There is a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it works as advertised.
What We Tried
NOBULL GORE-TEX Ripstop spikeless golf shoes. Worn on the PGA TOUR by Scott Stallings, NOBULL is fairly new to the golf scene. However, the brand has a large footprint in the CrossFit space. The GORE-TEX Ripstop Golf Shoe is the brand’s newest spikeless model.
Who Tried It?
Connor – Director of Soft Goods Testing and resident sneakerhead. I believe golf is better with a pair of cool shoes and comfortable joggers.
Cutting Through the Bull
NOBULL is a household name in gyms across the world but it’s rarely mentioned (or seen) on the golf course. Despite NOBULL’s foray into golf a few years back, the brand hasn’t received much notice.
Let’s take a second to look beyond the fact that Stallings is a NOBULL staffer or that NOBULL was named the “official training apparel and footwear of the PGA TOUR.” Should NOBULL be on your radar when looking for spikeless golf shoes?
As we do at MyGolfSpy, I’m here to give you my unbiased review. Call me a wallet watcher but I want to ensure that what you pay for is helping, not hurting, your game.
Let’s dive right in to my review of the NOBULL GORE-TEX Ripstop spikeless golf shoes.
Bullish on NOBULL
Let’s talk about style. I love the clean look of this athletic-style golf shoe, NOBULL nailed it. If these perform anywhere near as good as they look, I’m calling that a success.
Is it Comfortable?
The first question to ask yourself when on the hunt for a new golf shoe is whether it’s comfortable! Often, golf shoes offer a false promise of supreme comfort. After wearing the NOBULL GORE-TEX Ripstop golf shoes for hours, I can assure you they are darned comfortable.
Most of the underfoot comfort stems from the molded insole but the phylon midsole helps. Most phylon midsoles, in my experience, tend to feel fairly firm. This was definitely the case here. If you’re a fan of a plush, pillowy ride, this is not that. Instead, the NOBULL GORE-TEX Ripstop golf shoes provide a middle ground–not too firm nor too soft–that I absolutely loved.
Because most of the step-in comfort comes from the insole, I wouldn’t recommend replacing the insoles with your own. This could change the performance characteristics when it comes to comfort.
Another thing I noticed is that the molded insole provided great arch support. I’d liken it to what Skechers does with their ArchFit system. I’m definitely a fan.
More Stable Than Most
More often than not, when a brand not known for golf shoes decides to make a golf shoe, stability is one of the performance characteristics that suffers. Whether it be to save time, money, or combination of the two, some of these household names tend to slap the word “golf” onto a shoe without doing any real R&D as to what makes a good golf shoe.
Before getting a pair in hand, I was pretty worried that NOBULL had done exactly that. I see it all the time where a brand takes one of their popular casual shoes, training shoes or running shoes and makes the smallest number of changes possible before deciding it’s ready for the golf course.
I’m happy to report that NOBULL took the road less traveled here and the stability is proof that they did their homework. Despite the modern trainer aesthetics, the NOBULL GORE-TEX Ripstop golf shoe is very stable. The combination of the wide base and well-fitting ripstop upper had me feeling stable and balanced no matter the lie.
Tragic Traction
From the jump, I was skeptical of NOBULL’s chosen spikeless traction pattern. The rounded nubs just don’t look conducive to great grip. Sadly, that was exactly my finding on the course. While the traction held up pretty well in dry conditions, as soon as moisture was introduced, I experienced an alarming loss of grip.
If you’re any type of big hitter, you should opt for something with more robust traction. As for someone like me who’s a little more smooth, I can make do if the conditions are dry.
The Good Kind of Gore
GORE-TEX makes everything better. Well, to me it does. Thanks to GORE-TEX technology, the NOBULL Ripstop golf shoes are waterproof. There’s a big difference between water resistance and waterproofing … these are the latter. If you play in wet conditions frequently you’ll love the protection offered by the GORE-TEX membrane.
As for the sweaty feet crowd, you may want to look elsewhere. The GORE-TEX membrane does make the shoes less breathable than some.
A Valiant Effort
NOBULL hit the bullseye with this one. (See what I did there?) I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the NOBULL GORE-TEX Ripstop golf shoes because NOBULL thoroughly thought them through (say that 10 times fast).
In a world of running shoes or casual shoes that look like golf shoes, the NOBULL GORE-TEX Ripstop golf shoe has nothing to hide. Other spikeless golf shoes are like wolves in sheep’s clothing; what you see is not always what you get. In this case, NOBULL delivered on its promises. They promised a high-performing spikeless golf shoe, and that’s exactly what they made.
Some shoes pretend to be golf shoes. Others ARE golf shoes.
For what it’s worth, the NOBULL GORE-TEX Ripstop golf shoes are going in my golf bag. A shoe that looks as good as these do and still holds up on the course is a winner in my book.
