What an opportunity to test a shoe (Italian) trying to make their mark in the USA. I don't know about the other three testers, however I have a little anxiety over testing shoe. My name is Cory, I live in Ohio and I am first time tester and relatively new "Golfer".
I have always been drawn to this game /sport. Since the being as young as I can remember and my grandpa taking me the local course named Hickory Flats. Now, before I continue with my grandfather and my golf life or lack there of, let me say this. Hickory Flats is not flat, as a matter of fact, its THEE destination for kids on snow days from school. Sledding those hills and dodging the many tree's, fun stuff! Not sure where the name hickory comes from, as I have never seen so many pines. I loved to drive the golf cart in watch grandpa hit balls here there, however we mainly scooped balls from the numerous ponds. The cart was a 3-wheel electric cart and he paid to have it stored there. Some memories I haven't thought of much until writing this.
I've only played in numerous golf outings over the years, mainly through my connections with the fire departments who put them on. Until this year, I had never actually recorded a score for 18 hole's. I decided late last year during the pandemic that I wanted to finally take golf serious and try to play and enjoy it every day that I could. I bought new clubs, started some lessons and I am playing almost twice a week. Currently, the Grint has my Index at 20.8. My father always told me if I could play once a week I had potential, so we will see! Speaking of him, we have been playing this summer about once a week, and a funny story about grandpa from above.......dad said he doesn't think he ever purchased a golf ball . My best score is an 84 and I am consistently in the 90's now. I have a driver swing speed of 95-100 currently and hoping it keeps climbing as I play more. My goal for a shoe is comfort first and foremost. If we can't be comfortable. we can't enjoy ourselves. Next would be performance, does it keep me planted. I would then rate based on weather and durability.
I am extremely excited from this and truly hope I can bring a fresh and insightful review to everyone. As I said, I am not sure if I am anxious, nervous or just scared to do this for the first time, but I promise to give it my all. Sorry for the late introduction, its been an extremely hectic this past week with work, work and more work, plus a golf trip Mon/Tue. If only these had arrived prior. The Shoe, Duca del Cosma Elpaso looks to be a traditional styled spike-less shoe and boasts the award of Golf Monthly's Editors choice. We shall see as I am building my shoe collection but just recently purchase a few high scoring shoes in this years MGS Buyers Guide.
The shoe's arrived this evening and are still in the shipping box. I will tackle some first impressions tomorrow, maybe break them in a little Friday and Saturday and then put through an initial test walking 18 with @MattF on course I've never played. So the first "test" should be interesting. I plan to bring a back up.... but will I need them Attached are photo's from the manufacturers website and one of myself. Yes, I can at least dress/look the part, still working on the playing thing.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
The shoes arrived within a few days via UPS within a few days of picking a size. Sizing consists of full size only, with no half sizes. In my experience this typically leads to a shoe sometimes not fitting ideally and always in between sizes (in which they always say go up). Based on Duca's sizing chart and all of my measurements, size 9 was where I ended up. I normally wear a 10 or 10.5 in other shoes FYI.
The packaging of the shoes was first class. Exactly what you would expect from a shoe in this price range. Nicely boxed, a carry bag, spare (brown) shoe laces and nice welcoming letter on the inside of the lid, thanking you for your purchase and welcoming you to the Duca Del Cosma Family. A very nice touch. The first look and touch of the shoe and you can tell its quality. They do have an odd shape / appearance to what I'm used to wearing, but I like a traditional looking golf shoe and these scream tradition and class. Spikes / sole are also a bit odd, but I believe they were designed this way on purpose.
Initial try on and fit was very mixed. They fit extremely tight in the toe box even though I had plenty of room between big toe and the end of the shoe. Comparing to my current shoes, they were exactly the same size when matching them together. It is definitely a shape / material issue. I walked around the firehouse with them on for 30 min or so and had two short practice sessions with them on in my garage simulator before the first round. First round was a Sunday morning/afternoon at Kent States home course, Windmill Lakes in Ravenna with @MattF. I was informed the course doesn't drain well and on this day I brought my push cart to walk and really test these shoes. It was cart path only so I was thankful for that decision. So just walking around the course etc....Stability is an A+ but comfort is definitely lacking. I brought my Adidas Tour 360's with me just incase I had problems and originally left them in the truck thinking I could change at the turn, then I remembered my cart bag has shoe pockets built in (Thanks Ping) and I brought the Adidas along and thank goodness I did. I felt blisters potentially starting and decided on the 5th hole after our tee shots that I should set down and take a look. Sure enough blisters, so I decided to change shoes right then. Immediately my Adidas felt cushioned clouds and I was surprised how comfortable they felt and the relief my feet begged for. On the 6th tee, I bandaged my blisters and played the rest of the round in the Adidas.
