- Moderator
- #51
Live round updates? Nice Wardy! Get a photo in here!
Puma ZL Golf Shoes - Forum Testing Review
Live round updates? Nice Wardy! Get a photo in here!
- Moderator
- #52
Fair enough. Live round updates. Finished 18, and I love these shoes. No foot fatigue so far, and no sign of blisters or hot spots.
Shoes are a little long in the toe area, likely because they're a little pointy opposed to a gentle round off. They are showing wear right where someone had circled interest. See photo attachment
Playdough
Hi.
I agree War. The Demo Day and Outing is about a good a test as you can get for shoes.
Ward, you walking or riding?
Ward, you walking or riding?
- Moderator
- #54
Riding 36-54 depending on daylight. Spent about an hour on the range so far. 90 degrees as the high, not keen on walking on non walker friendly courses haha
- Moderator
- #55
Shoe review date: 5/10/2013
Course: Marriott Grande Pines
I sorta mentioned it in a prior post today, but I took the ZL shoes for their maiden voyage today at the Marriott Grande Pines in Orlando for a day of marathon golf. To really test something, sometimes you have to throw it straight to the front lines and push them to see what they're made of. After an hour of warm up throughout the day and 54 holes later, these shoes are nothing but outstanding.
My feet are fatigued, but no more than if I had decided to walk 18 holes on a non-walking friendly course. I have no signs of hotspots or blisters. I find that to be incredible, especially for a pair of shoes that had all of about 5 minutes of in house wear to see how they felt before really throwing them into the fire for the day. These shoes I felt knocked my expectations right out of the park.
The part that I noticed the most right from the first swing of the day was how stable my foot feels on the ground. It's not uncommon to notice from anyone reading this has seen me golf, that I have a very active lower body and typically, my left shoe is curled much as possible onto the outside of it and as hard as I can against the ground to keep from falling over. With these on, my left foot felt stable and I felt I could really plant and turn around my left leg. Not once today did I feel my shoe "give out" so to speak. Because of it, distance and accuracy were increased. I'm not positive if it was the difference in cleat, shoe, or a combination of both. I'll be trying different spikes during my testing to see if that has anything to do with it.
So far though, I'm a HUGE fan of these. I can't wait to give these a run again at the THP Outing come Friday!
Course: Marriott Grande Pines
I sorta mentioned it in a prior post today, but I took the ZL shoes for their maiden voyage today at the Marriott Grande Pines in Orlando for a day of marathon golf. To really test something, sometimes you have to throw it straight to the front lines and push them to see what they're made of. After an hour of warm up throughout the day and 54 holes later, these shoes are nothing but outstanding.
My feet are fatigued, but no more than if I had decided to walk 18 holes on a non-walking friendly course. I have no signs of hotspots or blisters. I find that to be incredible, especially for a pair of shoes that had all of about 5 minutes of in house wear to see how they felt before really throwing them into the fire for the day. These shoes I felt knocked my expectations right out of the park.
The part that I noticed the most right from the first swing of the day was how stable my foot feels on the ground. It's not uncommon to notice from anyone reading this has seen me golf, that I have a very active lower body and typically, my left shoe is curled much as possible onto the outside of it and as hard as I can against the ground to keep from falling over. With these on, my left foot felt stable and I felt I could really plant and turn around my left leg. Not once today did I feel my shoe "give out" so to speak. Because of it, distance and accuracy were increased. I'm not positive if it was the difference in cleat, shoe, or a combination of both. I'll be trying different spikes during my testing to see if that has anything to do with it.
So far though, I'm a HUGE fan of these. I can't wait to give these a run again at the THP Outing come Friday!
- Moderator
- #56
Fair enough. Live round updates. Finished 18, and I love these shoes. No foot fatigue so far, and no sign of blisters or hot spots.
Shoes are a little long in the toe area, likely because they're a little pointy opposed to a gentle round off. They are showing wear right where someone had circled interest. See photo attachment
Was thinking about holding off on this comment, but I've been thinking about it quite a bit today and it's kind of bothered me.
