Official Forum Member Review: PUMA Ignite Spikeless Sport Shoe

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Official Forum Member Review

PUMA Ignite Spikeless Sport Golf Shoe

 

 

 

If it's good enough for Bryson DeChambeau...

 

But is it good enough for you?  A pair of MyGolfSpy Forum Members, with a little staff help, will let you know.  PUMA's new shoe is billed as light, comfy and good for wear on and off the course.  Our team will put these shoes through a workout for you, and let you know what they think.  

 

Here's the lineup: 

 

apprenti23                        Stage 1                          Stage 2

 

singhmech                       Stage 1                          Stage 2

 

 

Game on...

 

 

[apprenti23]

Stage 1 Reserved 

[apprenti23]

Stage 2 Reserved

[singhmech]

Stage 1 Reserved

 

This is very cool!  I get to test out a piece of equipment and I do consider golf shoes equipment and the 15th club in the bag. It's the one piece of equipment that connects the swing to 'terra firma' and as we all know the golf swing begins from the ground up, right?

 

I live, work and play out of the great state of New York in the upper Hudson Valley region where most NYC folks call "upstate". Two hours north of the city and five minutes from my house is a unique and challenging public golf course called Copake Country Club where I am a member of and currently play most of my golf on. Originally designed by Devereux Emmet in 1921 around the same time he was working on Bethpage (Green), the two courses are very similar with undulating fairways and elevated tees and greens and with lots of slope on the putting surface that always makes for an interesting round of golf and keeps me going back for more. It is the challenge and pursuit of unattainable perfection that I love the most about the game.

 

My current handicap is a 14. I seriously took up the game a bit later in life in my late 30's around 2008 but I am working hard on my game and play weekly in my Wednesday night league and usually a full 18 hole round on the weekends.

 

I consider my self a decent golfer, kind of straight off the tee and good putter. It is my short game that hurts me the most and the weakest part of my game. However I don't get frustrated on the course and have a calm demeanor and don't sulk over a bad shot. I just re-focus and try my best on the next shot and I consider that attitude the strongest part of my game.

I currently have in the bag a full set of Mizuno JPX-EZ "Forged" (2014) irons. I was looking for a game improvement set of irons that are forged as well and Mizuno had what I wanted. When I hit my irons well there is no greater smooth and soft-like feel but I still need some help getting the ball up and I felt like these clubs would do it for me. I also have as well a set of Mizuno S-5 60* and 56* wedges. My driver is the candy apple red Nike VR Covert set at 9.5 degrees. I have about a 95-98 mph swing speed and typically can carry my drives around 225+ yards. I finished off the bag with an Odyssey White Hot #1 putter with a Super Stroke Fatso 5.0 grip and it is my favorite club right now.

 

My current golf shoes are Nike's TW'13. I liked these shoes so much that I bought a second identical pair and I rotate between them every now and then. I have been wearing TW'13's for a few years now and they are extremely comfortable, 100% waterproof and offer great support and stability. I usually walk 18 holes at my home course and having a shoe that has these attributes are very important to me.

 

I am very eager to review the Puma Spikeless Ignite Sport golf shoes. I hope they can deliver what I am looking for in a golf shoe.

 

The last time I had on a pair of Puma's on my feet they were a pair of suede and green classics with matching color fat shoelaces that I never tied. Don't judge it was the 80's!

 

First impressions: The shoes tend to run big, maybe a half to a full size up in length but they are also narrow. I don't think it will be too big of a deal for the review.

They are comfortable right out of the box and are very flexible, no break in period needed as the flexible material seems to be made of some type of spandex-like wet suit material. However my foot seems to move around a bit sideways within the flexible uppers and I'm not sure how that will impact the game on the course. Stay tuned.

[singhmech]

Stage 2 Reserved 

 

Puma Ignite Spikeless Sport Review 

 

 

 

Ok, I walked a few rounds with these kicks on and have enough feedback to give you guys a review.

 

                                                                                   Performance

Comfort

First of let me say this, they are very, very comfortable right out of the box. There's no break in period needed, just slip them on (more on that later) and go

play a round or two.

 

Traction

Being that this is my very first pair of "spikeless" shoes that I have ever tried on I will say I was very surprised by the traction these shoes offer. Wet grass, off the tee, uphill, downhill lies, swinging as fast and hard as you can and full driver swings, you name it I don't think my foot slipped once. Now granted foot action and swings speeds are different for everyone but for me the traction was more than satisfactory. However I do wonder if I chose to wear these on and off the course for non-golfing activities, How long will that traction last due to the sole's lugs wearing down significantly? So basically they are "throw aways" with no option to buy a new set of replacement spikes to extend the life of the shoes soles like you would have with a more traditional pair of golf shoes. That may be an issue for some given the street price.

