I had some concern that the shoes looked perhaps a little too different, i.e., more like a ballet slipper than a golf shoe, but that worry, too, was assuaged, during my second round in them when one of my playing companions exclaimed on the 10 th hole: “I’ve been trying to figure out how you hit the ball so far, and I just realized it’s those ‘Ninja shoes’ you’re wearing!” Apparently, the shoes look traditional enough that it took someone 10 holes to realize they were different, and once they realized it, their first thought wasn’t of the Bolshoi, it was of Bruce Lee. And I’ve adapted to the visually low profile of the shoes. I’ve played several rounds in them, and I’m happy to say that my initial concerns were unwarranted. When I first put them on, the toe box seemed, perhaps a bit too low and I feared that after 4 to 5 hours walking in them my toes might feel a little pinched. Their uppers are a very soft and supple leather, and the shoe’s profile is therefore extremely low. Visually, the BERBS are the most unorthodox of the minimalist shoes I’ve tried. The BERBS have a wide toe box (as do all the other minimalist shoes), that allow the toes to spread naturally and to provide maximum balance and feel. The two straps provide great versatility in adjusting the fit for comfort and performance. The BERBS have also abandoned traditional laces in favor of Velcro straps both across the upper as well as behind the heel. The result is a shoe that retains much of the traction of a traditional soft-spike shoe, but that has all of the comfort and feel of a minimalist or barefoot-style shoe. The BERBS, for example, use a rigid–though super-thin sole–into which they’ve incorporated, not a full set of soft-spikes, but merely five well placed ones. The BERBS are the first true hybrid to bridge the gap between the traditional, soft-spike golf shoe and the minimalist, spike-less shoe. I recently had a chance to try a pair of shoes from a relative new-comer to the universe of minimalist golf shoes- Barefoot B.E.R.B.S. Instead, I test them to determine which among the barefoot shoes I prefer. (I’ve already gotten rid of all of my old golf shoes). I no longer test a pair of barefoot-style shoes to see if I want to change from traditional golf shoes. Minimalist golf shoes also abandoned the soft spikes in favor or a series of strategically placed “nubs,” or cleats. Whereas traditional golf shoes have steel shanks in the soles, the new minimalist golf shoes have abandoned the thick, stiff sole in favor of thin, flexible, light-weight soles. And after walking across a green, because I can feel its firmness, I can better estimate the ball’s reaction on chips and pitches. In bunkers, I can feel the depth and weight of the sand and therefore better judge the speed of my wedge through it. When I’m uncertain of the line and break of a putt, I can verify the green’s slope by standing along the line and feeling the slope in my feet. With the thinnest soles of any shoes, on or off the course, these new barefoot-style golf shoes allow me to feel the course. But as much as I like the convenience of them off the course, I appreciate them the most during a round. Instead, I slip them on in the morning, go to the office or grocery, play 18, and take them off when I get home. Because they’re typically spike-less, no longer do I have to change shoes at the course before or after rounds. The barefoot style shoes are game-changers. I’ve played in VivoBarefoot’s Hybrid golf shoe and in nearly every model of True Linkswear’s shoes, including the Stealth, the Tour, the PHX and the Sensei (their cross-over golf/running shoe). Since I first discovered “barefoot-style” golf shoes two years ago, I haven’t played in anything else. When not practicing law, he can usually be found playing–as he has for the past 44 years–one of the nearly 300 golf courses in and around the Phoenix metropolitan area. Robert is a second-generation native of Phoenix, Arizona.
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