shoes in the winter months or when it is wet because the traction will be compromised somewhat, and nor are these shoes specifically waterproof. However, in the summer months the performance on the course will be solid from a grip standpoint, as well as at the driving range. During some practice sessions I felt confident they would let me swing freely which is important for me because at impact I can go up on my toes a lot. 

Finally we come to another area where this shoe really excels, the looks. Reminiscent of some of the best casual golf shoes or best golf sneakers, the shoes look fantastic just about anywhere. I’ve used them in golfing situations, to the office, to the gym, and just out and about in London because they are as versatile as it gets. There are 6 colors to choose from, all of which offer something a little unique, and it is also worth saying how good it is to see a brand make unisex shoes. Men and women can buy any color they want and my mind was boggled at the choice of size as well. For men it goes from 1-19, and women 4-22.5. 

To conclude, if you want a great-looking, immensely comfortable shoe for those practice sessions and summer rounds of golf, then the Origin is well worth considering. However if you want a waterproof golf shoe or a spiked model for winter golf, then perhaps look elsewhere. Who knows though, hopefully Municipal read this and create a waterproof model down the line!