FootJoy SYNR-G

Its easy to overlook something as simple as a golf shoe when buying new equipment for yourself. It's easier to spend $200 towards a new driver or fairway wood than it is towards the purchase of new shoes. As long as you've got freshly changed softspikes in your old shoes whats the reason for buying new ones?

Well, I've owned two pairs of golf shoes in the four years I've been playing this great game. My first pair of shoes was a pair of Nike sneaker-like golf shoes. I wasn't fully committed to the golf look at the time, and they were right in my price range. After those shoes became unbearable to walk in on dewy fairways, I bought a pair of FootJoy e-comforts, a little more of a classy look without spending alot of money out of my college bound budget. They are still a great shoe to use, but will be fair weather only due to the moisture they too are starting to let in.

Enter the FootJoy SYNR-Gs. I wasn't too certain about all the technological points they were advertising on their site: Tri-Lateral stability frame, alloy support bridge, memory foam and HeelLoc sole and so on. I also wasn't too sure about the look, but I figured it was time for a new pair of shoes, I might as well enter for a chance to try them out.



Shoes aren't something I get too excited about. I mean, they're just shoes. But when that FootJoy box appeared on my porch I was pretty quick to open it up and see what was inside. Staring back at me was a shiny new pair of all white SYNR-Gs, and if I remember correctly a "wow" escaped my mouth, a word I reserve only for the best looking cars, the best looking golf holes, and yes the best looking girls :man_in_love:

Looks
Again I will be honest, if I was shopping for new shoes and based my decision solely on what was on FootJoy's website, I probably would've moved on to the next shoe design. Something about the upper portion of the shoe clashed with the silver and blue triangles (the Tri-Lateral Stability Frame) on the lower part of the shoe. I thought the shoe looked too much like a sneaker and not enough like a shoe that has an MSRP of $220. But when I opened up the box, this thought flew out the window.

First off, the Tri-Lateral Stability Frame flows well with the shoe, its not as flashy and bright as the website makes it out to be. From certain angles the entire lower portion of the shoe looks black. From the side, the silver triangles match the silver Alloy Support Bridge.

Next is the overall look. The white on white lizard print is probably one of the sharpest combinations I've seen in person, outside the Custom FootJoys that can be had in a variety of colors. To me it screams classic, but at the same time is also hints at the advanced technology found in the shoe. Since getting these shoes I've gone out and built a new golf outfit around them, black pants, white belt, black shirt, white hat. Its really a great classic look that also says "I'm ready to get down to business."

Outer profile


Inner profile


The only negative I found in the looks of this shoe was where the grey collar meets the white outside. It just stands out a little too much for my taste when wearing shorts. Its definitely not a big issue but I think FootJoy could improve on that.

Fit
These shoes felt better right out of the box than any other shoe I've ever tried. Its got to be something with the Memory Foam collar combined with the HeelLoc sole. When I put them on it felt like my foot had just melted into the shoe creating a single seamless bond between the shoe and my foot. A pretty good feeling to have when something feels like its apart of you. I would suggest getting a proper fitting before purchasing to enhance the feel of these shoes.

Performance
A couple days before I got these shoes our area got dumped on with snow. I was hoping to hit a local track that was still open to give an honest full review after walking in them, but unfortunately that's not going to happen until spring. Instead I found a driving range that had shoveled the snow off its grass hitting area and hit a bucket of balls with the shoes on.

Tying in with the fit, I felt so much better taking swings with shoes that honestly felt as if they were custom built for my feet. They didn't feel clunky and burdensome, but very light and comfortable. Looking at the bottom of the SYNR-Gs you can see the technology and effort FootJoy built into this shoe. There's the typical soft spikes, but they're surrounded by what I refer to as "teeth" to aid in traction. These suckers are all over the bottom of the shoe, and they are sharp!

I can't say I could really "feel" the Tri-Lateral Stability Frame working as I hit balls, but that's not to say it wasn't working. Even on the wet grass I couldn't feel the shoes trying to slide out from under me, they kept my body in a solid stance throughout the swing. So they do a great job there over the previous shoes that I have owned. One technological point I could feel was the Alloy Support Bridge. The Alloy Support Bridge gives the shoe a nice rigid feel and yes, it is very supportive. Aside from the looks and traction, this was one of the greatest features about the shoe that gives it a really durable feeling quality.

All this being said, I have one comment on the "teeth" and traction design on the bottom of the shoe. It seems that with so many large protruding teeth these shoes might be a superintendent's worst nightmare since the days of metal spikes. I haven't tried them on greens obviously, but they might be suspect to leaving distinct tracks on soft or dewy greens. Again, I don't know for certain, but it is something I have thought about.

Serious traction control here! Yes, all of it does actually help!




If you've made it this far, thanks for hanging in there! There's alot to talk about with this shoe and its nice to see FootJoy making a real attempt at hitting the emerging tech market for golf shoes.

Thanks again FootJoy and GolfWRX for hosting the SYNR-G contest. :drinks:

Vince

I wannntttt a pair so bad!

I wannntttt a pair so bad!

 

I fully understand why! Its definitely a very advanced shoe

Excellent review. When I first saw the stock pics for these I wasn't overly impressed with them, but these look really good here. Very clean looking shoe with some interesting technology.

 

Thanks!

damn cant wait till next week when these come out.. I am going to be first in line.. great review..

Thanks everyone. I decided to get a picture of me wearing them with one of the outfits I have planned so you can get a better idea of how it looks all put together. Its just me in my room in my finish position.