Golf Shoe Review:
Puma Swing GTX
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, LondonOntarioGolf.com

Hip styles, a rainbow of colours and high-performance – not to mention fun – are all part and parcel with PUMA’s golf shoe offerings. Hey, if they weren’t such multi-taskers, these shoes wouldn’t be on the feet of PGA Tour style icon Geoff Ogilvy, who, incidentally is also a winner.

PUMA is enjoying a resurgence in popularity on this side of the pond, but the brand has for many years boasted a huge European presence. Since entering the golf category in 2006, PUMA has seen significant growth in their golf business.

Enter the PUMA Swing GTX golf shoe, inspired by 1950s fashion and featuring Smart Quill technology. Pound per pound, this is one of the best overall performers in the golf shoe category, and here’s why.

Start with PUMA’s innovative Smart Quill technology. It’s cool that when you visit PUMA’s web site, you can navigate over a pair of Swing GTX shoes with a porcupine. Green-friendly quills are moulded and tactically positioned for traction – no traditional twist-on soft spikes here. Instead, the quills provide a permanent stability anchor designed for maximum grip serving multiple tasks throughout the swing. PUMA calls it the first shoe “customized for the right and left foot individually.”

We agree. During a full round and after hitting a hundred balls at the range, these beauties performed admirably, to say the least. The quill design works: it really felt like I was supported by two independent shoes, both moving along with my swing yet providing plenty of support.

Lightweight, comfortable and well tractioned, the Swing GTX shoe also features a Gore-Tex upper for guaranteed dryness during the worst golf conditions. The angled quills are made of TPU and are moulded and intentionally positioned for customized traction. The shoe’s outsole – glass fibre for the ultimate in lightweight design – is coloured differently to show the unique cleat design.

We love these shoes, and heck, they look pretty darn good at the 19th hole, too. The Swing GTX carries a MSRP of $320. 

PUMA is a global athletic brand established in Germany in 1948 and distributing products in more than 80 countries. For more information on PUMA’s golf offerings, visit http://golf.puma.com.