Jordan XII Low Golf Shoe Review
Jordan continue to make their way into the golf shoe market this time bringing the X11 low to the fold. They have once again gone down the premium route with these retailing for £200 which is £10 more than the standard trainer.
The trainer version was originally released in 1996, and the golf version is a reconstruction of this. I am reviewing both the original and also the limited edition Masters colourway.
The first thing to really note here is that the shoe comes with a 2 year waterproof guarantee. Putting 2 years on a golf shoe shows the quality of materials, even some of the best leather in the world cracks especially here in the UK with our climate.
The upper of the shoe is quilted where it is all white with the stitching acting like a rising sun and pebbled where it is black on the original. The black pebbled leather acts as a mud guard making it nice and easy to wipe clean. The quilted leather where it is stitched can be cleaned it is just a little more difficult to get into the stitched areas. The quilted leather runs all around the shoe and onto the tongue. On the tongue we have two 3 stitched in to signify MJ’s famous number 23!
The last part of the upper that really sets it up is the gold lace loop with the famous logo on. Inside the shoe there is nothing special to be honest, it literally looks like the trainer you can feel the ankle support. When you wearing them they are comfy like a trainer but nothing outstanding. From the back you have the loop for your finger to help get them on with Golf ‘For the Love of 18’ and the number 23 in adding extra details.
The midsole is a full length zoom air unit, towards the front this blends in with the pebbled leather and we also have this rubber section with Jumpman embossed into it. For me that is wasted on the original if it was gold like the Masters version and lace loop that would of really set it off. The air zoom unit adds comfort when you are walking across the whole of the foot.
The out sole is really interesting, it is carbon throughout, which is hard wearing and not really designed for comfort. We have 7 soft spikes for grip but the rest of the outsole with the zig zag pattern and groves is inspired by the original trainer. The grip on these golf shoes is excellent and that comes down to that pattern. I also really like the Jumpman logo at the front purely from a looks point of view.
Fit wise, for me like previous Jordan’s, the fit is snug, in Jordan trainers I am a UK 10, these fit snug around my toes and therefore a 10.5 is much better for me to play in. If I was coaching lessons all day in these I would go up a full size purely from a comfort point of view.
Overall for me this is a fashion piece golf shoe, it looks amazing and you will look the part when playing. However performance wise it just doesn’t quite cut it for me when priced against other golf shoes such as the Footjoy Alpha. I would certainly buy a pair for coaching in, however to play in I would look elsewhere.
Let me know your thoughts below, do you prefer the original or the Masters version?
3 Comments
Great review David! The Masters edition looks very clean and sharp. I love the gold accents. I was able to get a pair of the Buscemi x Footjoy Tarlow shoes. A truly refined golf shoe. Take care!
Great Review Dave, hope to see you soon
I got these shoes for my Birthday in May and have worn them a few times on the range. They are Uber comfortable and padded, and the grip is great. They are very easy to clean off as I used them one day on the range in the rain and they go muddy. I found the size to be true to size…The only negative I could find is they are very warm. So, in the summer months, your feet will get hot!! Otherwise, great shoes. I prefer the Masters version. Don’t care for the original/taxi…FWIW, my normal golf shoes are Ecco BIOM 4…