To begin, I think it's a great looking shoe, and with all the new offerings loading up on colour and design, it's nice to see a shoe focus on the classic white look. With that in mind though, being that this is (I assume) a whopping one round of golf (riding I assume?), do they not appear to be broken down quite a bit already?
When I look for longevity in a golf shoe, I certainly think about creasing and rippling of the material. In my opinion, the more it's creased or rippled, the less 'new' it appears, and I think that is what this photo represents with these shoes. It also appears like the right shoe (I'm assuming your back foot from twisting on contact) has quite a bit more creasing than the other.
This probably doesn't bother everyone, but with that much white space, this is the first thing I would look for. I can't wait to see the comparison between these and the cell fusions with the different material.
lambro2
Active member
Sounds like a great review after a very full day of golf.
- Moderator
- #58
That was after 18 holes. There's definite creasing in them for sure, and I'm currently trying to figure out where my shoe trees are to see if that's resettable so to speak. And yes, that was the right shoe
Shoe wear like that doesn't personally bother me though. Yeah it shows wear, but it also means to me that the shoe is getting more broken in.
Today fwiw, my feet feel just fine but there's fatigue. Probably more from the total amount played. They don't hurt any more than when I go to a theme park for the day with my wife
Playdough
Hi.
Great review Ward! Your description of how your feet work through your shot is pretty good. Very much like you, I get up on the outside half of my foot and have it really rolled over and my back foot is up on the toe and rolled well past 90*. If I hit a lot balls in the same spot on a wet or soft range my right foot toe box will dig a hole in the ground. Your review also got me thinking about some film work I'm going to try and capture of the shoes flexing and rotating at ground level from a few angles...primarily side, front, and back.
- Thread starter
- #60
Had these on during my round yesterday, and will snap a few pictures today to show the noticeable wear out on the toe. Only thing that irks me about these shoes are that they seem to have an extended toe box. While the shoe fits true to size everywhere, the toe seems to be slightly longer for some reason. Have a few praises and concerns of these shoes, but will cover all that in my full writeup.
I did notice from your pictures that the toe box on these appears longer than the toe box on the ACFs
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD
- Moderator
- #63
I noticed the same. I thought my FJ Superlites were a little toe long, but these are a bit long as well.
I'll photograph them and write it up in my next review before the outing.
- Moderator
- #64
What specifically would you like mentioned or focused on so I can write some thoughts up for you? What kinda arch in your foot do you have etc?
Howzat
I'd Rather Be At The Hideaway
I think I have a fairly standard arch. Just interested to know how thick it it is, what kind of material, and is is removeable. I know I tend to get grass clipping that find there way inside the shoe and just wanted to know how easy it ti get in there to clean as well.
- Thread starter
- #66
The biggest difference between the pictures for me is how far down the laces go on each of them. I will snap some comparison pics this afternoon when I finish my round to see if I can compare them to yours. But the lace area on the ZLs are significantly shorter than more others. Interesting design, but I guess it's for the "classy" look?
Good catch. The ZL has only four crossovers (where the laces cross) while the ACFs have five.
- Moderator
- #68
Will be typing my review on that tonight with pics of the shoe insert and the inside of the shoe.
Playdough
Hi.
First want to say that I've been a little busy getting things together for the Outing/vacation and my tournament round that was on Sunday. So life has been a little the way, but after getting into Orlando this morning and getting up to my parents place in St. Augustine this afternoon I was able to turn and burn and get out on the course. This review will be a a little short as we are going to Mothers Day dinner with my parents..
I will admit that I was secretly hoping these shoes would suck. As a bit of a fashion forward person I like my shoes to match across colors. And also so I know what to expect every time comfort wise. These shoes are hands down the most comfortable golf shoes I have ever wore. When I first put them on they was a little tight but they quickly broke in to my foot and became more and more comfortable. I at no point ever I felt like my foot was uncomfortable. The way the foam in the footbed and heal area conformed to my foot was amazing. Felt like it wanted to hug it and never let go like a long lost friend.
