Best Spikeless Golf Shoes of 2024

Your choice of golf footwear could be the difference between shooting a personal best or playing so poorly that you’re ready to “hang em’ up” for eternity.

Golf is hard enough. Wearing a poorly designed golf shoe makes it harder. A top-performing golf shoe can make the walk more comfortable, keep you stable and enhance your game from tee to green.

Today, we’re talking about spikeless golf shoes. I know, spikeless isn’t always seen as equal to spiked. But the spikeless shoes of today are much closer in terms of traction and stability to their cleated counterparts than ever. Did I mention they’re more comfortable, too?

The secret is out: The best spikeless golf shoes rival spiked shoes in terms of performance, with the added benefit of more flexibility and, thus, more comfort on the golf course. If you’ve been on the fence, there’s never been a better time to make the spikeless switch.

Here are the best spikeless golf shoes of 2024.

Best Overall Spikeless Golf Shoes

Still with me? You’re in for a treat. Each year it seems like spikeless golf shoes get better and better. Brands are starting to find the perfect balance of comfort, stability and traction. This, coupled with emerging competition from smaller names, has done wonders for the world of spikeless golf shoes.

In fact, the category has grown so much that it can seem impossible to wade through the myriad of options. And it’s not feasible to sit at your local shop trying on pair after pair to find the right fit. Our expert testing staff has done the “legwork” for you.

We’ve tested 28 pairs of spikeless golf shoes head to head. Here are the ones you should consider.

How to Choose Your New Spikeless Golf Shoes

If there’s one thing we’ve learned over decades of testing golf shoes, it’s that no two pairs of golf shoes are created equal. Some key attributes to look at to separate the best golf shoes from the worst are durability, breathability, grip, ankle support, lacing systems, and how they hold up in wet weather. Performance in your shoes can make all the difference. 

Your hard-earned cash deserves to be spent on something that doesn’t pretend. When performance matters, so do these key attributes.

Comfort

Above all else, a spikeless golf shoe must be comfortable. Seriously, it’s a mystery why anyone would create a spikeless shoe that isn’t comfortable. Yet, every year we have a few contenders that are borderline unwearable.

What good is a shoe that’s so uncomfortable that you have to take it off three holes in to your round? Forget break-in time. The most comfortable golf shoes should require no break in time. The “best of the best” spikeless golf shoes are more comforting than your favorite home-cooked meal.

We’re talking no break-in, no pain nor blisters. A comfortable spikeless shoe is a good spikeless shoe because who wants to walk 18 holes in something my dad would wear to church? The most comfortable spikeless shoes have great form-fitting uppers and soft cushioned midsoles. A fitted insole or sock liner is a plus.

If comfort is your top priority, look no further than the Skechers Go Golf 2 Max Slip In Rover. It feels more like a slipper than a golf shoe and that’s a good thing. For a more traditional option, you can’t go wrong with the ECCO LT1 or PAYNTR X 002 LE.

Stability

In some ways, stability is the antithesis of comfort. A stable golf shoe is inherently more rigid than an unstable golf shoe. That said, the best spikeless golf shoes don’t trade comfort for stability. Or, at least, they shouldn’t.

Why is stability important? A stable golf shoe is a safe golf shoe. The immense forces of the golf swing take a toll on your shoes. If the golf shoe isn’t able to handle the twisting and shear force, then your foot is no longer protected. A stable shoe keeps your foot and ankle from going past the point of normal flexion or extension and disseminates pressure evenly through the foot, ankle and leg.

As with any golf shoe feature, the important thing is to determine your needs. If you want something that’s supremely stable, you will have to sacrifice things like flexibility. The most stable spikeless golf shoe, the FootJoy Pro/SLX Carbon, leans more on stability than it does comfort.

However, shoes like the Under Armour Drive Pro SL find a much better balance between torsional rigidity and step-in comfort. It’s not quite as stable as the Pro/SLX Carbon but it’s much more comfortable.

In either case, the choice is yours. Stability is important so don’t fall in love with a shoe that’s ONLY comfortable unless you can handle the extra stress that an unstable shoe will put on your ligaments and joints.

