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[jbox color=”green” title=”From the Desk of Robert Yen“]
Minimalist Shoes Wear Tester – Golf
Robert is a second-generation native of Phoenix, Arizona. When not practicing law, he can usually be found playing–as he has for the past 44 years–one of the nearly 300 golf courses in and around the Phoenix metropolitan area.
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I’ve played golf since I was 14 years old. Over the past five decades I’ve worn nearly every style and nearly every brand of shoe on the market from the stiff, steel-shanked leather shoes with metal spikes, to today’s more casual, athletic, soft spike and spike-less models.
Lately, my golf shoes of choice have been ultra-lightweight, “minimalist” shoes with little if any heel rise and soles so thin I can feel with my feet, the undulations of the greens. So it was with some trepidation that I received my first pair of Samuel Hubbard golf shoes, a pair of “Driftwood Blue Waxed Nubuck’s” that aren’t anything remotely similar to what I’ve been wearing recently, or, for that matter, any golf shoe I’ve ever worn.
On removing them from their handsome packaging, I realized they had a distinct heft and a style that resembled a “boat or deck” shoe more than a golf shoe. They were much heavier and more substantial than what I’ve been wearing this past decade.
A closer inspection, however, revealed a really well-made, beautifully hand-crafted pair of shoes. The Nubuck uppers had a velvety soft, buttery feel and the way they were hand-stitched to the mudguard and tightly sealed to the soles sent a clear signal that these are shoes that will stand up to the toughest shoulder-season conditions.
The biggest surprise, though, came from the immediacy of comfort on first slipping my feet into them. Samuel Hubbard’s website says the shoe has a “Full glove-leather lining” that delivers “butter soft feel, superior breathability, and eliminates pressure points,” to which I say, Amen!
When slipping into these shoes I honestly had the same feeling as when I slip on a brand new, lambskin glove. From the padded tongue and collar to the shock absorbent soles, the comfort of these shoes is impressive.
But golf shoes, unlike other shoes, have to be more than just super comfortable. They have to perform, so I took them out to the course for a test-drive on a 105 degree day in Phoenix, Arizona. I worried a shoe this comfortable might not be built to provide the lateral stability needed in a golf shoe. I worried the thicker soles might throw off my ball contact. I worried a shoe built this solidly might not be breathable enough on a hot, sunny, summer day in the desert. I needn’t have worried. These shoes performed beyond all expectations.
And although, in the box, the shoes had a much heavier, bulkier look than I’m accustomed to, on my feet and on the course, I really appreciated the casual styling that’s different than pretty much anything else in the golf shoe market. I also appreciated the fact that although the configuration of the soles provided plenty of grip on the golf course, the spike-less construction allows me to wear these shoes to the office, the cinema, the park or out to lunch or dinner.
The “36 Holes” come in two color options: White or Driftwood Blue. Visit the Samuel Hubbard website for sizing options. I wear a 12.5 D dress shoes but I ordered them in size 13 as I do other golf shoes and if anything, they fit just a bit larger than all my other size 13’s.
As much as I liked these shoes in my inaugural round, I’m guessing they’re going to be my go-to shoes on cold, wet and rainy days. If you’re looking for a really well-made, beautifully hand-crafted pair of casual shoes, these are worth a look. That Samuel Hubbard has made them for golf is a real bonus.
At $245 they’re not inexpensive, but looking at how well they’re made, I’m guessing they’ll out-live me.
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