Though we've seen more casual golf shoes come into style over the last few years, I think we're all in agreement that there is still a place for what I would call a 'classic' golf shoe style. More like a brogue than a sneaker, this is probably the style of golf shoe that most non-golfers would associate with golf. While plenty of other brands try their hand at styles like this - G/FORE's Gallivanter for example - the boss has always been FootJoy. Its Premiere Series of shoes have been heralded by Tour players and amateurs alike. This year, the brand has returned with two new additions to the series, the Field LX and the Packard LX. Both, in principle, are the same spiked golf shoe, with the Field LX benefitting from detailing at the rear of the shoe with the Packard through the middle. So, when it took the Packard LX out onto the course, how did it stack up against the rest of the best golf shoes on the market?
I'll start with the looks, which absolutely blew me away the first time I took them out of the box. I knew what to expect from a Premiere Series shoe, but it was the attention to detail that FootJoy has gone into with this shoe that has elevated the Packard LX ahead of any Premiere Series shoe I've tested before. As you'd expect, the shoe is built with full-grain leather throughout, but this year there have been added details in the shape of a nubuck leather pattern running through the middle of the shoe and what FootJoy is calling bison texturing. Both have elevated what was already a stunning silhouette into an even classier overall product. The texturing on the toe area, in particular, looks incredibly premium, in my opinion.
The leather saddle (which runs through the middle of the shoe on the Packard LX and the heel of the Field LX) is made with a rich nubuck material. This material is much more velvety than normal leather. It's soft to the touch and offers a very nice contrast to the leather used across the rest of the shoe. Contrasting silver and blue colours across the middle of the shoe also give something else for the eye to feast on. Though a softer material, it has been treated with LifeSheild waterproof technology that should keep this material looking as fresh as possible for a long time. These are an expensive pair of shoes made with premium materials, so they will need to be taken good car of to keep in good condition.
Quite simply, it's the best-looking golf shoe I've ever seen. All of my colleagues and friends who I've shown these to have been in agreement, and if you're not impressed by the picture alone, then I urge you to see these in person to get a better understanding of the quality of material and attention to detail that has gone into the design here. When I put it up against what I considered to be the best looking shoe of last year - the G/FORE Gallinvan2r - you can see the difference in the quality of materials before you even hold the shoes in your hand. Granted, these shoes have a £50 difference in RRP, but what I'm trying to show here is that every one of your £200/$250 feels well spent thanks to the quality of build and materials on the Packard.
It's all well looking this good, but of course, the Packard LX needed to function as a good golf shoe. Now, I'm not going to pretend this is the softest, most cushioned golf shoe on the market, but rest assured, this shoe will soften up after a few rounds of golf - you've just got to trust the process. The comfort around the heel and ankle, something that was perhaps a little firm on the previous Premiere Series, has been softened up too, and the padding around the ankle area is an area I sincerely appreciated. The Ortholite EcoPlush Fitbed (the insole of the shoe) is excellent, too, offering a good amount of cushioning underfoot.
Once again, it's not the softest of all the best golf shoes I've tested, but for this type of shoe, it more than suffices. The outsole is excellent, too. Though spiked, it's low profile enough that most people thought it was actually a spikeless shoe. This is the perfect balance for me. A low profile build that doesn't make you feel like you're standing on stilts, but with all the benefits of traction you get from a spiked outsole. It offers multidirectional traction throughout the swing and more than enough traction for walking, even in wet conditions.
This shoe is like when you see an annoyingly good-looking person in public and then find out they're also immensely talented, a really nice person, oh, and they're also rich. You know the ones I'm on about - how can you be that good-looking and talented and not be a completely horrible person? It's not fair, you can't have it all. This shoe does have it all, and it has it all in spades. Quite simply, if you are after a shoe in this classic, brogue style I wouldn't point you in any other direction than the latest Premiere Series. Just choose whether you want the Field LX or the Packard LX, and off you go. I'm sorry to the Puma Royales, Skechers Go Golf Prestiges and G/FORE Gallinvanters of the world, you've simply lost the fight.
