For those not familiar with the brand - and there are still plenty of golfers out there who won't be - NOBULL was founded in 2015 by Reebok veterans Marcus Wilson and Michael Schaeffer. It has become the dominant brand in CrossFit, a form of high intensity interval training.
NOBULL is the title sponsor of the CrossFit Games - which is like the Olympics for the sport - and has been expanding its offerings into running, cycling, swimming and, in the last couple of years, golf. As someone who has got into CrossFit over the past couple of years, I can vouch for the fact that the brand’s footwear, apparel and accessories are extremely popular among fellow CrossFitters.
Three-time PGA Tour winner, Scott Stallings, is the current face of NOBULL, and the 37-year-old American enjoyed a great 2021-22 season. NOBULL's vision is to create more high performance premium products for golf, so don't be surprised to see more pros wearing these eye-catching shoes, as well as club golfers, especially the latest NOBULL Leather golf shoe, which is new for 2023 and available to all.
I've been a big fan of what was NOBULL's debut golf shoe, the NOBULL Matryx golf shoe, which has undoubtedly been one of my favourite casual golf shoes over the course of the last year. Needless to say I was quite excited to try on this new model on a recent visit to Woburn.
The first thing to say is that this is a more traditional looking golf shoe than the Matryx. That said, as you can see, it still looks different to anything else that's currently on the market, with the reflective NOBULL logo on the side really standing out. I immediately got plenty of comments from my playing partners: What are those? Who are NOBULL? As a CrossFitter (we never miss a chance to talk about CrossFit!) I was only too happy to tell them the story behind the brand.
So, how did they perform? I wore the Leather shoes on a fairly wet day. It was greasy underfoot and muddy in places. The terrain on the Marquess course at Woburn is fairly undulating, too, so they got a good workout. To look at, they might not appear as though they're going to offer fantastic grip, but they did - plenty of it. It's possible they actually offer even better grip when there's a bit of moisture underfoot - that's what it felt like.
What's also worth pointing out is the width on the upper. If you're someone looking for more room, I'd say that these are one of the best golf shoes for wide feet. The room and comfort at the forefoot was noticeable, which I think a lot of golfers will like.
Unlike the NOBULL Matryx golf shoes, the Leather shoes are very easy to clean. They got really quite dirty during my end-of-winter outing (early March in the UK), but I was able to wipe the leather upper easily. I'm someone who always likes my shoes to look as clean as possible, so this is a big plus.
Last and by no means least, I have to mention the comfort levels - they're exceptional in this department. The leather is super soft and comfortable straight out of the box. To summarise, these shoes are going to see a lot of action this season.