Well its dinner time...I'll be back with more thoughts
I will admit that I was secretly hoping these shoes would suck. As a bit of a fashion forward person I like my shoes to match across colors. And also so I know what to expect every time comfort wise. These shoes are hands down the most comfortable golf shoes I have ever wore. When I first put them on they was a little tight but they quickly broke in to my foot and became more and more comfortable. I at no point ever I felt like my foot was uncomfortable. The way the foam in the footbed and heal area conformed to my foot was amazing. Felt like it wanted to hug it and never let go like a long lost friend.
Well its dinner time...I'll be back with more thoughts
- Thread starter
- #70
I have worn my Puma ZL's for 3 rounds now. Today, I specifically wore a pair of larger socks to help fill out the longer toe box area, and that made a world of difference for me. Really gave me a fit that was more snug than what I had seen the previous two rounds, and I was definitely pleased with the fit.
For a pair of white shoes, they have stayed quite clean. However, there is one area of concern...
The area on the heel of the shoe is a slightly different material than the rest of the shoe. It's not a fabric, but it has a "woven" type texture, and I have found that it holds dirt more than any other part of the shoe. Takes a bit of elbow grease to clean this part of the shoe, but after some work, will come clean. I havent played in any significantly wet conditions, so I will be interested to see how this part of the shoe holds up to a wet/muddy round.
A lot of people have asked about the toe box area on the shoe near the front Puma logo...
Obviously there is some wear and creasing there, and it goes on either side of the Puma logo. Typical of any shoe really, as that's what happens when you walk in them. With the softer material of these shoes, it definitely shoes more of a crease than other shoes I own, but it doesnt really bother me.
Now, on to something that I absolutely love about these shoes; The bottom. 7 spikes and all kinds of nubs and traction areas. My favorite part? I have not had a single issue with grass/sand clumping in the bottom, and I find that they come clean incredibly easy, often times without me having to exert any effort in to cleaning the bottom out. Here's a picture I snapped after my round of 18 today;
So, after a week with these shoes, I have to say I am impressed. No foot fatigue post round, they are just quite comfy. I am not a walker on the course, as most courses down here dont offer that due to layout and pace of play, so I can not comment on walking a full 18 in them. However, having spent time on the range as well as doing my fair share of hiking around a course in them, all I can say is that they offer a comfortable walk, and rarely do I even think about my feet during the round while I have these on. My only concern so far with these was that they seemed to be exaggerated on the toe box, and kind of long. But, that's nothing that will really deter me from wearing them at all.
For a pair of white shoes, they have stayed quite clean. However, there is one area of concern...
The area on the heel of the shoe is a slightly different material than the rest of the shoe. It's not a fabric, but it has a "woven" type texture, and I have found that it holds dirt more than any other part of the shoe. Takes a bit of elbow grease to clean this part of the shoe, but after some work, will come clean. I havent played in any significantly wet conditions, so I will be interested to see how this part of the shoe holds up to a wet/muddy round.
A lot of people have asked about the toe box area on the shoe near the front Puma logo...
Obviously there is some wear and creasing there, and it goes on either side of the Puma logo. Typical of any shoe really, as that's what happens when you walk in them. With the softer material of these shoes, it definitely shoes more of a crease than other shoes I own, but it doesnt really bother me.
Now, on to something that I absolutely love about these shoes; The bottom. 7 spikes and all kinds of nubs and traction areas. My favorite part? I have not had a single issue with grass/sand clumping in the bottom, and I find that they come clean incredibly easy, often times without me having to exert any effort in to cleaning the bottom out. Here's a picture I snapped after my round of 18 today;
So, after a week with these shoes, I have to say I am impressed. No foot fatigue post round, they are just quite comfy. I am not a walker on the course, as most courses down here dont offer that due to layout and pace of play, so I can not comment on walking a full 18 in them. However, having spent time on the range as well as doing my fair share of hiking around a course in them, all I can say is that they offer a comfortable walk, and rarely do I even think about my feet during the round while I have these on. My only concern so far with these was that they seemed to be exaggerated on the toe box, and kind of long. But, that's nothing that will really deter me from wearing them at all.
