Footjoy Icons giving blisters

Just got a new pair of Footjoy Icons. Played 3 rounds in a cart to sort of wear them in and really had no problems with them apart from the fact the heel is very firm and reminiscent of the original Footjoy Classics. I walked 9 holes yesterday and by the end I had huge blisters on my heel. I cant remember when I had to break in a pair of shoes since those old classic days.

Has anyone got any tips on how to soften the heel and break them in?

I don't need this sort of hassle with a new pair of shoes and it will be the last pair of Icons I buy.

I currently have 3 pairs of Footjoy Dryjoys Tours and a pair of Adidas 360's which all were fantastic from the start.

I would appreciate any tips for breaking them in otherwise I will toss them,I dont think you should have to break shoes in these days.

By chance did you start wearing a different pair of socks? Being dead serious because I have worn classics and icons for years and the first time I wore the ultra low cut no see socks my feels were throbbing from shoes that were broken in over the last 3 years.

I also wonder if this issue came from socks that slipped down on the heel? which icons were these? I have dozens of icons and I've never had blister issues even though I am a notorious tenderfoot and will blister from new eccos

Just keep wearing them and they'll break in. Footjoy owns the patent on blisters.

I switched to the TW line when the 13s came out and haven't looked back. They are comfortable out of the box, no blisters ever, and last WAY longer than Icons. My first pair of 13's are still waterproof after about 200 rounds. My icons always started leaking just after the 2-year warranty.

I actually wear my Icons without socks, they're that comfortable!

[quote name='Uncle Chunk' timestamp='1440082055' post='12175974']
I actually wear my Icons without socks, they're that comfortable!
[/quote]

Same here. That was actually my cure for blisters. I used to get horrible blisters on my heel from walking, regardless of what shoes I wore. Very much by accident, I went sockless one round (left my socks at home) and have not worn socks on the golf course since unless the weather is uncomfortably cold. Believe it or not, the Icons, IMO, are the best shoes with which to go sockless since their all leather construction tends not to soak up sweat. Athletic-type golf shoes, with the cloth insides, tend to smell like . . . . well, really nasty feet after a while. The all leather shoes don't smell at all.

OP, I am not kidding when I say that doing this would likely solve your blister issues in all but the most sweltering, humid of weather.

i've used a bit of nu skin liquid bandage preemptively with some success, as i am also a sockless golfer. best of luck

Not to threadjack but anywhere to get Icons for cheap? Size 13 is hard to come by and I miss my Tour Classics

TIA!

Bart

i have DJT, Classics, and Icons, and IMO all needed 2-3 full walking rounds for them to break in comfortably. They are my favorite shoes, and I don't look at other styles.

Tape your heels with a good quality white athletic tape until the shoes are comfortable. I have the same problem and have to do this frequently. Eventually my heels wins and the shoes have holes.

Do the shoes fit properly? It could be that simple. I have four pair of Icons and they are all comfortable. My practice whenever I get a new pair of golf shoes is to wear them around the house for a day or two just to mold to my feet. Then I go play and never have any problems. I always wear the top quality Footjoy socks too.

Hi Everyone, thanks to all for chipping in with some advice.
A few points: I wear Footjoy socks and have done for more years than I care to remember. All are reasonably new.
Re the Size: Ive had the same size shoe for umteen years so the size is not an issue.

The difference I feel is the different heel construction in the Icon compared to my Dryjoys. The Icon has quite a firm leather heel which is moulded quite stiffly compared to the sort of padded heel in the Dryjoys or the Adidas tour 360's.
Sounds like I will have to tape my left heel and just try to see if they will wear in. My point really is for a top of the range shoe (and they are not cheap!) I would have expected superb comfort from the get-go.
I wrote to Footjoy about the problem so it will be interesting to see their response (if any).

About 2 years I got a pair of Adidas 360 tours which were the white/silver and had the BOA situated just to the side of the tongue and they where horrible. I contacted them by email and within 24hours I had 2 calls from them saying I could return them and they would exchange them for a pair of lace up 360's. An offer which I took them up on. quite brilliant service, And I wonder why I ever moved from Adidas after such service.

Just to clarify one point the new shoes are Icon Black in white.

[quote name='ashortgame' timestamp='1440122985' post='12180410']
Hi Everyone, thanks to all for chipping in with some advice.
A few points: I wear Footjoy socks and have done for more years than I care to remember. All are reasonably new.
Re the Size: Ive had the same size shoe for umteen years so the size is not an issue.

The difference I feel is the different heel construction in the Icon compared to my Dryjoys. The Icon has quite a firm leather heel which is moulded quite stiffly compared to the sort of padded heel in the Dryjoys or the Adidas tour 360's.
Sounds like I will have to tape my left heel and just try to see if they will wear in. My point really is for a top of the range shoe (and they are not cheap!) I would have expected superb comfort from the get-go.
I wrote to Footjoy about the problem so it will be interesting to see their response (if any).

