"Low drop" golf shoes

[CrisPy3]

Hey all,

In my never ending quest to find the perfect shoe, I'm once again at a cross roads. I'd like to find something that is "low drop" vs. "zero drop". Zero drop, oddly enough, make my knees ache after a while... I'm sure it's me and not the shoe. But I still play my best when I'm as close to the ground as possible as a suffer from I'm-too-tall-to-play-golf syndrome.

From what I've been able to find searching the site and the interwebs, the candidates are:

True Links Major

Puma Ignite

Nike Lunar Command

Skechers Performance Go Golf Elite

New Balance NBG518

New Balance Minimus SL & Tour

ECCO Biom Hybrid

What started off as a question for the forum has turned into a list that I hope helps someone else. Feel free to contribute if I've missed an obvious one.

Thanks

[Itsjustagame]

Have True Original and Knit. Excellent shoes.

[2putttom]

I play better and last longer the closer I am to the ground. I have been wearing Asics for over two decades and these preshots are very comfortable

[Shakester]

I use to work for a running shoe company and they would have orthopedists and podiatrists in all the time to talk about proper cushioning to alleviate pains. They also talked about pronation and supination and what it could do to your joints. If you're having knee issues, then playing flat shoes isn't going to help, especially if you're walking. Knee aches usually come from lack of cushioning and how your foot strikes the ground while walking or even standing. I would take a guess and say that you tend to supinate, which means you're putting pressure on the outside of your shoe when you walk. That would be easy to tell just by looking at the soles of your shoe to see how its wearing. Excessive force and lack of compensation will transfer that force up to your knees. You can always go the more expensive route and get orthotics from your podiatrists and they do help. That would force your foot to land on a more neutral angle. I myself have shin splints and if I run in anything but Nike Air Max's or Asics Gels, my shins would hurt after two miles of running.

[MMB1500]

It's a miracle that our ancestors survived for hundreds and thousands of years without cushioned sports shoes.

[CrisPy3]

I think I’m zero’ing in on the Skecher Elites... Would anyone know the difference between the 2 and the 3 and the regular 3 vs Approach? Many thanks

[mahbles]

My brother has three pairs of custom orthotics for his flat feet and he keeps one of those in his True Originals. He says when he adds in the orthotics, he has a very low drop, since the True Originals are a zero drop shoe. The orthotics do just what you said, ensure proper alignment when he's walking or playing. He says the orthotics don't affect his swing or putting.

[tgoodspe1991]

On 3/12/2020 at 8:11 AM, MMB1500 said:

It's a miracle that our ancestors survived for hundreds and thousands of years without cushioned sports shoes.

 

The counter to this is that our ancestors didn't walk on hard surfaces like concrete, wood, tile, marble, etc. and instead walked on mostly grass, dirt, etc. for hundreds and thousands of years. Also, even as recent as 1900, the worldwide average life expectancy was around 30yo or less. "Thousands of years" ago it was mid-20's or less. Who's to say they didn't have joint problems that could've been remedied with modern footwear? Most of them didn't even live long enough anyway.

 

I'm not taking a side one way or another, but humanity also survived for hundreds and thousands of years without modern medicine but that doesn't mean it was great...

[bcjim]

On 3/11/2020 at 12:11 PM, CrisPy3 said:

Hey all,

In my never ending quest to find the perfect shoe, I'm once again at a cross roads. I'd like to find something that is "low drop" vs. "zero drop". Zero drop, oddly enough, make my knees ache after a while... I'm sure it's me and not the shoe. But I still play my best when I'm as close to the ground as possible as a suffer from I'm-too-tall-to-play-golf syndrome.

Additionally,  low drop and low stack height are different things.  Some Hoka shoes, for example, are zero drop but definitely don't get you close to the ground. 

Zero drop might suit some but they can take some getting used to and if you're older or have limited flexibility.. use caution. 

 

And from a performance standpoint,  look at what pros do.  What fraction of pro golfers wear zero drop? I'm actually not sure...With running shoes, i do know. Most pros/elites do not wear zero drop shoes.

[MattM97]

1 hour ago, bcjim said:

Additionally,  low drop and low stack height are different things.  Some Hoka shoes, for example, are zero drop but definitely don't get you close to the ground. 

Zero drop might suit some but they can take some getting used to and if you're older or have limited flexibility.. use caution. 

 

And from a performance standpoint,  look at what pros do.  What fraction of pro golfers wear zero drop? I'm actually not sure...With running shoes, i do know. Most pros/elites do not wear zero drop shoes.

 

Most pros that use TrueLinkswear seem to be in the Lux Pro I think Chris Kirk is the only one who plays the zero drop ones. 

[ReviellGolf]

On 8/1/2023 at 6:05 AM, bcjim said:

Additionally,  low drop and low stack height are different things.  Some Hoka shoes, for example, are zero drop but definitely don't get you close to the ground. 