Fast forward to today for a brief update and a glimmer of hope. We discussed going a size up, but I didn't think it would matter. I felt at that point they would just be too big and the potential of blisters would increase with slipping of the heel. The testers also discussed privately the need for break in as these are handmade with quality leather. So that's what I did. I continued to wear in the garage for practice, wore to the range and even some around the yard. Yesterday I played 18 in them (albeit in a cart) but I made it the entire round and did start to enjoy them. So I will continue to test and report back soon, off to the course I go for another round with the Duca del Cosma ElPaso's
Looks (7 out of 10 points)
Looks are very subjective and personable to each of us. I like the look of a traditional shoe which is why I chose the Elpaso. The shape of the shoe takes some getting used to. I am not sure if it's the brown piping or just the overall design and “boxiness” of them. The white leather is absolutely stunning and the piping is well done as well. The gold top eyelets look great and I wished they had used them for all of the eyelets instead of blue which I feel distracts from the shoe. Overall, the shoes have a different look when compared to other “name” brand shoes. This is afterall an Italian golf shoe which I feel might lend itself better to the Euro Tour and players across the pond when it comes to looks alone.
Fit and Comfort (5 out of 10 points)
This is a tough category because the shoes fit me very tight, but I am not sure there is room to go up a size. There is decent space between my big toe and the tip of the shoe, no less than other shoes I wear. Sizing was not as I expected, I ordered a 9 and I normally where 10-10.5. Duca has a sizing chart and I measured numerous times to make sure I was not wrong. Which brings me to the con of no half sizes. I am not sure it would make the difference as it would allow more room in the toe box, but could lead to additional slipping and my heels won’t appreciate that. I saw no option for different widths either. I am assuming this will hold true across all models. If I could change one thing it would be a slightly larger toe area. However, as you will read later, maybe I just need to suck it up and play my best
Worth noting is the weight of the shoes compared to my only other pair of spikeless (Tour 360's). The Duca's are roughly 4.5oz heavier per each shoe, resulting in just over a half pound total difference. It doesn't seem like much, but with both pairs in each hand the DDC's are noticeably heavier.
Comfort I feel is the most important topic of this category and the shoe lacks here. Not only do they fit tight, but it almost feels like I am walking on a board. There is very little cushioning to the shoe. This was immediately noticeable when I felt my blisters starting the first round and switching to my Tour360’s. Quite honestly I was surprised how much more comfortable they were and it felt like walking on a cloud. Definitely an eye opener and something I haven’t figured out if it's a good or bad thing...read on to performace!
Basic Features (16 out of 20 points)
This is a category I feel the shoe could slip in (no pun intended) however it doesn’t deserve to. Shoes do not need tons of features to stand apart from others. As golfers we really just need about four features for a shoe to be successful and this shoe checks all but one. I feel we need: Comfort (addressed above) Stability, traction and waterproofing. Everything else is important personally, but not essential.
The waterproofing is done in a few different ways. First is they use the “more resistant” grain side of the leather. I am not sure how this translates to the other side but I will take their word. The second is using a hydrophobic treatment prior to tanning the leather. This one makes much more sense to me. The last piece to the puzzle is the membrane of the shoe. I am going to directly list information from Duca del Cosma website to explain:
A membrane is like a wall separating liquids and gas. Liquids can't enter, but vapor may escape, making our shoes waterproof while also being breathable.
For the interior finishing of Duca del Cosma shoes, we use a microfiber material with a membrane and waterproof tape sealing. We focus on testing waterproofness and functionality to ensure your feet remain constantly dry, while still being able to “breathe”. The upper leather has been treated in regular intervals to ensure humidity runs off and does not soak in, so that it maintains its suppleness. We guarantee our shoes are waterproof under normal wearing circumstances and up to 1.75" on the shoe from the ground
I didn’t stand in puddles for extended periods of time, but I did trounce in a few and noticed no water getting into the shoe. I also wore them for a few early morning rounds and water from the dew and sprinklers were no match. As far as drying, I never really noticed them feeling wet, so it must be quick.
