Review - Skechers GO GOLF

Skechers Golf.  A division of the massive shoe company that is Skechers. You’ve seen the advertisements on the television with Matt Kuchar and the gang. The commercials are fun, witty and they show Matt’s whimsical side. But no mistake about it Skechers GO GOLF has some serious clout in the footwear industry and their offerings from a golf standpoint are no joke.

Last year, I had the opportunity to test and review a pair of their shoes and suffice to say that I was very impressed with the GO GOLF Matt Kuchar shoes that I reviewed. They wore great, performed better and they ultimately led me to choosing Skechers shoes as my everyday shoe. It only makes sense when you think about it that a company like Skechers gets involved in an industry that involves people needing to pay attention to their feet… and in particular long days of pounding their feet. I really won’t delve into the company’s history other than to mention that since 1992 the company that is headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California has a track record in the footwear industry that truly speaks for itself. I had last year’s review opportunity given to me after writing their company to see if an opportunity afforded itself and fortunately it was granted. I was in contact with Laurent Sirois who is the Marketing Coordinator & Brand Lead Skechers Performance Division at Skechers USA Canada Inc. After talking to Mr. Sirois I decided that my target this year would be a shoe that first caught my eye in Orlando at the PGA Show. This shoe caught my eye simply because of its looks, its weight and some questions or concerns I had about it when I first saw it namely durability.

The Skechers GO GOLF Bionic 2 golf shoe is a shoe that combines a progressive, lightweight design that is designed to be low to the ground for giving the foot/shoe natural movement. The GO GOLF Bionic 2 shoe has many interesting performance features going for them including a waterproof synthetic upper featuring the companies H2GO SHIELD technology, a 4 mm drop which is very close to making golfers feel like they are golfing barefoot, GObionic Engineering which give the shoe a more organic design, ResaGrip traction for a better grip on the turf (outsole), and the shoes weighs in at a paltry 11.5 OZ per shoe with ResaMax cushioning.  The cleated portion of the shoe is flexible which allows for natural movements of the foot, is a seamless construction and they are designed with an athletic look. As is the norm for Skechers the GO Golf Bionic 2 shoes feature the branding of the companies “S” on the side.

When testing began it was some time ago. Late March or early-April to be precise. I had my mind made up in Orlando that if given the opportunity to test and review these shoes, I was going to be as thorough as I have been in any other review if not more. As mentioned earlier as pleasing as the Bionic 2 was from an aesthetics point of view I figured that if this shoe had an “Achilles Heel” it would be the durability. Upon picking up the shoe and looking at it closer I had my doubts about a few things… namely the seamless design. But more on that in a bit. Out of the box the Bionic 2 shoes were very comfortable similar to a well worked in baseball glove. There was no break-in period required for these shoes and the first day I wore them in the Pro Shop it was a longer 10 hr day. I was impressed at the comfort performance and I have worn great shoes from other brands that feature “zero drop” and these weren’t far behind at all. I felt low to the ground and that is partially due to the 4 mm drop and ¾” heel height. I was very pleased with the toe box portion of the shoe as my feet (Diabetic) never felt squeezed or pinched. If I could make one recommendation to Skechers regarding these shoes moving forward may I suggest using some of your “GOGAMAT” padding or something similar? Just a little more padding in the heel would be great although it could just be my gait. But other than that the shoe is a very comfortable on and off of the golf course.

I would wear this shoe for most of the golf that I played this year and unfortunately it wasn’t a copious amount. But the conditions that I did wear the Bionic 2 shoes in ranged from a soggy quagmire of early spring to the drought of summer and everything else in between. I really was impressed with their spikeless design and while I have seen spikeless patterns more “aggressive” this particular design was fantastic. It provided all of the stability that a golfer could want. Greens keepers would love these shoes as they don’t mark up the greens and we’ve all seen those spike marks around the hole. Whether the ground was firm or soft the ResaGrip definitely served its purpose very well and when the turf was soaked there was no slippage. The traction and attached performance scored extremely well. The waterproof upper was indeed as advertised and only once did I suffer wet feet while wearing them and that was only my fault. You have to pay attention when you’re walking around checking out a golf course. You never know when a puddle in the rough will be over the shoe… oops! I cannot speak enough about the performance of the Bionic 2 shoes. They perform!

Now for the proverbial “elephant in the room”. Durability. I had my concerns and as a matter of fact during this testing I would treat my concerns like I was on a “witch hunt”. There was something about this seamless design that I did not like and in particular it was the part of the shoe where the seam of the toes would meet the top part of the foot. This part of the shoe seemed very delicate and I was certain that this would be a glaring defect. Folks, I absolutely abused these shoes. I literally wore the tar out of them. I wore these shoes nearly every day at work and my hours were freakishly long. Heck, I even wore these shoes while walking the dog. Like I said… abused. At every turn I would wear the Bionic 2 shoes with a purpose of exposing them. I tried and really I did and the end result. Skechers won! There were no durability issues with the shoe and the synthetic upper looks almost like it did when it came out of the box. Other than some scuffing on the heel (it’s the way I sit). The only wearing that the shoe had was the heels wore down (walking on concrete… lot’s of it) and eventually the spikes wore down (concrete)especially around the balls of my feet. Again, this is more about my gait and not the manufacturer. Not to mention where the spikes still exist they are very much still formidable. Huge props to Skechers.

This is the first time in doing testing for a review where I was trying to make a product fail. I know that I did everything to make it fail and the Bionic 2 shoes from Skechers passed every test. If you wore these shoes for strictly what they were intended for you would find a comfortable shoe that would perform and last a very long time. Also, bear in mind the price point of the Skechers GO GOLF Bionic 2 shoes. At $105 they are a very budget friendly shoe whilst giving you the performance of a shoe double the price. Give the Skechers Bionic 2 a look.