No brand returning to golf better symbolises the rise of casual golf shoes quite like New Balance. Known primarily for its street sneakers and shoes from other sports like running, football and tennis, the brand has now been making golf shoes for a couple of years. Its latest offering, the 480 SL, blends a classic silhouette with a golf-specific outsole that is aiming to be one of the best spikeless shoes of 2025.
It’s worth noting that shoes like this, which are a street sneaker style taken to golf, are purpose-built golf shoes, and not just a street shoe with a golf outsole slapped onto the bottom. I could tell this straight away with the 480 SL, especially with how impressive the outsole is. It uses multiple different-sized and shaped nubs to offer traction laterally during the swing and plenty of grip while you’re walking.
It’s nice and low profile too, making it ideal for wearing off the course as much as you do on it. I can’t say it gives as much grip or as much support as a performance spikeless shoe like the Adidas Adizero ZG or Under Armour Drive Pro, but as casual golf shoes go, it has one of the best outsoles I’ve tested recently.
The outsole has clearly been well thought through from a golf perspective. It offers great grip while also being low profile enough to not be bothersome off the course.
(Image credit: Future)
That it has such a low profile outsole with the looks of a normal every day sneaker is brilliant, effectively giving you two shoes in one. I never once felt out of place when I wore these to the pub or out to the shops, as the silhouette blends in with any other sneaker you see on the street.
The fit was a little uncomfortable for me, with the toe box area in particular not offering me much room. They come up true to size everywhere else, but the toe box just felt a little cramped at the top of my foot. Perhaps going up half a size is the best option here to give the foot a little extra breathing room, but then I fear the fit would be a little too big elsewhere. Though it’s great that the upper is fully waterproof, it’s also not one of the most breathable shoes I’ve worn, especially in the unusually hot spring we’ve experienced in the UK. Perhaps that was down to the cramped fit, but I fear the synthetic PU upper is the culprit here.
I think are one of the best looking casual shoes I’ve recently tested, especially in this blue/white colourway.
(Image credit: Future)
Though the fit…
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