There is no fancy lacing system on these shoes. Two pairs of laces were included and the shoes stayed taught each and every round. My feet always felt locked in and never felt overly uncomfortably warm from a breathability standpoint. I do tend to have hot / sweaty feet but I never noticed my feet feeling warmer than other shoes.
Ah, the soles of the shoes. Very interesting looking indeed but they work. I was concerned with the lack of space between the nubs to allow areas to bite. By looking at the sole one would think the shoe might just be flat on the surface and not actually grip. I was wrong….the traction is superb and I never once felt like I would slip, spin out during my swing or lose traction on harder surfaces. The rubber of the sole grips well and doesn’t seem to be wearing much at all.
These shoes are designed to be worn to and from the course. However, I feel they are a little much for my taste off the course. There is no offense to Duca del Cosma or this man, but I have never seen this guy at any of the clubhouses I frequent
On-Course / LM Performance (28 out of 30 points)
This category is where the shoes shine I believe. I am not sure they were designed this way or why they work the way they seem to, but I just felt confident swinging in these. I never lost traction, always felt connected to the ground and the stability was amazing.
This shoe really seemed to promote footwork and from the moment I wore them in the garage on my hitting mat, I knew there was something different about them. At this point I can only suggest it is the open area in the midsection of the sole which allows your foot to roll or transition in your swing. I felt like the rolling onto my lead side was just a more natural feeling. I am no golf expert by any means, but I know when your weight shifts forward properly, it promotes MUCH better ball striking and the Elpaso’s seems to promote this shift by allowing your feet to roll. So this might be the proper time to mention I shot my best round wearing these shoes two weeks ago. I shot an 84 (42/42) and I should have broken 80 that day. I wish I would have tried my other shoes against these on the Mevo+ but I am not sure I am consistent enough to confidently post any findings from a test like that.
Miscellaneous (8 out of 10 points)
Shipping was fast and I feel no matter which coast you’re on you will have your shoes in less than five days. We had to have our size submitted on a Sunday and the shoes arrived that Wednesday...impressive. As mentioned in the first impressions, the packaging is fantastic and a carry bag is a nice touch. The note on the lid of the box makes one feel special and just lets you know they care and appreciate your business.
I received no comments from playing buddies as I don’t think most know about this company or are willing to spend the money for a shoe like this. Maybe when I break 80 I will tell them it was the shoes HAHA.
Play it or Trade it? (17 out of 20 points)
The Elpaso’s are a play it for me at this point. While I am not in love with the look when wearing them, I can’t argue with how confident I feel when standing over the ball. Before breaking them in more and after the blisters I was a hard trade it, but I’ve made a flip. The asking price I believe is high for U.S customers. This model won’t appeal to everyone and the retail price tag is hefty ($230) . I believe the golfer who has a passion for being different, willing to try something new, looking for a shoe that just might promote better footwork and has an expendable golf budget will be happy with these.
If the shoes came in other sizes (½) and one or two additional colors, it would make it easier to recommend. I don’t need my shoes to match my clothes, but the Elpasos definitely look classier with certain styles and colors of clothing.
Conclusion
I am sure quite a few skipped down to this section but I hope some of you took the time to read my first review. This was a struggle (I’ve written this twice) but a very enjoyable process. The shoes are tight fitting but I feel they are designed this way. The break in period is long and I am not sure they are fully broken in after 10 or so rounds. My advice is to take your time and wear as much as possible before hitting the course. Comfort is definitely missing (might get better) but only more rounds will tell. I shot my best round wearing these. If the performance continues it will be hard to argue versus the looks and comfort. My feet stayed dry and were not overly warm.
I own more comfortable shoes for sure, but the feel when swinging in the Duca del Cosma Elpaso’s just feels natural and right. I like to be different and these shoes scream “look at this guy” or “what are you wearing? ''. I also have a large mustache, wear loud colors and now some flashy shoes
Final Reviews: Duca del Cosma Shoes
Posted
Good Evening and Hello All!
