Contour Series Mens Golf Shoe #54163 Review

Did you know that each of your feet has 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 tendons, muscles, and ligaments. To protect them you need shoes that fit properly.

There is nothing worse than uncomfortable shoes, and blisters or painful feet from ill-fitting shoes can last for weeks.

The choice of golf shoes now available is quite amazing. Most golf shops and online retailers stock a wide choice of golf shoes in various colours and designs.

Leading brands compete for your custom producing increasingly fashionable golf shoes, and the market is highly competitive, but your priority is to seek comfort.

You walk a long way during an 18 hole round of golf, usually in excess of four miles, uphill, downhill, stretching out, standing around, walking on hard ground in summer and soft slippery ground in winter, which can be punishing to feet.

Ultimately, a good pair of golf shoes should give your feet the comfort and support they need.

Golf shoe cleats (spikes)

Some golfers have two pairs of shoes, a lighter pair with soft spikes for hard ground in summer and a more robust pair with stainless steel spikes for soft ground in winter. The theory being that steel spikes will provide you with a better grip when wet.

Until a few years ago, all golf shoes had steel spikes, but the modern trend is for soft spikes made out of hard plastic because they are just as durable and less damaging to greens.

If you want, you can change the spikes to suit the weather as they are interchangeable and simply screw into the golf shoe.

As the modern golf shoe is so well built, I happily use soft spikes in one pair of golf shoes all year round without any difficulty.

When purchasing any shoe, comfort and build quality are the deciding factors, and of course, how much you can afford to pay for them.

Ten months ago, I found that one of my existing golf shoes had split, so I needed a new pair. This was after three years of hard use with my previous Footjoys, so I had no complaints.

I went along to my local golf shop, firstly, checking out the bargains, then the stylish slim looking golf shoes of various brands, none of which fitted well enough.

Acknowledging I needed a broader fitting shoe, the assistant then suggested I try the Contour golf shoe, apparently well known for comfort.

The minute I tried on the Contour Series #54163 model, I knew this was the shoe for me. They fitted perfectly. I loved the soft cushioned feel and support of the shoe, which was far superior to any of the other shoes I had tried. They are a medium width fitting shoe and quite stylish to boot.

The price of the shoe was more than I wanted to pay, but I decided that over three or four years the extra cost becomes negligible and they should be worth it.

The manufacturer's recommended retail price in the US is $115 and in the UK it is £95. However, you will find that most retailers and online sellers offer very good discounts, especially a worldwide online seller like Amazon.

I have now played approx. 30 rounds of golf in them, without any foot problems whatsoever. In fact, there are more comfortable than my casual everyday shoes.

The manufacturer points out that the techniques used in constructing the shoe are similar to those used in a running shoe, thus greater flexibility as well as comfort is built into the shoe.

They are weatherproof and water resistant on the outside. In the US they come with a 2 year waterproof guarantee. For some reason, in the UK the waterproof guarantee is for 1 year only (cannot think why).

Check out the US consumer reviews

If you would like to check out the official product information including features, benefits and US consumer reviews for yourself , visit Contour Series golf shoe #54163.

Review marks for the product are:

Overall = 4.8 out of 5
Comfort = 4.9 out of 5
Durability = 4.6 out of 5
Performance = 4.8 out of 5

based on 107 reviews at the time of writing.

If you live in the UK, go to Contour golf shoe (please note that although the UK site has full product details, there are no additional consumer reviews).

You can also view their entire range of golf shoes and other specialist golf clothing at both sites, and find direct links to Footjoy websites in other countries.

The obvious drawback is that you cannot try them on, and as you will know sizes can vary dependent on the style and design of any shoe.

However, if you are sure of your shoe size and purchase from a leading supplier such as Amazon (with a first class delivery and returns service), there are significant savings to be had by buying online.

Golf shoe maintenance is easy, yet many golfers fail to look after their golf shoes properly. This is surprising, as a good pair of shoes can be expensive, so why not look after them.

Here is my simple step by step guide.

Step 1

Many golf courses have mechanical brushes freely available by the 18th hole or the clubhouse, so give them a quick blast to get rid of any loose mud or leaves after you finish playing.

Step 2

Don't leave your golf shoes in the car or golf shoe bag for a week or longer without cleaning them. Preferably take them out when you get home.

Step 3

Remove any mud or grass from around the studs and wash them all over with warm soapy water.

Step 4

When dry, give them a polish to make them shine. More importantly this will maintain the flexibility of the upper shoe and minimise any premature cracking where creases have formed naturally from use.

Step 5

Check your spikes for wear and tear. Change spikes before they wear down completely and you can't get them out.

That's all there is to it, for a longer lasting and more cost effective pair of golf shoes.