Best Golf Shoes to Keep Your Feet Dry (Solved)

Best Golf Shoes to Keep Your Feet Dry (Solved)

Following extensive testing the best golf shoes to keep your feet dry are the new Footjoy Premiere Series.

In the series there are many great waterproof golf shoes but the Tarlow just topped the chart for us.

FJ Tarlow Side Image

There’s nothing quite like playing golf in a pair of waterlogged golfing shoes.

Taking step after squelching step is not only uncomfortable, it negatively impacts your game.

The consequences can even extend beyond the course, as excess moisture can transform the interior of the most comfortable shoe into a health hazard for your feet.

Yet, if there is one thing you’re likely to encounter on a golf course, it’s water on the ground.

You might think you’re safe if you play on a day that has not been forecast for rain, but, if it hasn’t rained it’s almost a given that the grass will have early morning dew, and if you hit your golf ball into the long grass, you are going to get wet feet.

Add to that the shallow puddles persisting in the shade, the possibility of dipping your foot into the edge of a lake or pond while attempting to retrieve a ball, and unpredictable downpours, and you can see the need for golf shoes designed to keep your feet dry and not to mention the winter months.
So, the Best Four Golfing shoes to keep your feet dry are

  1. Footjoy Premiere Series Tarlow
  2. FootJoy Tour X Boa
  3. Adidas Tour 360 XT Boa
  4. FootJoy DryJoys Tour
Choosing the right shoe, however, can be more complicated than you’d expect.
Before you rush out to buy the first pair that offers protection, let’s break down the different forms that protection can take.
 

How Do Golf Shoes Keep Your Feet Dry?

There are several types and degrees of moisture shielding in shoes, but they boil down to three main categories: water resistance, waterproofing, and breathability.

Water Resistance in Golf Shoes

A golf shoe that claims to be water-resistant has been designed to ward off only short, mild exposures to water.

They are made of materials that are not immediately water permeable, so that a random splash, or walking through wet grass, won’t soak into them.

If it starts to rain, however, or the shoes are submerged, they won’t stop water from reaching the interior of the shoe.

While this is the weakest form of waterproof protection from exterior moisture, the fact that they are not fully sealed allows them to be more breathable through the outsole.

I’ll expand on this trait below.

Waterproofing of the golf shoe

This is the strongest category of protection from exterior moisture, involving hydrophobic materials and coatings, sealed seams and water-impermeable membranes which are present on the outsole.
\Waterproof golf shoes can handle being submerged or pounded by heavy rain.

There are even those with innovative two-way materials that keep water from entering the shoe like gore-tex, but allow moisture to seep out through the same surface.

That unique feature grants protection against another way that the foot can become uncomfortably moist while you’re walking for hours on the golf course, namely sweat.

The breathability of the golf shoe

That brings us to breathability.

Keeping your feet dry and having a comfortable golf shoe while golfing is not all about guarding them against exterior threats.

Golf works up a sweat, and no place is more susceptible to this than the hot confines of your golf shoes.

Breathable footwear is constructed to allow, and even encourage, air to flow into and out of the shoe.

Golf Shoes designed with breathability not only maintain a pleasant environment but also encourage maximum comfort, with this feature to keep your feet cool and dry, are especially useful on hot days when a sealed leather upper shoe will have your feet roasting.

However, it is difficult to achieve breathability and waterproofing at the same time.

Some waterproof golf shoes try to deal with sweat differently, with moisture-wicking interior fabrics.
Likewise, some breathable shoes are constructed to be water-resistant as well.

Best Waterproof Golf Shoes for Keeping Your Feet Dry

Now that you have some familiarity with the different methods for protecting your feet from water, you can choose wisely to suit your needs.

To make things easier, I’ve found 4 of the best options available, and I’ll share them with you below.

Footjoy Premier Series Tarlow

Just recently released Footjoy have smashed it out of the park with the new Premier Series.

For a full review check out our full in-depth review here of all three models.

FJ Tarlow Side Image

The Tarlow is fully waterproof and guarenteed for a year.

The leather upper not only look classic and stylish but it is packed with technology.

For a classic looking golf shoe the cushioning is fantastic, these leather golf shoes are a very comfortable shoe and a fully waterproof shoe.

FJ Tarlow Sole Image

The Tarlow is a spiked golf shoe so will provide maximum traction with the new technology and the latest VersaTrax + system which is brand new this year for Footjoy.

The Outsole is a fully leather upper with a microfiber leather.

FJ Premiere FJ Logo Stitching

FootJoy Pro SL

Fj Pro SL

FootJoy is a serious player in the golf shoe market and the manufacturer some of the best golf shoes I have ever worn.