What an opportunity to test a shoe (Italian) trying to make their mark in the USA. I don't know about the other three testers, however I have a little anxiety over testing shoe. My name is Cory, I live in Ohio and I am first time tester and relatively new "Golfer".
I have always been drawn to this game /sport. Since the being as young as I can remember and my grandpa taking me the local course named Hickory Flats. Now, before I continue with my grandfather and my golf life or lack there of, let me say this. Hickory Flats is not flat, as a matter of fact, its THEE destination for kids on snow days from school. Sledding those hills and dodging the many tree's, fun stuff! Not sure where the name hickory comes from, as I have never seen so many pines. I loved to drive the golf cart in watch grandpa hit balls here there, however we mainly scooped balls from the numerous ponds. The cart was a 3-wheel electric cart and he paid to have it stored there. Some memories I haven't thought of much until writing this.
I've only played in numerous golf outings over the years, mainly through my connections with the fire departments who put them on. Until this year, I had never actually recorded a score for 18 hole's. I decided late last year during the pandemic that I wanted to finally take golf serious and try to play and enjoy it every day that I could. I bought new clubs, started some lessons and I am playing almost twice a week. Currently, the Grint has my Index at 20.8. My father always told me if I could play once a week I had potential, so we will see! Speaking of him, we have been playing this summer about once a week, and a funny story about grandpa from above.......dad said he doesn't think he ever purchased a golf ball
. My best score is an 84 and I am consistently in the 90's now. I have a driver swing speed of 95-100 currently and hoping it keeps climbing as I play more. My goal for a shoe is comfort first and foremost. If we can't be comfortable. we can't enjoy ourselves. Next would be performance, does it keep me planted. I would then rate based on weather and durability.
I am extremely excited from this and truly hope I can bring a fresh and insightful review to everyone. As I said, I am not sure if I am anxious, nervous or just scared to do this for the first time, but I promise to give it my all. Sorry for the late introduction, its been an extremely hectic this past week with work, work and more work, plus a golf trip Mon/Tue. If only these had arrived prior. The Shoe, Duca del Cosma Elpaso looks to be a traditional styled spike-less shoe and boasts the award of Golf Monthly's Editors choice. We shall see as I am building my shoe collection but just recently purchase a few high scoring shoes in this years MGS Buyers Guide.
The shoe's arrived this evening and are still in the shipping box. I will tackle some first impressions tomorrow, maybe break them in a little Friday and Saturday and then put through an initial test walking 18 with @MattF on course I've never played. So the first "test" should be interesting. I plan to bring a back up.... but will I need them
Attached are photo's from the manufacturers website and one of myself. Yes, I can at least dress/look the part, still working on the playing thing.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
The shoes arrived within a few days via UPS within a few days of picking a size. Sizing consists of full size only, with no half sizes. In my experience this typically leads to a shoe sometimes not fitting ideally and always in between sizes (in which they always say go up). Based on Duca's sizing chart and all of my measurements, size 9 was where I ended up. I normally wear a 10 or 10.5 in other shoes FYI.
The packaging of the shoes was first class. Exactly what you would expect from a shoe in this price range. Nicely boxed, a carry bag, spare (brown) shoe laces and nice welcoming letter on the inside of the lid, thanking you for your purchase and welcoming you to the Duca Del Cosma Family. A very nice touch. The first look and touch of the shoe and you can tell its quality. They do have an odd shape / appearance to what I'm used to wearing, but I like a traditional looking golf shoe and these scream tradition and class. Spikes / sole are also a bit odd, but I believe they were designed this way on purpose.
Initial try on and fit was very mixed. They fit extremely tight in the toe box even though I had plenty of room between big toe and the end of the shoe. Comparing to my current shoes, they were exactly the same size when matching them together. It is definitely a shape / material issue. I walked around the firehouse with them on for 30 min or so and had two short practice sessions with them on in my garage simulator before the first round. First round was a Sunday morning/afternoon at Kent States home course, Windmill Lakes in Ravenna with @MattF. I was informed the course doesn't drain well and on this day I brought my push cart to walk and really test these shoes. It was cart path only so I was thankful for that decision. So just walking around the course etc....Stability is an A+ but comfort is definitely lacking. I brought my Adidas Tour 360's with me just incase I had problems and originally left them in the truck thinking I could change at the turn, then I remembered my cart bag has shoe pockets built in (Thanks Ping) and I brought the Adidas along and thank goodness I did. I felt blisters potentially starting and decided on the 5th hole after our tee shots that I should set down and take a look. Sure enough blisters, so I decided to change shoes right then. Immediately my Adidas felt cushioned clouds and I was surprised how comfortable they felt and the relief my feet begged for. On the 6th tee, I bandaged my blisters and played the rest of the round in the Adidas.