About 2 years I got a pair of Adidas 360 tours which were the white/silver and had the BOA situated just to the side of the tongue and they where horrible. I contacted them by email and within 24hours I had 2 calls from them saying I could return them and they would exchange them for a pair of lace up 360's. An offer which I took them up on. quite brilliant service, And I wonder why I ever moved from Adidas after such service.

Just to clarify one point the new shoes are Icon Black in white.
[/quote]You answered your problem in the last sentence. The new Icon Black line is a different "last" than the previous Icon or DryJoy Tour. The Icon Black run a little bigger. There is a thing called "Shoefitr" on the FJ website for each style of shoe. If you plug in your regular size for each style of shoe, it will let you know what size would be best for [u]that[/u] style FJ. For instance, I wear an 11 med. in regular Icons and DryJoy Tours. But the "Shoefitr" says I should wear a 10 1/2 med. in the Icon Black. I've been told it's because of the new cork footbed that they fit different.

Wearing a shoe that is a little loose in the heal is just as bad as a shoe that's too tight. You're going to get friction from that and blisters.

Whenever you change shoe style or manufacturer, you should recheck the fit as they use many different lasts to make their shoes and they're all a little different. It could be the difference between happy feet and blisters. For what it's worth, I've got 14 pairs of Icons in five different styles, and have worn all of them right out of the box with no problems. And I walk almost all of my rounds.

Cheers and good luck! :-)

Get some Kentwool socks. They have a blister free guarantee.

[quote name='naedward812' timestamp='1440164047' post='12182080']
Get some Kentwool socks. They have a blister free guarantee.
[/quote]A different sock is unlikely to stop blisters if your shoes don't fit correctly.

[quote name='ashortgame' timestamp='1440122985' post='12180410']...Re the Size: Ive had the same size shoe for umteen years so the size is not an issue...[/quote]

I wouldn't be so quick to make that conclusion. Not all models from the same manufacturer fit the same. In my experience, Icon Blacks run at least a half size longer and maybe a width wider than other FJ shoes such as the DryJoy Tours. DNAs also run a bit larger.

Based on what you've described, it sounds to me that the shoes are not fitting correctly. Also, you might want to try the "heel lock" lacing method that runners use. Good luck.

[quote name='golferdrmjr' timestamp='1440134348' post='12181126']
[quote name='ashortgame' timestamp='1440122985' post='12180410']
Hi Everyone, thanks to all for chipping in with some advice.
A few points: I wear Footjoy socks and have done for more years than I care to remember. All are reasonably new.
Re the Size: Ive had the same size shoe for umteen years so the size is not an issue.

The difference I feel is the different heel construction in the Icon compared to my Dryjoys. The Icon has quite a firm leather heel which is moulded quite stiffly compared to the sort of padded heel in the Dryjoys or the Adidas tour 360's.
Sounds like I will have to tape my left heel and just try to see if they will wear in. My point really is for a top of the range shoe (and they are not cheap!) I would have expected superb comfort from the get-go.
I wrote to Footjoy about the problem so it will be interesting to see their response (if any).

About 2 years I got a pair of Adidas 360 tours which were the white/silver and had the BOA situated just to the side of the tongue and they where horrible. I contacted them by email and within 24hours I had 2 calls from them saying I could return them and they would exchange them for a pair of lace up 360's. An offer which I took them up on. quite brilliant service, And I wonder why I ever moved from Adidas after such service.

Just to clarify one point the new shoes are Icon Black in white.
[/quote]You answered your problem in the last sentence. The new Icon Black line is a different "last" than the previous Icon or DryJoy Tour. The Icon Black run a little bigger. There is a thing called "Shoefitr" on the FJ website for each style of shoe. If you plug in your regular size for each style of shoe, it will let you know what size would be best for [u]that[/u] style FJ. For instance, I wear an 11 med. in regular Icons and DryJoy Tours. But the "Shoefitr" says I should wear a 10 1/2 med. in the Icon Black. I've been told it's because of the new cork footbed that they fit different.

Wearing a shoe that is a little loose in the heal is just as bad as a shoe that's too tight. You're going to get friction from that and blisters.

Whenever you change shoe style or manufacturer, you should recheck the fit as they use many different lasts to make their shoes and they're all a little different. It could be the difference between happy feet and blisters. For what it's worth, I've got 14 pairs of Icons in five different styles, and have worn all of them right out of the box with no problems. And I walk almost all of my rounds.

Cheers and good luck! :-)
[/quote]

Thanks for the explanation [b]Golferdrmjr[/b], that makes a lot of sense about the different "last" because of the corkbed. Seems like I shouldn't have just ordered the same size and used the shoefit before ordering. Its a wonder my Footjoy rep didnt ask the question when I placed the order. One of the problems I faced is that I wear 8 W and most shops dont carry that size in stock. Still anyone with a bit of knowledge (ie my Rep) still should have told me to check with the shoefit.

Thanks also [b]GolfGrouch[/b] for the tip about the "heel lock" lacing method. I wasnt aware of this method but a quick look on Utube explained how it worked, so I will definitely try it.

Thanks again to all for their advice, help and interest.

Sticking plaster on the heel for the first few rounds til they mold to your foot properly.