Zero drop might suit some but they can take some getting used to and if you're older or have limited flexibility.. use caution. 

 

And from a performance standpoint,  look at what pros do.  What fraction of pro golfers wear zero drop? I'm actually not sure...With running shoes, i do know. Most pros/elites do not wear zero drop shoes.

I agree with this but I just want to add a tid bit. I am a big hiking/mountains nerd and a few years ago I swapped all of my shoes out for no drop shoes, lems for my daily driver and altra for running and hiking. They do take some getting used to. In my experience, they instantly started making me feel sore in my posterior chain, mostly in the glutes. Not in a bad way, more in a "holy s***, I forgot I had those muscles" type of way. Also, the majority of long distance hikers use no drop or low drop trail runners.

 

Naturally, I started thinking about no drop/wide toe box shoes for golfing. I started the season with New Balance Elevate shoe as they were among the widest toe box golf shoes I could find. Swinging with them felt nice but walking was noticeably different coming from no drop. Gradually, my hips would start to ache towards the end of each round. I decided to switch to my altra lone peak trail shoes for a few rounds and they were great for walking but as you mentioned, no drop doesn't necessarily mean stable/close to ground. They felt unstable when swinging because they aren't really made for torsional movement. Also, the no drop was slightly noticeable during my swing as now my weight felt like it was a bit on my heels. The super wide toe box in the altra's is the best part though in my opinion and it is a shame that almost all modern shoes lean towards a narrow toe box. 

 

TL;DR Be careful if you are not used to low drop/no drop, it will take time to get used to but ultimately it is the best for a natural walking gait. Wide toe box is king.

 

[drn92]

I've moved to lower drop shoes over the past several years.  I find they are much more comfortable for standing, walking, and working out.  Specifically, they have relieved a little tension/compression in my lower back by reducing the arch in my lumbar spine.  I also feel more natural and athletic in the shoes.  For me, anything below 6mm works best, with 0-4 being the sweet spot.

 

Unfortunately, True Linkswear is the only company making "zero" drop golf shoes (to my knowledge) and only in their OG line.  They are ok, but I have not had a lot of luck with TL shoes.  If they work, they are great, but they just do not fit as well as I'd like.  There are a few trail shoes by Altra, Topo, and Vivobarefoot (and maybe Inov8 and others) that are zero drop.  Ecco Biom Hybrids have a lower drop with a wider toebox and are my current go-to shoes for golf.  Olukai and Tomo have lower drop golf shoes as well (according to their ads).  I tried an Olukai and they were heavy and the toebox didn't work.  I have a pair of Tomo Bravo on the way to try.

 

Wider toeboxes are also nice, up to a point.  I love my Altra's for hiking and running, but they are a bit too wide for golf.  

 

Lower drop, natural shaped toeboxes with a bit of cushion is the way to go ... as long as you are willing to take the time to adapt.

 

drn92

[drn92]

On 8/1/2023 at 5:05 AM, bcjim said:

Additionally,  low drop and low stack height are different things.  Some Hoka shoes, for example, are zero drop but definitely don't get you close to the ground. 

Zero drop might suit some but they can take some getting used to and if you're older or have limited flexibility.. use caution. 

 

And from a performance standpoint,  look at what pros do.  What fraction of pro golfers wear zero drop? I'm actually not sure...With running shoes, i do know. Most pros/elites do not wear zero drop shoes.

No disagreement on what the pros wear, but pretty much the only offerings are narrower toebox, higher drop shoes if you want any real sponsorship $$$ ...

 

Until the last decade or so, that was all that was available.  But, with a 12mm drop (Footjoy standard according to their CS team), you are talking about 1/2' difference between your heel and toe over about a 10-12" distance.  Put in perspective, in a 10' wide room, one side of the floor would be ~6-8" higher than the other.  

 

drn92

[bcjim]

I just don't think there is a lot of evidence that heel-toe drop is bad or that zero drop is good. And there seems to be evidence that zero-drop shoes are associated with higher injury rates in athletes though its probably due to a rapid change to such footware in many cases.

 

In golf specifically we need to "incline" ourselves toward the ball from the pelvis and even ankle according to some instructors. It would seem a typical shoe would provide a beneficial base for that.  Whether its better for the walking part of golf is another question but for the swing, it may be beneficial.

 

I do agree about the toebox width and the pointiness of many shoes is totally ridiculous. I avoid FJ and any pointy shoe for this reason as well. I wear Ecco Biom usually that have a modest drop and a nice shape.

[drn92]

3 hours ago, bcjim said:

I just don't think there is a lot of evidence that heel-toe drop is bad or that zero drop is good. And there seems to be evidence that zero-drop shoes are associated with higher injury rates in athletes though its probably due to a rapid change to such footware in many cases.