Fast forward to today for a brief update and a glimmer of hope. We discussed going a size up, but I didn't think it would matter. I felt at that point they would just be too big and the potential of blisters would increase with slipping of the heel. The testers also discussed privately the need for break in as these are handmade with quality leather. So that's what I did. I continued to wear in the garage for practice, wore to the range and even some around the yard. Yesterday I played 18 in them (albeit in a cart) but I made it the entire round and did start to enjoy them. So I will continue to test and report back soon, off to the course I go for another round with the Duca del Cosma ElPaso's
Looks (7 out of 10 points)
Looks are very subjective and personable to each of us. I like the look of a traditional shoe which is why I chose the Elpaso. The shape of the shoe takes some getting used to. I am not sure if it's the brown piping or just the overall design and “boxiness” of them. The white leather is absolutely stunning and the piping is well done as well. The gold top eyelets look great and I wished they had used them for all of the eyelets instead of blue which I feel distracts from the shoe. Overall, the shoes have a different look when compared to other “name” brand shoes. This is afterall an Italian golf shoe which I feel might lend itself better to the Euro Tour and players across the pond when it comes to looks alone.
Fit and Comfort (5 out of 10 points)
This is a tough category because the shoes fit me very tight, but I am not sure there is room to go up a size. There is decent space between my big toe and the tip of the shoe, no less than other shoes I wear. Sizing was not as I expected, I ordered a 9 and I normally where 10-10.5. Duca has a sizing chart and I measured numerous times to make sure I was not wrong. Which brings me to the con of no half sizes. I am not sure it would make the difference as it would allow more room in the toe box, but could lead to additional slipping and my heels won’t appreciate that. I saw no option for different widths either. I am assuming this will hold true across all models. If I could change one thing it would be a slightly larger toe area. However, as you will read later, maybe I just need to suck it up and play my best
Worth noting is the weight of the shoes compared to my only other pair of spikeless (Tour 360's). The Duca's are roughly 4.5oz heavier per each shoe, resulting in just over a half pound total difference. It doesn't seem like much, but with both pairs in each hand the DDC's are noticeably heavier.
Comfort I feel is the most important topic of this category and the shoe lacks here. Not only do they fit tight, but it almost feels like I am walking on a board. There is very little cushioning to the shoe. This was immediately noticeable when I felt my blisters starting the first round and switching to my Tour360’s. Quite honestly I was surprised how much more comfortable they were and it felt like walking on a cloud. Definitely an eye opener and something I haven’t figured out if it's a good or bad thing...read on to performace!
Basic Features (16 out of 20 points)
This is a category I feel the shoe could slip in (no pun intended) however it doesn’t deserve to. Shoes do not need tons of features to stand apart from others. As golfers we really just need about four features for a shoe to be successful and this shoe checks all but one. I feel we need: Comfort (addressed above) Stability, traction and waterproofing. Everything else is important personally, but not essential.
The waterproofing is done in a few different ways. First is they use the “more resistant” grain side of the leather. I am not sure how this translates to the other side but I will take their word. The second is using a hydrophobic treatment prior to tanning the leather. This one makes much more sense to me. The last piece to the puzzle is the membrane of the shoe. I am going to directly list information from Duca del Cosma website to explain:
A membrane is like a wall separating liquids and gas. Liquids can't enter, but vapor may escape, making our shoes waterproof while also being breathable.
For the interior finishing of Duca del Cosma shoes, we use a microfiber material with a membrane and waterproof tape sealing. We focus on testing waterproofness and functionality to ensure your feet remain constantly dry, while still being able to “breathe”. The upper leather has been treated in regular intervals to ensure humidity runs off and does not soak in, so that it maintains its suppleness. We guarantee our shoes are waterproof under normal wearing circumstances and up to 1.75" on the shoe from the ground
I didn’t stand in puddles for extended periods of time, but I did trounce in a few and noticed no water getting into the shoe. I also wore them for a few early morning rounds and water from the dew and sprinklers were no match. As far as drying, I never really noticed them feeling wet, so it must be quick.
