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New Balance 480 SL Golf Shoe review: Comfort and style | National Club Golfer

New Balance 480 SL Golf Shoe review: Comfort and style

published: Apr 7, 2025

|

updated: Jan 23, 2026

New Balance 480 SL Golf Shoe review: Comfort and style

Matt Chivers

We sometimes use affiliate links to products and services on retailer sites for which we can receive compensation if you click on those links or make purchases through them.

New Balance makes excellent golf shoes, and the 480 SL Golf Shoe is no exception. Matt Chivers takes them for a spin to see if they are the right spring/summer option for you.

Table of Contents

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New balance 480 sl golf shoe review: ncg summary
First impressions
On course testing
19th hole
New balance 480 sl golf shoes review: the details

The New Balance 480 SL Golf Shoe is one of many New Balance designs that will whet the appetite of golfers in 2025. Could this be the perfect choice for your golfing wardrobe this spring and summer?

This golf shoe is very much a glimpse into the future, or present, I suppose! It’s a massive separation from the traditional, pointed shoes that everyone became accustomed to at the start of this century. But how did if perform? Check out all the detail in our New Balance 480 SL golf shoe review…

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New Balance 480 SL Golf Shoe review: NCG Summary

4.5 star review

NCG SUMMARY

The New Balance 480 SL are a classic representation of what golf shoes are becoming in this day and age.

These shoes have a very smart trainer look. They catch the eye out of the box and the colourway is sure to have them rolling off the shelves.

PROS

Comfy and lightweight feel
Colourway is great
Trainer-feel increases comfort and confidence

CONS

Some golfers might prefer more traditional looks

£118.03

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First Impressions

I had to double-take with the New Balance 480 SL to make sure they were golf shoes. This is not a bad thing at all. This is the direction of travel with golf shoes in 2025. They look like trainers for a social scene more than they do for golf.

New Balance 480 SL Golf Shoe review

I was very pleased when I first took them out of the box. The New Balance 480 SL are very smart, and they felt very light when I first picked them up. I really like the grey, white and black N for New Balance. They contrast perfectly, and this is a colourway that many people find aesthetically pleasing.

First impressions are very important with golf shoes. The New Balance 480 SL made a very good first impression on me. As a younger person, they appeal because they resemble a design that young people like in trainers away from the golf course.

This is a really good design from New Balance. I can’t see why this won’t be extremely popular, and it is part of a healthy bank of New Balance golf shoes that are of the same ilk.

On Course Testing

Before stepping on to the golf course, I was concerned with their durability and steel. Maybe once I keep wearing them over a longer and sustained period of time, I could come back to you with an updated verdict. But they performed well on the fairways and in the rough.

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When swinging and hitting shots, they felt stable and comfortable. I would say that they didn’t feel as stable when playing as other golf shoes that focus more on the golf side of things instead of the style side of things. But all in all, they are good shoes, and they will compliment your performance more than hinder it.

New Balance 480 SL Golf Shoe review

Much like with golf hoodies that have grown on me, the New Balance 480 SL have a ‘make you feel at home’ romance to them. This is because they don’t look like traditional golf shoes. This is a key positive for me because the more relaxed and reassured you feel, the more likely you are to play better. This is the feeling I take away when wearing these on the golf course.

They are a refreshing addition to my golfing wardrobe. The smart rubber spikeless outsole helps your performance by contributing to the feel, and there is also the CUSH+ insole, which guarantees maximum comfort. Cush+ is a foam compound that offers soft cushioning that isn’t to the detriment of the shoes’ stability.

19th Hole

The 19th hole section of this review is arguably the easiest of any review I have produced. The New Balance 480 SL Golf Shoes are perfect on the course (obviously) and off it. You would not look out of place at all wearing these shoes out and about.

New Balance 480 SL Golf Shoe review

Whether you are out enjoying a drink or attending a sports event, you will feel comfortable and secure in these golf shoes. I would be shocked if anyone recognised them as golf shoes, which should be to New Balance’s credit, as they have mixed athleticism with a faint hint of tradition.

£118.03

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New Balance 480 SL Golf Shoes review: The Details

Available: Now

RRP: – £124.99 / $99.99

Sizes: – 7-12.5 UK / 8-14 US

Colours: – Grey-White / White-Brown / Navy-White

More information: Amazon UK / Amazon US

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About the author

Matt Chivers

Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.

Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.

Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.

Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as the Masters, The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spoken to many of the biggest names in the sport.

Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.

What’s in Matt’s bag: Cleveland HiBore XL Driver driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, Benross BR-Pro irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.