Traction

You’ve finally made it to the most scrutinized piece of the spikeless golf shoe conversation: traction. Despite claims that spiked shoes are always better, we’re starting to see more people, even professional golfers, switch to spikeless shoes.

The line of thinking, at least for me, is that if you can get something more comfortable with around 80 percent of the same traction performance, it’s worth the switch to spikeless. Traction is getting much better. There are plenty of good spikeless shoes that work well in all weather conditions.

Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Gone are the days of assuming that every spikeless shoe has the same lackluster traction. Enough of the comments stating that “spikeless shoes are just sneakers.” Until you’ve tried on as many shoes as we have, I’d sit this one out.

While spikeless shoes may not ever catch up to the traction offered by their cleated counterparts, there are plenty of spikeless models with Tour-level traction.

The PAYNTR X 002 LE, Under Armour Drive Pro SL and Skechers Go Golf Max 3 feature stellar spikeless traction. The FootJoy Pro/SLX Carbon is another less traditional-looking traction pattern that holds its own.

Golf Shoe Tips and Tricks

• Look for waterproof warranties. Not every golf shoe labeled waterproof offers a warranty and some golf shoes are labeled as “water-resistant.” There’s a big difference.
• Choose your fighter. Most spikeless shoes have traditional laces. However, some come in BOA variants or other similar disc-style closures. (PAYNTR, Skechers, etc., all have their own way to do this.)
• Size matters. Finding the right fit is the most important thing. Keep in mind that shoe sizing is generally not consistent across brands. Sometimes, sizing differs from product to product in a single brand’s lineup. For example, the FootJoy Traditions may not fit the same as their Pro/SLX Carbon.
• Try before you buy. Look for stores with liberal return policies. If you can try before you buy, this is always a safe route to take.

Other Top Contenders

Not a fan of the top spikeless golf shoes listed above? Give a few of these a try.

• If you’re looking for something comfortable and waterproof, the NoBull GoreTex Ripstop golf shoe is a great place to start.
• Looking for a comfortable golf shoe that looks more classy? The PUMA Avant or G/FORE GALLIVAN2R fit the bill nicely.

Best Spikeless Golf Shoes 2024 – Four Key Facts

1. Form and Function

While spikeless golf shoe are becoming more performance-centric, there are still a host of spikeless shoes that focus on form and fashion over function. These lifestyle shoes like the PUMA SlipStream G, TravisMathew Daily Hybrid and the New Balance 574 G are solid options despite the focus on fashion.

2. Look for Leather

I’m a sucker for raw materials and more brands are starting to use leather uppers and liners. The adidas S2G is a great example, A leather upper on a $110 golf shoe is almost unheard of. On the upper end of the spectrum, shoes like the Boxto Legacy Love and Duca Del Cosma Positano make good use of premium materials with an accompanying premium price.

3. Focus on Fit

Brands are starting to take note of the wide variety of foot shapes and styles. Thus, brands like Under Armour and PUMA, which traditionally fit very narrow, have started to widen lasts.

4. Carbon Isn’t Just for Runners

If there’s an area in which golf shoes are really starting to innovate, it’s the materials space. Where carbon-fiber plates have generally been reserved for marathon “super” shoes, brands like PAYNTR and FootJoy have started to use carbon fiber in ways that are unique to the golf space.

How We Test Spikeless Golf Shoes

Testing Methodology

Spikeless golf shoes are evaluated on based on comfort, traction, stability and elements (waterproofness).

How We Score Golf Shoes

Spiked and spikeless golf shoes are scored based on the following criteria which we mentioned above.

Comfort

A good golf shoe must be comfortable. This accounts for the upper, midsole, and overall flex of the shoe. If you can’t walk comfortably, it won’t score well. Insoles, heel cups and the construction of the tongue are also taken into account.

Traction

Spikeless golf shoes should provide excellent traction. Shoes are tested for traction indoors and outdoors.

Stability

How resilient is a shoe to the pressures and twisting of the golf swing? Stability takes into account overall lockdown, fit and torsional rigidity.

Elements

A golf shoe must be waterproof. All shoes are run under water for 30 seconds in order to determine whether water is able to permeate the membrane. A good spikeless shoe should be easy to clean.

Best Spikeless Golf Shoes: FAQs