The Skechers GO GOLF Elite is a conservatively styled shoe that would be perfectly appropriate for a round of golf with your boss or your father-in-law. They match with the image of their prime spokesperson, Matt Kuchar, but Ricky Fowler wouldn’t be caught dead in a pair. We like the $100 MSRP, but note that if you’re looking for some astounding innovation, you won’t find it here.

The GO GOLF Elites are waterproof, but not particularly breathable, and in our experience, while they’re tolerable in terms of comfort right out of the box, a little breaking-in period is probably helpful. They’re a decent enough shoe, but didn’t really “wow” us in any particular area.

Retail price: $100
Amazon.com: Check price now


SCORE
89
GRADE
B+
Design
89
Construction
90
Comfort
86
Value
92

As one might expect from a brand endorsed by Matt Kuchar and Colin Montgomerie, the Skechers GO GOLF Elite features modest styling that should agree with most dads, grandpas and accountants. The uppers appear to be actual leather, and thus avoid that plasticky sheen that sometimes plagues these type of shoes. We did manage to slice a long scratch on the uppers on our test round – not sure if that’s a result of any proclivity of the shoes or whether we just rubbed up against something particularly unforgiving (and sharp).

Skechers GO GOLF Elite Colors

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The GO GOLF Elites go well with a pair of khakis, and are available in conservative colors – black, black/white, brown, charcoal/navy and white/navy. And those are the actual names of the colors – not ebony, or cocoa, or pearl…just black, brown, white. Yep, Matt Kuchar and Colin Montgomerie.
The GO GOLF Elite is a low drop shoe, which means that the heel is at about the same level as the forefoot (on a high drop shoe, the heel is higher than the forefoot, creating more of an angle). We found this more neutral position to be helpful in promoting balance, although, as noted below, it didn’t provide for as cushioned a ride as one might hope for.

Skechers is pretty confident in its waterproofing, providing a 2-year warranty against water leaking into the shoes. Our test round on a dewy morning didn’t reveal any problems with water, so thumbs up in that area.
If the GO GOLF Elites had actually been the 1.375 pounds at which they’re listed on the Skechers web site (for a pair of size 9s), they would have been among the lighter of the shoes that we’ve tested. Our scale, however, showed them at 1.615 pounds for the pair (size 9s), which moves them to slightly heavier than the average shoe. The GO GOLF Elites were about average in terms of shoe flexibility, but their construction didn’t lead to much breathability (the waterproofing obviously comes with a trade-off). There is a small perforated area at the top, but this didn’t do much in terms of promoting air flow.

Skechers GO GOLF Elite

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Traction is created by a number of dots on the outsole. Skechers also touts its “GOimpulse Sensors” as providing traction control, but examination of the outsole didn’t reveal any additional “sensors” (they are pretty obvious on the soles of Skechers running shoes). The GOimpulse Sensors are supposed to send enhanced tactile feedback to your brain about the terrain you are traversing. Our experience was just that our feet were tired at the end of the round. Maybe that was due to lots of tactile feedback that the ground was hard. Or maybe the shoes were just too stiff out of the box.

The insoles are treated with Agion, an antimicrobial technology that uses silver ions (Get it? Ag – Ion) to resist the growth of bacteria, molds, and other things that create odor. We haven’t worn the shoes through enough test rounds to testify as to whether there’s any real difference or not.

Note that the sizing runs large – a pair of size 9 GO GOLF Elites fit fine on feet that normally require a 9-1/2.

The GO GOLF Elites were attractively priced at an MSRP of $100, tying it with a few others as the least expensive spikeless golf shoe that we’ve tested. Inexpensive is good, but at the same time it was hard to trumpet the value of the shoes, as they weren’t exceptional in any particular area.

Retail price: $100
Amazon.com: Check price now


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