Merrell Accidentally Made a Really Good Golf Shoe

I never stop exploring. Last year, I tested a pair of trail shoes on the golf course and came up with mixed results.

After seeing a recent collaboration between legendary outdoor gear brand Merrell and the budding luxury golf brand Greyson, I figured it was time to give trail shoes another go.

It’s funny. I hadn’t really planned on testing trail shoes again. But a quick look at Merrell’s website makes it clear that Michigan-based brand feels their shoes are more than appropriate for the golf course. Hence, an entire page dedicated to golf.

I’ve spent more time than I care to admit in the Merrell Agility Peak 5, on and off the course. Here’s why this trail runner from Merrell is absolutely a shoe that I would golf in again.

About the Agility Peak 5

The Agility Peak 5 comes in three variants. The flagship low-top mesh pair, a low-top GORE-TEX pair and the high-top, winterized Agility Peak 5 Zero (the same shoe Merrell worked on with Greyson).

My review focuses solely on the classic Agility Peak 5 but I’ll talk a little about the Agility Peak 5 Zero as well.

Let’s break down the “tech” of the shoe. We’re working with an engineered mesh/TPU upper. The mesh provides breathability while the rigid TPU is overlaid in high-wear spots to ensure the Agility Peak 5 is durable.

The engineered mesh upper sits atop a fluffy, FloatPro foam midsole which sandwiches the protective rock plate. Moving down, the Agility Peak 5 features a Vibram MegaGrip outsole, with lugs that are designed to provide grip without holding on to debris.

But that’s enough marketing talk. How do all of those fancy names and technologies help you on the golf course?

When I wear a shoe for the first time on the golf course, I’m looking at three attributes: comfort, stability and traction. Waterproofness is good, too, but that’s what the GORE-TEX and winterized pairs are for!

Comfort

The Agility Peak 5 from Merrell is very comfortable. It’s built for long hikes and intense trail runs, after all. While the stack height of the FloatPro midsole seems a little high at first, I found the foam to be highly responsive and dynamic. What do I mean? For low-impact movements like walking, the foam feels plush and forgiving. During high-impact movements, like swinging the golf club, the foam feels more firm and stable.

The ability of the FloatPro foam midsole to adapt to your motion counteracts any of the stability loss from the higher-than-most stack height.

You can walk 36 holes in the Merrell Agility Peak 5 with no problem at all. It’s about as comfortable as it gets.

Stability

Stability is important not just for making good contact with the ball but keeping you healthy. An unstable shoe that can’t handle the torque of the golf swing can potentially cause damage to your foot, ankle and more. Think of Zion Williamson tearing out of his NIKE Kyrie 2 shoe while at Duke. When a shoe can’t properly handle force, it leads to scary non-contact injuries.

The Merrell Agility Peak 5 gains stability in two ways. Firstly, as mentioned, the stiffness of the FloatPro foam provides resistance to twisting. Secondly, the internal rock plate also provides torsional rigidity. In both cases, the Agility Peak 5 has enough lateral stability to keep you secure. It’s not over the top and it’s not among the “best” I’ve seen but it’s plenty adequate for someone like me who swings a driver in the 100-105 mph range.

Traction

In my experience, traction is the attribute that so many non-golf shoes fail to replicate. There’s something about trail-running traction that hasn’t always translated well onto the golf course. Things like symmetry and shallow lug height both contribute, in my mind, to a loss of traction.

The Agility Peak 5 does some good things in this regard. The pattern itself isn’t necessarily focused around high-traction areas like you see in well-designed golf shoes. But the lugs themselves are taller than other trail shoes I’ve worn which help to penetrate the ground.

All in all, the Agility Peak 5 excels in dry conditions and is manageable in wet conditions. It still doesn’t rival the best spikeless shoes in terms of traction but it’s better than something like the Malbon 550 G, a “supposed” golf shoe.

GORETEX and winterized

As mentioned, the Agility Peak 5 comes in a GORE-TEX variant and a high-top winterized version. Obviously, if you want something to protect you from the elements, either of these options are better than the standard engineered mesh.

I’m a big fan of the winterized Agility Peak 5 Zero. The high-top design may be polarizing for some but I think it’s pretty cool. Plus, it actually fits around my cankles (shocker, I know). This pair is better suited for those wet and cold rounds … the fair-weather golfer will more than likely get too hot and stuffy in this pair.

Wrapping up

Merrell didn’t make the Agility Peak 5 for golf but it definitely works for golf. The next time I play a sunny 18, don’t be surprised if I reach for this pair. In the meantime, they work great in the gym and (hopefully) on the trails the next time I’m out in Utah visiting family.