No brand returning to golf better symbolises the rise of casual golf shoes quite like New Balance. Known primarily for its street sneakers and shoes from other sports like running, football and tennis, the brand has now been making golf shoes for a couple of years. Its latest offering, the 480 SL, blends a classic silhouette with a golf-specific outsole that is aiming to be one of the best spikeless shoes of 2025.
It's worth noting that shoes like this, which are a street sneaker style taken to golf, are purpose-built golf shoes, and not just a street shoe with a golf outsole slapped onto the bottom. I could tell this straight away with the 480 SL, especially with how impressive the outsole is. It uses multiple different-sized and shaped nubs to offer traction laterally during the swing and plenty of grip while you're walking.
It's nice and low profile too, making it ideal for wearing off the course as much as you do on it. I can't say it gives as much grip or as much support as a performance spikeless shoe like the Adidas Adizero ZG or Under Armour Drive Pro, but as casual golf shoes go, it has one of the best outsoles I've tested recently.
That it has such a low profile outsole with the looks of a normal every day sneaker is brilliant, effectively giving you two shoes in one. I never once felt out of place when I wore these to the pub or out to the shops, as the silhouette blends in with any other sneaker you see on the street.
The fit was a little uncomfortable for me, with the toe box area in particular not offering me much room. They come up true to size everywhere else, but the toe box just felt a little cramped at the top of my foot. Perhaps going up half a size is the best option here to give the foot a little extra breathing room, but then I fear the fit would be a little too big elsewhere. Though it's great that the upper is fully waterproof, it's also not one of the most breathable shoes I've worn, especially in the unusually hot spring we've experienced in the UK. Perhaps that was down to the cramped fit, but I fear the synthetic PU upper is the culprit here.
Though the fit was a little uncomfortable, I was impressed with the cushioning underfoot. The Cush+ insole New Balance has opted for here offers the right amount fo cushioning while walking the nearly 13,000 steps you complete while playing a round of golf, and it feels responsive underfoot during the golf swing too.
That this shoe can be worn so much on and off the golf course, the £120 RRP feels like decent value for money, especially when you consider that the most fashionable off-course New Balance shoes can retail for upwards of £150. That being said, don't expect the same sort of quality that you get with an off-course New Balance sneaker here, as the materials don't quite match the quality of the off-course counterparts.
All in all, I enjoyed my time testing the 480 SL albeit for a new niggles that left me wanting a little more from the brand. That being said, New Balance has only been back making golf shoes for a few years, so I'm sure these slight niggles will be ironed out as the brand looks to expand its presence in the ever-growing golf footwear market.
