I Went From Skeptic to Believer in the New G/FORE G. 112 Golf Shoes

Jun 28, 2023

One writer sets out to improve his game while looking good.

Golf is the butt of no small number of jokes. And look, if we're being honest, some of them are fair enough. "Ful ofte in game a sooth I have herd saye," Chaucer wrote in the 14th century, an early version of the aphorism that there’s a little truth in every joke.

Golfers and non-golfers often hear different truths in the same joke, though. For example, one pokes fun at golfers for continually making tiny tweaks to their game, thinking the next adjustment will be the one that changes everything. Non-golfers hear the truth that golfers are constantly buying new toys. Golfers? We hear that those new toys might shave strokes off our game. So given the chance to try G/FORE’s new G. 112 golf shoes, I saw the truth in the joke and put them on.

I admit my interest stemmed less from a desire to play better and more because the G. 112s look pretty damn good. I'm at least three lifetimes' worth of work away from joining the Tour, so I want a shoe that offers a little style with its function. Too many golf shoes look like you've borrowed a pair your great-granddad got as a retirement present.

Not the low-profile G. 112s. They've got personality. The white versions have an updated classic look—a modern take on the traditional cleat. And then there are a dozen solid-colored versions in appealing bold colors (like my sky blue shoes), plus others that offer color accents against a white body. If it weren't for the traction nubs covering the outsole, I'd probably wear them outside the golf course.

I have also had issues finding a cleat that feels right. Some are too large or lumpy when I'm in my stance. Many softer ones never feel like they're giving me anything. Yet others are just downright uncomfortable—and if a shoe isn't comfortable, well, what's the point? Maybe I'm asking a lot from a golf shoe; honestly, I wouldn't mind if a pair also had some kind of beacon that would bring the beer cart to me. (I can dream, right?)

To give the G. 112 a test-drive, I struck out for a course in Minneapolis with my brother, who I hate to admit is a far better golfer than I am. It had been a long time since we'd golfed together, but I know where I stand. He golfs daily, and, well, I have kids—in fact, a newborn at home, born on the far side of a brutal, snowy Minnesota winter. So these feet hadn't touched greens for a while.

I hit the first tee box, hoping the G/FORE G. 112s would give me a little extra something on the course-opening par-5. I liked how they felt as I moved around the practice green, waiting for our tee time to drop, and checked "comfort" off my "are these shoes working for me?" internal checklist. Then I started to wonder if I was thinking about them too much. I hadn't even hit the first shot of the day, and I was in my head already.

But that first shot? The ball sang off the face of the driver. This being golf, I had a feeling my luck wouldn't last, but I was feeling good in the moment. I liked the balance I felt on that first shot. There was a little spring to the shoes—likely from the responsive EVA midsole—but they were also very sturdy. I felt in control of my stance, a feeling that lasted throughout the round. I liked how my back foot felt, and had the sense that my hips were right where I wanted them because my stance was so solid.

The next shot? Well, I can't blame the shoes. I was no longer on the fairway, but in the rough, sitting on an incline, praying that I would reach the green, knowing that I would not.

At this point, it's probably worth changing the subject to the cleat. I had thoroughly inspected the shoes before playing, but I didn't have a good sense of what I was looking at until I put them into action. The bottom doesn't have individual cleats, in the manner of a more traditional golf shoe. The outsole is covered in small rubber nubs, like hundreds of tiny rubber mountains. At a couple of key points—the outer edge and the heel of each shoe—the spikes wrap around, climbing up the sole to the outside of the shoe.

The result is even more balance. I noticed it right away in the game, but it became ever more apparent as I put the shoes through their paces on the course. Besides the rough, I also spent a good deal of time in some other hazards—for testing purposes, of course, and no other reason.

That balance was palpable in the rough on that first hole, but it gained new meaning a couple of holes later, when I wound up at the edge of a water hazard. The grass was slick, the terrain grim. But it was clear that the wraparound shoe texture wasn't style—or not just style—but function, allowing for additional traction in unfortunate circumstances. Its placement at the heel and outer edges translates to maximum contact between the spikes and the ground, whether you're shooting up- or downhill, or trying to escape a trap. The practical result was a comfortable stance in every circumstance—even when I had an uncomfortable lie.

Did the G.112s change everything? Of course not. For one thing, I still have a slice that my brain won't correct. But I largely drove better than I'd expected. I don't know with certainty how much to credit the G. 112s, but that balance throughout meant my hips were always where I wanted them. I felt I was giving myself a better chance in difficult terrain, as well. In a game of inches, I think the G/FORE shoes made a difference, and may even have stopped me from adding strokes to my game. I'm certain that they brought me closer to where I want my game to be.

Heel-to-toe turf traction allows for an extra-smooth and steady swinging motion.

Low-drop design for extra-steady footing paired with a TPU shank for arch support.

Seamless waterproof upper paired with a removable kiltie accent for versatility.

High-rebound EVA midsole features a lateral-wrap outsole for superior stability.

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