Performance

The Footjoy Pro SL is a spike less golf shoe that indicates in the name, it was designed for the professional circuit and the tour players on all the tours, the PGA, European and LPGA, and the myriad of other Tours being played around the world.

Footjoy Pro SL Inside

The FootJoy Pro SL is a serious golf shoe for the serious golfer, it looks amazing and performs the same.

If you are in the market for a spike less golf shoe with an eva midsole that is 100% waterproof and includes a two-year warranty on this great waterproof golf shoe then these must be on your list as a potential purchase.

Footjoy Pro SL Side

Style & Comfort

The Pro SL is the hybrid of several shoes that FootJoy has produced, they have picked pieces of technology from each golf shoe like the popular DNA and FURY ranges.

The team have included the very stable PowerPlate Outsole and included the PowerStrap.

The PowerPlate has been fitted with the LaunchPod sole which enables the golfer to have a solid foundation and base and the grip from the sole could be seen as class-leading.

Footjoy Pro Sl Sole

The comfort of the shoe is great, with the Chromoskin leather outsole which not only feels good but looks fantastic. The collar on the Pro SL is super spongy and very comfortable shoe, the inside of the shoe has the Otholite Impressions fit-bed which promises all-day comfort, this feature was also in the FURY release of a golf shoe.

A great waterproof golf shoe that is so much more than just that, it is a high performing, super stable and a comfortable shoe.

Adidas Tour 360 XT BOA

Adidas Tour 360 XT BOA​

The Adidas Tour 360 XT BOA is the next offering in the 360 range, this shoe is being worn on the PGA Tour by the likes of Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele. This golf shoe is available in both spiked and spikeless offerings.

BOA

Adidas have designed the 360 XT BOA with not one dial but two, this gives the golfer more scope to correctly fit the golf shoes to your requirement which I love. The top dial helps secure the collar, while the lower dial secures the rear of the foot or heel into place. This feature is pretty cool as each click of the wheel tightens by only 1mm, so you can tighten or loosen the shoe for the perfect fit.

Performance

The Tour 360 XT BOA has the eight spiked sole with the added impressive X-Traction, which provide a super solid base which will help you keep stable through your golf shot. The shoe is fully waterproof so you will not struggle on the wettest of days and Adidas offer a one-year warranty. These golf shoes are as good as anything on the market, so my guess would be how you think they look compared to the FootJoy Tour X Boa. I have just picked the Tour X but that is personal preference as these are as good as anything out there.

Style & Comfort

The Styling of the shoe is very Adidas, the three stripes and the rest of the golf shoe is clean and unfussy, it is a very striking shoe, that will appeal to traditionalists and the more flamboyant golfers alike.

The Tour 360 XT Is very comfortable, Adidas has been using the ‘Boost’ technology which has been tried and tested for years, it does create a nice environment for the foot.

The 360 XT Boa has a slightly larger and wider heel and forefoot which will help with stability.
The ‘Boost’ in the midsole does make you bounce down the fairways.

Summary

Great performing shoe, the BOA fitting system is by far the best I have tried on the market, waterproofing and breathability are what you would expect. This is a top performing golf shoe, the only reason I didn’t pick this over the FootJoy is I slightly prefer the styling.

FootJoy DryJoys Tour

What can we say about the FootJoy DryJoy  this has been the go-to golf shoe for decades when it comes to buying a shoe that is designed for the wet.

Over the years I have owned plenty of DryJoys and they have always performed to keep my feet dry.

Since 1989 FootJoy has been making this iconic golf shoe.

The DryJoy is still a classic golf shoe that is a must for the traditionalist golfer and still plays a huge part on the PGA and European Tours with many golfers still opting to game this timeless classic.

It is like the Rolex of the golfing shoe ranges.

Performance

The FootJoy DryJoy of the ’90s is not the same as what is produced today, there may be similarities in style but the technology has moved on leaps and bounds.

The DryJoy is using a fibreglass support bridge which is now made out of composite.

This helps the golfer with solid and very supporting stability throughout the foot.

FootJoy has also included stability PODS along with the outsole and has also created these with the Chromoskin leather which looks great but also is super light.

Style & Comfort

The Styling of these are timeless, if you are in the market for a traditional looking shoe, packed with technology then these should be for you. The wearing of the shoe is so much more comfortable as the one I remember from my youth, and the waterproofing is second to none and comes with the one-year guarantee.

Summary 

FootJoy is synonymous with the DryJoy brand, and they are another top golf shoe. These will appeal to the traditionalist golfer, but if you want this look and are in the market for a fully waterproof golf shoe, then this is a winner.

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed this article, we have spent quite a lot of time, trying and putting these golf shoes through their paces.

If you would like to read another article, read our Best Golf Shoes for Winter.