New Balance have been enjoying a renaissance since being the leading light of the ‘Dad Shoe’ trend that kicked off in 2018. Now they are taking that success to the course with their latest offering, the retro cool 327 women's spikeless golf shoe. At first glance there is very little difference between the casual 327’s and the golf version, but New Balance have been sure to add features specific to golf such as the waterproof microfibre upper, along with the Ndurance spikeless rubber outsole that is flexible and offers great grip wherever you find yourself out on the course.
I’ve had sneaker style golf shoes before, but these took me a good few holes to accept as golf shoes, that’s how much they felt like out and about trainers. I tend to judge the traction of shoes when hitting drives and these passed that test with flying colors and offered good grip. Typically, I do prefer a slightly more rigid sole that offers a bit more stability. In terms of comfort these were good, and I put them on to play 18 holes straight out if the box with no issues.
It is worth noting though, that I needed to go up half a size, I’m normally a 7 to a 7.5 but needed to go up to an 8 in these. The profile on the shoe is very flattering and didn’t elongate my foot like other brands can when you need a bigger size. Fit wise as someone with feet on the flatter side, I would have also loved a bit more arch support, it just makes walking long distances more comfortable.
I will be playing in these through the summer and on the dryer winter days, but when it gets very wet, I will likely change back to a more robust winter shoe, like the Adidas Tour 360 or Ecco LT1’s. Overall though I am very impressed by this shoe, it performed well looks great and truly is a two for one, you could happily wear this just as much off the course.
