Scottie Scheffler’s New NIKE Shoes Just Dropped — and We Tried Them First

Those crazy SOB’s finally did it.

It’s tough to crack my golf shoe rotation. As someone who’s worn well over 150 different pairs over the last three years or so, you might think my personal top-5 changes pretty frequently.

That isn’t the case. I have a few favorites that get more run than the rest of my collection. But, every once in a while, something comes along that is so good, I have to reevaluate my personal Mt. Rushmore.

I’ve been cautiously optimistic that NIKE could crack their way into my rotation, considering it’s made up of mostly adidas.

But until this year, that’s felt more like a pipe dream than a reality. Often, I feel like NIKE neglects their golf category (and rightfully so) in favor of things like running, basketball and sportswear.

I mean, Tiger Woods walking out the door surely signified the end of NIKE golf as we know it … right?

Wrong. Since Wood’s departure, NIKE’s been steadily getting better and better. Rory’s new shoe, the Victory Tour 4, was my favorite pair to date … until I tried on the more budget-friendly Victory Pro 4 (aka, Scottie Scheffler’s new shoe).

As an expert shoe tester, I declare that the new NIKE Victory Pro 4 is the best performance golf shoe in their lineup. And, it’s my favorite performance shoe to come out this year from ANY brand.

Here’s why I love the NIKE Victory Pro 4 so damn much.

They finally nailed the fit

My biggest gripe with NIKE golf shoes in the past have been fit. I’ve often found the fit to be too narrow, too short and rather uncomfortable near the heel.

That preconceived notion couldn’t be further from the truth. I touched on it a bit in my review of the Victory Tour 4, but the Victory Pro 4 has a roomier toebox and a new sculpted heel that’s designed to offer a more “sneaker-like” fit.

This is the first NIKE golf shoe I’ve tried on in a while where I don’t feel the need to go up a half size. That’s a win in my book.

A few holes into my round, I forgot I was wearing them. That, friends, is a tell-tale sign that a shoe is doing its job. No annoyances, no pinching or rubbing.

Cushlon is (still) comfy

Similar to its older brother, the Victory Pro 4 features a full-length Cushlon midsole. It’s one of my favorite cushion setups because it offers a comfortable ride without feeling overly plush. It’s on the “firmer” side of the spectrum when compared to something like BOOST, but softer than something like FootJoy’s StratoFoam.

The Victory Pro 4 felt more comfortable than the Victory Tour 4, probably due to the lack of the rigid Flyplate. The Cushlon, coupled with a better-than-most included sockliner, made the Victory Pro 4 one of the more comfortable spiked golf shoes I’ve worn this year.

It’s certainly appropriate for the walker or the rider.

Tested traction and stability

I’ve worn plenty of spiked shoes that struggle with traction. The Victory Pro 4 relies on nine Softspikes cleats to keep you grounded. They work as advertised.

The traction contributes to the overall stability of the shoe, too, which was pretty decent. Nothing to write home about here, but the plastic wing riding up the lateral side of the shoes does stop the foot from sliding over the footbed.

The stack height is a bit high, so this wing is necessary to stop you from rolling an ankle in case you get a case of the Scotties and start shuffling like you’re LMFAO.

Takedown, who?

The last thing I want to touch on is the idea of a “takedown” model. In sneakers, this generally refers to a more “budget” friendly version of a flagship shoe. In golf, you might notice the same idea in putters, something like the Odyssey Ai-one milled vs the Ai-one series. The latter has some of the same tech, but comes in at a more compelling price point.

The same can be said for the Victory Pro 4. As the takedown model of the $199 Victory Tour 4, the shoe lacks some of the same tech (namely, the Flyplate) and raw materials of its big brother. But, at $150, it’s much easier to recommend.

Having worn both pairs, I can say without a doubt that I prefer the “cheaper” version. When a “takedown” model doesn’t feel like a substantial trade-off in performance, there’s always a huge value proposition to be made.

In this case, the Victory Pro 4 is what I would recommend for most people.

Not only is it NIKE’s best golf shoe right now, but it’s also one of the better golf shoes in the price category, period.