Italian brand Duca del Cosma make some of the best golf shoes out there and they are known for their striking, unusual designs. The Dandy might be the most stylish offering in their entire range. Beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder of course, and while they may not appeal to everybody I was smitten from the moment I saw them.
If you prefer a more sporty, trainer type of golf shoe then the Duca del Cosma Kingscup might be more to your taste, but when it comes to a classical looking golf shoe the Dandy ticks all boxes. This is a shoe for those who like to do things a little differently and who are not afraid to stand out on the golf course.
I was so excited to try these shoes and when they arrived I immediately sent photographs of them to all of my golf buddies. The response I got wasn’t favorable but I expected that as none of them have a clue when it comes to golf fashion. They’re all very ‘safe’ and unwilling to step out in anything eye catching.
Not me though. I grew up idolizing the late great Payne Stewart and if plus fours were readily available from high street golf retailers then I’d have a wardrobe full of them. I love the classical look and the Duca del Cosma Dandy is right up my street. Payne himself would surely love these shoes.
Everything about the ‘Dandy’ feels luxurious. From the box they come in to the cotton bag used to carry them in. You also get two pairs of laces, one black and one white.
The uppers are made from premium quality soft Italian Nappa leather, while the ARNEFLEX memory foam sole insert gives you a snug, secure feel when you’re walking or hitting shots.
The spikeless sole is designed with 5mm square-shaped nubs, and the Duca "C" is displayed in white. While I'm on the subject, you might want to check out our guide to the best spikeless golf shoes.
The first thing I noted when I took them out of the box was that the shoes were heavier than I was expecting. I don't know why, I think it was because they looked a little lightweight based on the photographs I'd seen, but they’re much sturdier than they look and my initial impression was that these are built to last.
So the shoes definitely passed the eye test, but would they perform as well on the course? I’ve worn the Dandy shoes on several separate occasions now in varying weather conditions and overall I was impressed with the results each time. They are showing no sign of wear and tear and they’re easy to clean off after a round, which is obviously very important with expensive white golf shoes.
While a classical design golf shoe can never really be as cushioned and comfortable as a more sporty shoe such as the Adidas CodeChaos 22, for the type of shoe the Dandy is I’d say that it stacks up well with similar type shoes in terms of comfort.
When I first put them on they felt a little stiff and I had some concerns regarding comfort, but I was pleasantly surprised at how my feet felt at the end of that first round. I’m quite prone to blistering, particularly with shoes that have a stiff heel like the Dandy has, but other than a little general soreness (completely normal for me after four hours of walking) I was in good shape.
I also wore them during a downpour at Southport Links and my feet stayed nice and dry. The only issue I had was water getting in from above the shoe when I had strayed into the rough late in my round, but there’s not really much you can do about that unless you are wearing rain pants. It's certainly not a failing on the part of the shoes as I'm the idiot who hit his ball into the rough.
The rainy weather that day provided a good chance for me to test the shoes in wet conditions and they came through with flying colors. The Dandy looks like a shoe very much built for golf in nice weather and they won't be making our list of the best golf shoes for winter, that's for sure.
I won’t be wearing them while slogging around in the February mud, but that's more about aesthetics than performance. I had all the traction I needed on wet tee boxes and fairways and until that excursion into the deep rough my feet had been bone dry. These shoes can certainly handle wet conditions.
I should also point out that they come with a one year waterproof guarantee and that the heel and toe cap are recyclable, which is obviously a good thing as we all try to do our bit for the environment.
The only thing I wasn’t particularly enamored with were the laces. I’m not a fan of thin, waxy coated laces in general as I find they often come undone quite easily. This was occasionally the case for me with the Dandy. In the grand scheme of things it’s a minor criticism but it can be a little annoying if you have to re-tie laces mid round.
In terms of the price, the Dandy is at the high end of the market but then again it is a premium product, so that's to be expected.
Duca del Cosma shoes are made for use both on and off the course and the Dandy are marketed as such, but you’d need to have much more swag than I have to get away with wearing these out to the pub or for a trip to the local supermarket. There's very much a 'Saturday Night Fever' vibe with these shoes and they are not your typical 'hybrid' shoe that double up as trainers.
But if you are a golfer who wants to do things a little differently and stand out from the crowd, Duca del Cosma will certainly have something for you and I’d have no hesitation in recommending the Dandy.