 

18 hole comfort

Again, these are very comfortable shoes. I was pleasantly surprised during the round that I did not notice any pain or discomfort. At times it felt like I hardly had any shoes on at all. But as the case when I walk 18 with my other golf shoes, by the 15th or 16th holes my legs, ankles and arches begin to let me know with subtle aches it is time for a break. No big deal though, it's not like I could not finish the round. More likely the cause for the discomfort is because I'm getting old and maybe slightly out of shape. I will add that these could be excellent for 9-hole rounds or range sessions. It was also nice putting the shoes on prior to going to the range or golf course without changing shoes in the locker room or parking lot and wearing them off the course afterwards.

 

Performance Notes:

These shoes perform well, they should provide the comfort and traction needed for the avid golfer, the weekend hacker, and the serious/scratch player. Compared to my Nike TW' 13's in comfort and traction they will do just fine. But I feel where the Puma Ignite golf shoes short-comings are is also from the fact that they are comfortable, maybe too comfortable. While the multi-direction stretchable uppers offer the feet comfort through movement, they don't offer enough support that I feel a golf shoe should have. In other words, I did not like the feeling of my foot moving around within the shoe even though traction was solid. I would do away with the 4-way stretchable performance mesh. The shoes also touts a hybrid bootie construction, this allowed me to slip on and off the shoes much like a pair of slippers. There is a large heel tab in the back of the shoe of which helps with this. No need to keep tying and untying the laces the shoes are so flexible that your foot can slide right in and out when putting them and taking them off.

 

 

Course score : 35 out of 50

                                                                                            Subjective

Looks and Durability

These shoes look really sharp. I especially like the leather saddle area and the way the uppers contrasts with the ignite Foam soles. I also liked the discreet cat logo instead of the name PUMA blasted across the shoe. The shoes are waterproof as described. I walked in the morning when the course was still wet from overnight dew and the morning watering of the fairways and greens. My feet did not get wet or feel damp at all. I'm not sure if the 1-year waterproof warranty is enough for me though, basically it sounds like the shoes are good for one-season only. They do show dirt and not easy to clean off, especially the mesh uppers.

 

 

Looks Score: 25 out of 30

 

Likelihood of Purchase

I most likely would not purchase these shoes for golfing. They run big. They are too flexible and I don't think that is good for a stable feeling in the swing. At times I was even able to feel the indentations, contours or old divots in the soles of my foot which felt weird, might as well have been barefooted. Also In my opinion they don't offer enough protection for the toes.

 

LOP score: 5 out of 20

 

Summary

Overall these shoes are very comfortable and for a spikeless shoe offer really good traction. They are awesome looking and stylish and the best thing about the shoes is that they can be worn on and off the course. However they are very flexible and perhaps allow the feet to have too much movement in the golf swing. I'm not sure if I liked that about them. I think a good golf shoe should be comfortable, have good traction, and waterproof, but they should also have great stability and support qualities as well. Otherwise what is the difference between "golf shoes" and "sneakers or booties"? I commend Puma for making a hybrid golf shoe with the Ignite Spikeless Sport's that is in between being too stiff but not quite a regular pair of sneakers either.

Sadly, I've seen guys wear sandals and flip-flops on the course and I get it most golf shoes are not very comfortable, these may be a great choice for those guys. And perhaps with a few tweaks, fit and size adjustments I may give these a second look sometime but right now I need more structure and support.

 

 

Total Score: 65 out of  100

[singhmech]

Stage 2 review up.

[MattM11]

...I was hoping to see more from these.

[null]

Stage 2 review up.

Interesting thoughts. Do other companies generally offer more than a 1 year water proof warranty? Seems pretty standard based on what I've seen.

 

Also, you mentioned that they are too comfortable and don't offer any stability. There are a variety of different types of shoes out there - ones that are stability shoes, ones that are more free and those somewhere in between.

 

I don't think these shoes should be dinged for a lack of stability when Puma does not advertise them as being a stability shoe. These are in the same category as previous Puma shoes such as the Faas and Faas light that were more of a minimalist shoe. There are other shoes in the Puma lineup that are advertised as and deliver on being a stability shoe.

 

I think you're writeup is solid, especially the parts about the nubs wearing out, but I don't think you can ding a shoe for not being something it's not trying to be.

[singhmech]

Jlukes: Pumas's Ignite Spikeless (Not the Sport version I reviewed) offers a two-year water-proof warranty. My current golf shoes

offers a two year warranty. I think two year warranty is standard for most.

 

And they DO advertise "Stability, Fit and Flexibilty" on their website……….http://www.cobragolf.com/pumagolf/ignite-spikeless-sport

 

I agree with you there are other golf shoes that offer stability and if that is what you need over movement and comfort then the Sport version is not for you.