 

In golf specifically we need to "incline" ourselves toward the ball from the pelvis and even ankle according to some instructors. It would seem a typical shoe would provide a beneficial base for that.  Whether its better for the walking part of golf is another question but for the swing, it may be beneficial.

 

I do agree about the toebox width and the pointiness of many shoes is totally ridiculous. I avoid FJ and any pointy shoe for this reason as well. I wear Ecco Biom usually that have a modest drop and a nice shape.

Good discussion ... it will be interesting to see what happens since low drop shoes are relatively new.  It does seem like shoes for other sports with a more athletic bent (basketball, tennis, soccer, football, throwing sports in track & field, etc.) use a lower drop shoe (but often a much narrower toebox).  From a personal standpoint I feel more athletic with a lower drop golf shoe.  Unfortunately, there are not nearly as many options.

 

drn92

[RenoLaw]

I’ve run in zero drop Altras for over a decade, but find playing golf in zero drop shoes terrible. I’ve got 2 pairs of True’s from that failed experiment, but I will say that True’s minimal drop causal shoes (All day) are fantastic. I will probably give the Lux Tour a go next as they look similar.

[jeppy64]

On 8/5/2023 at 5:59 PM, drn92 said:

I've moved to lower drop shoes over the past several years.  I find they are much more comfortable for standing, walking, and working out.  Specifically, they have relieved a little tension/compression in my lower back by reducing the arch in my lumbar spine.  I also feel more natural and athletic in the shoes.  For me, anything below 6mm works best, with 0-4 being the sweet spot.

 

Unfortunately, True Linkswear is the only company making "zero" drop golf shoes (to my knowledge) and only in their OG line.  They are ok, but I have not had a lot of luck with TL shoes.  If they work, they are great, but they just do not fit as well as I'd like.  There are a few trail shoes by Altra, Topo, and Vivobarefoot (and maybe Inov8 and others) that are zero drop.  Ecco Biom Hybrids have a lower drop with a wider toebox and are my current go-to shoes for golf.  Olukai and Tomo have lower drop golf shoes as well (according to their ads).  I tried an Olukai and they were heavy and the toebox didn't work.  I have a pair of Tomo Bravo on the way to try.

 

Wider toeboxes are also nice, up to a point.  I love my Altra's for hiking and running, but they are a bit too wide for golf.  

 

Lower drop, natural shaped toeboxes with a bit of cushion is the way to go ... as long as you are willing to take the time to adapt.

 

drn92

I know this is an old post, but I noticed you mentioned having a pair of Tomo Bravo's on the way. I was wondering how those worked for you. I have a pair coming in this week of that same brand and model. There isn't a whole lot of reviews on the Bravo out there. I'm starting to see quite a bit more mention on the Alpha's which are a bit our of my price range.

 

I have a wide foot, 3E which is near impossible to find in a true size 10 or 10 1/2. I spent weeks and weeks trying to find credible reviews on something close and the Bravo seemed to be the only one close.

[drn92]

2 hours ago, jeppy64 said:

I know this is an old post, but I noticed you mentioned having a pair of Tomo Bravo's on the way. I was wondering how those worked for you. I have a pair coming in this week of that same brand and model. There isn't a whole lot of reviews on the Bravo out there. I'm starting to see quite a bit more mention on the Alpha's which are a bit our of my price range.

 

I have a wide foot, 3E which is near impossible to find in a true size 10 or 10 1/2. I spent weeks and weeks trying to find credible reviews on something close and the Bravo seemed to be the only one close.

I tried them and ... in my opinion ... felt that the drop was closer to 10-12mm than the 4mm they advertised.  Good looking shoe, just not for me.

 

If you have a really wide foot, I'd recommend some of the True Linkswear (you can find the All Day Ripstop V1 on sale) or go with some trail running shoes like Altra or Topo Athletic.  You might have luck with Ecco Biom Hybrids, which can sometimes be found on sale.  I remove the insole for a little extra room.

 

Good luck!

 

drn92

[jeppy64]

39 minutes ago, drn92 said:

I tried them and ... in my opinion ... felt that the drop was closer to 10-12mm than the 4mm they advertised.  Good looking shoe, just not for me.

 

If you have a really wide foot, I'd recommend some of the True Linkswear (you can find the All Day Ripstop V1 on sale) or go with some trail running shoes like Altra or Topo Athletic.  You might have luck with Ecco Biom Hybrids, which can sometimes be found on sale.  I remove the insole for a little extra room.

 

Good luck!

 

drn92

That's disappointing on the drop. The 4mm is one of the main reasons I went for it. The stability isn't much of an issue for me as my lower half stays pretty quiet in the swing. Oh well, maybe they can be a decent walking/weekend show. They are cool looking. I hope they're even better looking in person.

 

I was looking at the Biom's too. Looks like my search is still on.

 

Thank you for the insight!