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If you have wide feet and are looking for comfortable, stable golf shoes at a great price, the FitVille SpeedEx V3 might be worth considering—though questions about their waterproofing remain.
What does Steve Carroll and a duck have in common? They’ve both got massively wide feet. FitVille Golf Shoes are specifically designed for those of a bigger frame. Do they work?
I once did a shoe test for a very well-known manufacturer and stood on one of those devices that size you up to the millimetre.
I can tell you it was quite a shock. Not only had I spent 20-odd years wearing the wrong size (a 9.5 instead of an 8.5), I was stunned by the extreme width of my tootsies.
No wonder I’d been in agony breaking in a new pair on a golf course. No surprise that I’d been blistered and rubbed bare. I wasn’t just wide on the scale. I was extra wide.
This revelation revealed an ongoing issue. If you’re wondering how many manufacturers fully cater for the wider-footed you might be searching for a little bit.
This is where FitVille come in. “Liberate your toes” is scrawled on the front of the box. Comfort and support are at the top of their agenda. And coming in at around the £70 mark, they may well liberate some cash from your wallet. But are they worth the very reasonable price?
Anyone with wider feet should seriously consider FitVille’s SpeedEx V3 golf shoes. While they may not be the jazziest, they are very stable, provide great grip and – most importantly – are very comfortable. At this price, there are clearly going to be trade-offs, and they could offer more protection from the weather.
PROS
Incredible comfort straight out of the box
Considerable grip in wet conditions
Amazing price
CONS
There is a question mark over how waterproof they are
Look at the modern golf shoe. We’ve swapped brogues for comfortable synthetic uppers, solid outer constructions, and a tread that looks like it could lay tracks like a truck.
These FitVille shoes embody these concepts and if you’re used to similar offerings from Under Armour or Skechers, you’ll know the drill.
I personally go for the sneaker-type – my current go-to golf shoes are a pair of Adidas Superstars – and while you can certainly argue a near 50-year-old man should stop behaving like he’s still 25, I know what I like.
My point is it was interesting to receive the FitVille shoes because they are not what would normally catch my eye if I was buying a new pair.
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On Course Testing
They certainly are comfortable. Ludicrously so. I’m going to start getting a reputation for saying, ‘these are the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn’. But if that shoe fits…
I tested these at Close House, where I am a country member. This was not a random choice. The Colt course at the Newcastle venue is an adventure.
It’s built on the side of a large hill. There is a lot of elevation and there are significant climbs and decent drops. If there were weaknesses in the comfort levels, Close House would root them out.
But there wasn’t a red mark in sight. It’s the spread of weight across the feet that’s really seems to make a difference. There are no pressure points. No toes crammed at the summit of the shoe. No bone scraping on the upper. No tension in the heel.
They genuinely glide along with you. It was a very new experience for me.
I played in some bad weather. It was wet and rained persistently. But these shoes gripped well and planted during the swing. I’ve slipped around in such conditions with many a competitor so that was a genuine plus.
I’m unsure whether these are advertised as fully waterproof but I’m not sure they are. Yes, the rain was relentless but it was not torrential and you might expect a golf shoe to stay dry whatever the conditions throw at them.
But after 14 holes, I was definitely soggy in the sole and rather squelched my way around the rest of the layout.
That isn’t a fatal blot on the copybook by any means. I have plenty of golf shoes that are seasonally dependent – including a much-loved knit pair that get soaked at the mere threat of an autumn dew.
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NCG Verdict
It might just be my experience. Perhaps the rain was getting through the bottom of my waterproof trousers. If you’re looking for something all-year round, though, you might want to bear this information in mind.
Given the price point, however, and the overall comfort of these shoes – which is astonishing – it is not a fatal detractor.
RRP: £69.99 / $74.99 Sizes: UK 7-13 (inc. half sizes and extra width) / US 8-14 (inc. half sizes and extra width) Colour: Grey / White Shadow Grey / White Navy Blue / White Black More info:FitVille UK / FitVille US
