Zero Drop Running Shoes

The idea of a 0mm drop shoes is no longer confined to the world of running. We have already covered one such category when we review the best zero drop tennis shoes last year. Continuing the trend, we will be reviewing what is the best low heel to toe drop golf shoes for 2016.

Benefits of zero drop golf shoes

Before going into the actual model recommendations, it is important to highlight why you should be considering these shoes in the first place. Since zero drop is newer to the field of golf relative to running, here are some benefits and disadvantages that you might be unaware of:

Pros

• Reduce calf stress: One of the biggest advantage of a low heel to toe drop is to reduce the muscle strain that will happen for a high mm drop shoes (above 10 mm is considered high). This is how most of our shoes have been designed in the past but zero drop has changed all that
• More stability: As your feet is now closer to the ground, your body will feel more stabilized and might improve your ground swing

Cons

• Readjust: It might be more of a mental thingy but you will need to adjust your position, swing etc when you switch from a traditional high heel drop golf shoe to one that is zero drop. We have seen many players citing zero drop shoes as a reason for a flatter swing but there is no evidence saying this is true. The real reason is probably the change in the way your body balances as it is now closer to the ground. With zero drop, you don’t need to place so much weight in the heels as before. If you continue to do so, it can cause your swing to be flatter as the weight cause your torso to be more upright and affects the swing.

Best zero drop golf shoe review

Now we are getting into the meat of this article as we highlight some models we feel are value for money. All the shoes are selected based on having zero heel drop as well as achieving high reviews in other areas such as comfort, weight, grip etc. However, no shoe is perfect so we will also be listing down the cons that each model has.

Puma Faas LIte Mesh review

The Puma Faas Lite Mesh is one of the best value for money shoe when it comes to 0 drop golf shoe. It is light weight and comfortable but doesn’t cut a hole in your wallet due to its affordable pricing.

Pros

• Light weight: If you have never try a zero drop shoe, don’t be surprised at how light this can feel. For some, it can even feel like you are golfing in barefoot lol.
• Breathable: This makes the golf shoe very cooling to wear. In the hot summer months, you will be thankful for this feature
• Solid grip: The sole has very strong grip that helps in your stability
• Wide toe toe: If you need golf shoes for wide feet, this is it. Even if your feet is huge, there is enough room in that toe box to make sure your toes are not cramped together like sardines

Cons

• No good for rainy days: The spikes lose their grip when the surface is wet which can affect your game. Fortunately, golf is not played in rainy seasons so it is not a big deal breaker
• Need inserts for narrow:: As this shoe is roomy, it can feel loose if you have narrow feet. A couple of inserts should solve this problem though
• No arch support:: For high arch folks, this will not feel comfortable as the arch support is barely noticeable

Skechers Go Golf Shoe review (for men)

The Skecher Go Golf shoe is another great zero drop golfing shoe that has excellent value but wouldn’t cost you a bomb. It is very comfortable despite having a low heel to toe drop.

Pros

• Waterproof: Most golf shoes are not water proof. You will be glad to know this model is and makes for a great rainy day golf shoe
• Wide toe box: The design on the fore foot is roundish and you can see even in the picture that it is spacious looking. Great for golfers with wide feet
• Firm grip: Excellent grip that gives you more stability when you swing that club
• Stylish: This is a personal taste but I find the design to be elegant and stylish. Can’t say so for many other golf shoes out there
• Easy to clean: Due to the material, it is easy to get the dirt out. Only difficult thing to clean is the white shoelaces as they get dirty easily. If there was a black lace version, it will be perfect

Con

• Not true sizing: There has been some reviews online saying that they need to order half a size bigger for the shoe to be really form fitting
• No arch support: Similar to the Puma Faas Lite Mesh, this shoe has very little arch support so folks with flat feet might feel uncomfortable wearing them without any additional inserts

Skechers Go Golf shoe  review (for women)’

It isn’t easy to find zero drop golf shoes in general but finding one for women is even harder. Thank goodness Skechers Go Golf Shoe has a female version that is as good as the mens’ version.

Pros

• Many of the pros of the mens’ version carry over here including a wide toe box, water proof, comfortable, firm grip etc
• Arch support: For some unknown reason, the women version actually has better arch support than men. This may be because there are more women having arch problems compared to men so they made the female shoe to have strong support for high arch
• Design wise, they look great as a female golf shoe and will probably draw many compliments from friends

Cons

Frankly, I was hard pressed anything negative being said about this shoe. The complaints I saw was mostly personal problems such as the sizing issue etc. However, comparing these few complaints with the overwhelming positive response, it is clear this is one of the best zero drop golf shoes for women.

Conclusion

Zero drop shoes for golf is relatively new compared to the running shoes. As such, there isn’t that many golf shoes out there with 0mm drop, especially for the ladies. From what is available, we have selected these 3 models that we feel are value for money in terms of performance, price and durability.