REVIEW: FootJoy Freestyle Shoes with BOA

Dialed-In to the Movement of Your Feet
One area of increased study in golf has been the movement of the feet.  If you watch professional golf, you will see how sometimes they zoom in the camera on the footwork of the golfer to explain what happened on a certain shot.  FootJoy is bringing that technology to the amateur golfer with their partnership with Boditrak for shoe fitting.  I tried it at the PGA show to make sure I was in the right kind of shoe for my swing.  Based on the findings, FootJoy Freestyle is a good fit for my swing.  The movement of my feet pairs nicely with the flex and grip of the Freestyle.  I also learned about BOA closure system and the benefits it offers for dialing in the exact fit.  You really can dial-in these shoes to the movement of your feet.
The FootJoy Freestyle shoe comes with its own mascot, Moby the tree frog.  The design features of the shoe are modeled after the incredible grip a tree frog has.  Flexibility and grip are the foundation of these shoes.  If you look at the sole you can see the flex zones and the grip zones. The F.R.O.G.S. outsole (FJ’s Revolutionary Outsole Grip System) is  a key element of these shoes offering amazing grip on the course.  I was impressed on how much traction these shoes have.  No matter how much flex or twist you put on your feet, these things stick to the ground
 

The FootJoy Freestyle shoe has a mix of materials which make up the uppers.  The breathable mesh is designed to be lightweight, breathable and yet waterproof guaranteed for 2 years.  It has a plastic like coating that stiffens them up a bit and keeps out the elements.  My feet stayed perfectly dry, even in very wet, rainy conditions.

My one issue with the Freestyle shoes was a little heal rub during the first couple rounds.  They have a heal pad and offer good cushion, but were just a little stiff and slick which caused my sock to rub just a little by my Achilles.  After a few rounds and the sheen was worn off, they fit like a glove and were comfortable like a slipper.

The best part of these FootJoy Freestyle shoes I received is the BOA closure system.  I’ve read of BOA before and thought maybe it was a bit unnecessary, since I can tie my shoes just fine, but after having it on these shoes, I want BOA on all my shoes.  If they had a retro-fit kit, I BOA all my shoes.  The simplicity and fit are amazing.  I learned how they make BOA and I can’t imagine every breaking a lace.  The coat stainless style “laces” aren’t going to fail anytime soon.  The dial on the heal also made them easy to use.  You can micro-dial the fit much better and more evenly than laces.

While many golfers will be familiar with FootJoy sizing, I learned that I am a 9 in FootJoy even though I wear a 9.5 in just about every other brand.  So if you are new to FootJoy like I am, then I’d suggest finding a BodiTrak fitting for both the type of shoe and size of shoe you need.

The FootJoy Freestyle shoe comes in 5 different colors.  3 lace colors and 2 BOA colors.  My favorite colorway was actually the Black and Lime BOA shoes.  You are going to want to check out the Freestyle shoes because they offer amazing comfort, incredible grip and if you go BOA, a dialed-in fit.  Their partnership with Boditrak is a great way to maximize what kind of shoe you need based on the movement of your feet. 

For more information: www.footjoy.com or www.boatechnology.com/products/golf

Quick Hits
+BOA is awesome for precise fit
+Freestyle flex
+FROG grip
+Lightweight and waterproof

–Couple rounds to reduce heal rub