There is no fancy lacing system on these shoes. Two pairs of laces were included and the shoes stayed taught each and every round. My feet always felt locked in and never felt overly uncomfortably warm from a breathability standpoint. I do tend to have hot / sweaty feet but I never noticed my feet feeling warmer than other shoes.
Ah, the soles of the shoes. Very interesting looking indeed but they work. I was concerned with the lack of space between the nubs to allow areas to bite. By looking at the sole one would think the shoe might just be flat on the surface and not actually grip. I was wrong….the traction is superb and I never once felt like I would slip, spin out during my swing or lose traction on harder surfaces. The rubber of the sole grips well and doesn’t seem to be wearing much at all.
These shoes are designed to be worn to and from the course. However, I feel they are a little much for my taste off the course. There is no offense to Duca del Cosma or this man, but I have never seen this guy at any of the clubhouses I frequent
On-Course / LM Performance (28 out of 30 points)
This category is where the shoes shine I believe. I am not sure they were designed this way or why they work the way they seem to, but I just felt confident swinging in these. I never lost traction, always felt connected to the ground and the stability was amazing.
This shoe really seemed to promote footwork and from the moment I wore them in the garage on my hitting mat, I knew there was something different about them. At this point I can only suggest it is the open area in the midsection of the sole which allows your foot to roll or transition in your swing. I felt like the rolling onto my lead side was just a more natural feeling. I am no golf expert by any means, but I know when your weight shifts forward properly, it promotes MUCH better ball striking and the Elpaso’s seems to promote this shift by allowing your feet to roll. So this might be the proper time to mention I shot my best round wearing these shoes two weeks ago. I shot an 84 (42/42) and I should have broken 80 that day. I wish I would have tried my other shoes against these on the Mevo+ but I am not sure I am consistent enough to confidently post any findings from a test like that.
Miscellaneous (8 out of 10 points)
Shipping was fast and I feel no matter which coast you’re on you will have your shoes in less than five days. We had to have our size submitted on a Sunday and the shoes arrived that Wednesday...impressive. As mentioned in the first impressions, the packaging is fantastic and a carry bag is a nice touch. The note on the lid of the box makes one feel special and just lets you know they care and appreciate your business.
I received no comments from playing buddies as I don’t think most know about this company or are willing to spend the money for a shoe like this. Maybe when I break 80 I will tell them it was the shoes HAHA.
Play it or Trade it? (17 out of 20 points)
The Elpaso’s are a play it for me at this point. While I am not in love with the look when wearing them, I can’t argue with how confident I feel when standing over the ball. Before breaking them in more and after the blisters I was a hard trade it, but I’ve made a flip. The asking price I believe is high for U.S customers. This model won’t appeal to everyone and the retail price tag is hefty ($230) . I believe the golfer who has a passion for being different, willing to try something new, looking for a shoe that just might promote better footwork and has an expendable golf budget will be happy with these.
If the shoes came in other sizes (½) and one or two additional colors, it would make it easier to recommend. I don’t need my shoes to match my clothes, but the Elpasos definitely look classier with certain styles and colors of clothing.
Conclusion
I am sure quite a few skipped down to this section but I hope some of you took the time to read my first review. This was a struggle (I’ve written this twice) but a very enjoyable process. The shoes are tight fitting but I feel they are designed this way. The break in period is long and I am not sure they are fully broken in after 10 or so rounds. My advice is to take your time and wear as much as possible before hitting the course. Comfort is definitely missing (might get better) but only more rounds will tell. I shot my best round wearing these. If the performance continues it will be hard to argue versus the looks and comfort. My feet stayed dry and were not overly warm.
I own more comfortable shoes for sure, but the feel when swinging in the Duca del Cosma Elpaso’s just feels natural and right. I like to be different and these shoes scream “look at this guy” or “what are you wearing? ''. I also have a large mustache, wear loud colors and now some flashy shoes
Final Score: (81 out of 100 points)