- Moderator
- #71
Per your request, here are photos of the removable shoe insert from both the top angle and the side. As someone who has a fairly high shoe arch, it fits very very well for me and is very comfortable. Also included are the inside of the shoe without the insert, as well as what some of the testers have indicated as far as length when it comes to end of our feet vs the point on the shoe. Photos are in spoilers to be mobile friendly.
As far as material, the shoe is leather but the very back feels like it as a vinyl like feel and texture to it? There appears to be an elastic band on the inside of the shoe that helps keep the tongue in place as well as provide a bit of extra support for the shoe.
Spoiler
As far as shoe length and relation to my foot, my prior shoes in the last photo come in at 10in from heel to toe with 1in of space between the toe line and my foot. The ZL's come in at 11in and also 1in of space.
This weekend these shoes will again be getting a big rundown, and it'll be fun to speak face to face with the other testers about them. Hopefully we can bounce enough info off of each other to give you guys some solid information.
Playdough
Hi.
Ok...back for more thoughts after some very rare sesame tuna and excellent micro brew beer.
If you was look at the bottoms of the shoes you would swear that I didn't wear them today. They stayed so clean. I was really impressed with how clean the entire the bottom of the shoe stayed for my entire round. Even after wondering through some soft wet sand my shoe was still very clean. And the toe area is still very clean and very white as well. I'm sure once I start walking some rounds this will change. But right now after riding 18 the area around the Puma cat is still pretty clean and very little crease yet to form. Unlike the others I don't mind the extended toe box. I'm one of those odd balls who big and index toe are the same length and my toes are little longer so the extended toe box is nice for me.
Here's going to be my complaint. I'm going destroy the spikes in these shoes. They are incredibly soft and the way that I walk is on the inside of my feet and with a bias towards my heels. So the inside heal spike takes the brunt of my step and the toe section sees very little work. Walking through the parking lot and up to clubhouse I could feel the spike give and spring back. Very very different feel from my Nikes with the Champ Stinger spikes which are very hard and have no spring-like feel. The plus side of these is that I felt very connected to the ground and felt like I had no chance of slippage.
Shoot away with any questions and looking forward to discussing these this weekend with War and Mward.
If you was look at the bottoms of the shoes you would swear that I didn't wear them today. They stayed so clean. I was really impressed with how clean the entire the bottom of the shoe stayed for my entire round. Even after wondering through some soft wet sand my shoe was still very clean. And the toe area is still very clean and very white as well. I'm sure once I start walking some rounds this will change. But right now after riding 18 the area around the Puma cat is still pretty clean and very little crease yet to form. Unlike the others I don't mind the extended toe box. I'm one of those odd balls who big and index toe are the same length and my toes are little longer so the extended toe box is nice for me.
Here's going to be my complaint. I'm going destroy the spikes in these shoes. They are incredibly soft and the way that I walk is on the inside of my feet and with a bias towards my heels. So the inside heal spike takes the brunt of my step and the toe section sees very little work. Walking through the parking lot and up to clubhouse I could feel the spike give and spring back. Very very different feel from my Nikes with the Champ Stinger spikes which are very hard and have no spring-like feel. The plus side of these is that I felt very connected to the ground and felt like I had no chance of slippage.
Shoot away with any questions and looking forward to discussing these this weekend with War and Mward.
- Thread starter
- #73
Playdough, we have similar thoughts on the bottom of these. I havent figured out why, but they just dont hold a lot of grass, dirt, etc. My Adidas ATVs were grass/dirt holding monsters, I love not having that problem with these.
Playdough
Hi.
WE I will say this. It will sounds odd but bear with me. The course I played has sort of an expoyed concrete area by the pro shop where they park carts, have the bag drop and stuff. When I was walking through that area my shoes sorted of sounded like fresh gym shoes in a newly waxed gym floor. They sort of had this odd squishy squeaky sound. Sort of like the bottoms of coated with some sort of silicone or something to repeal dirt and grass and sand. I'll be interested to see how this holds up over the life of the shoe.
- Thread starter
- #75
Interesting. Will have to double check the bottom of these to see if it feels different.