The chances are that most people reading this article will have at least one Callaway club in their bag, or will have owned one in the course of their playing days, but how many will have tried Callaway shoes?
The golfing giants recently released their latest range of footwear for 2023, and the headline model among the Tour line is the Lux, which I put to the test.
The Tech
Said to be a sleek new look for 2023, the Lux combines a traditional, classic leather styling with advanced midsole and spike technologies to provide a combination of performance and style.
There is a soft full grain leather upper designed to improve both the look and feel of the shoe, whilst the use of a Cabretta leather lining, best known for its usage in golf gloves, ensures comfort with every step.
New Crush Foam technology in the midsole is there to give more shock absorption and energy return, helping your feet and body to feel fresher from the first tee to the 18th green.
The Lux Shoe is available in three different colourways - Black/Camo, White/Navy and White/Camo.
Callaway Lux Golf Shoes Review
Looks
In all honesty I had a pre-conception of Callaway shoes that they were a bit cheap and cheerful, which is a contrast to the rest of their product range (particularly their clubs), but I was really impressed with the quality of the Lux shoes.
Upon opening the box you are greeted with quite a strong plastic smell but don't be put off, the leather upper looks fantastic and the shoe feels and looks premium.
In the white/camo colourway that I tested, the shoe actually reminded me a bit of a mix between FootJoy's Pro|SL and a Premiere Series shoe, which is not a bad comparison!
The addition of the camo strip on the upper adds a bit more detail to the design and the all-white look is a really smart option, although I would probably reserve them for the summer rounds even if Callaway do say that they are waterproof and machine washable.
Shoes with a traditional style like this can sometimes look and feel a bit large once they're on your feet but this shoe was a great size, which made it feel lightweight and easy to walk in too.
Comfort
It's become virtually a given that you are going to get 'out of the box comfort' these days and the Lux shoes are no different. Despite the fact that they are more traditionally styled, which in the past may have taken a bit of wearing in, as soon as I put them on my feet they felt comfortable, lightweight and seemed to fit around the foot nicely.
They have quite a low profile without much stack height and a thin midsole, which helps you feel closer to the ground, but is not quite as plush as you might get from a chunky pair of running trainers.
The Ortholite footbed feels really soft and the shoe itself keeps you nicely locked in whilst walking and swinging, despite a relatively simplistic design.
Performance
I was impressed by the look of this shoe and the performance matched that too, as I really enjoyed testing them out on the course. I always think that a sign of a good pair of golf shoes is that you almost forget you're wearing them after a little while, and this is exactly what these shoes were like. This is great because it just leaves you to get on with your golf.
I mentioned earlier about the low profile and I actually enjoyed being a little lower to the green as it helps with a bit of feel for me, I like to be able to feel the ground during my swing because it's then easier to use it to your advantage by getting a bit more feedback.
From time to time I did feel as if I could have had a little bit more grip, particularly on sloping lies. Even though there were plenty of lugs on the outsole they were relatively shallow, particularly on the middle section of the sole, which didn't maximise the grip.
This is only a small feature but I found that the Lux had great quality laces, which just adds to the overall quality of the shoe. I love my FJ Premiere Packard Shoes but the laces are very thin, whereas these were easy to tie, didn't dig into the tongue of the shoe and felt pretty water-resistant too.
The shoes were pretty breathable even on a warm day, and were also more lightweight than I was expecting, and this helped to keep my feet fresh throughout the course of the round.
The fact that they are spikeless also gives you the added flexibility of being able to keep them on in the bar after your round or wear them to the range.
Callaway Lux Golf Shoes Verdict
At an RRP of £179 these shoes are right around where you'd expect them to be, for a full-leather spikeless shoe. This does mean that they've got to compete with the likes of FootJoy and G/Fore though, which is pretty tricky.
I did enjoy testing them and I was impressed with the performance, they do a lot of things right without making too much fuss about it which is a big plus - you want your shoes to be something that you can trust to look after you without having to think about it.
If you've used the likes of FootJoy or adidas shoes for years and you fancy a change, these could be a great option for you, especially considering that there are three colours to choose from. Callaway make some of the best golf clubs in the game and their shoes are going that way too.
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