If you love to walk when you play golf (and even if you don't), you know how important it is to have a well-performing pair of shoes and socks. They'll keep you comfortable, work together to provide great traction and help your feet breathe.
There are a number of good golf socks on the market, including from Kentwool and Stance. There's a relatively new entrant in the golf space, as well, that your feet might need to meet: Swiftwick.
Swiftwick socks offer what they call "managed compression," which is a way of saying that the socks are built to fit somewhat tightly and offer stability to the foot. The 200-needle knit is high density, offering a tighter knit for the compression fit. Compression improves circulation, keeping the blood flowing through the round and giving your feet the energy to finish walking the last three holes.
The socks wick away moisture using patterned Merino wool and Olefin fiber, while the compression fit helps to prevent blisters. Swiftwick says the socks also have odor-fighting technology.
Swiftwick offers a guarantee on their socks, and they say they'll make things right if you have a bad experience or get a poorly made product. The company expects the socks to last three years with average wear.
We received four pairs of socks -- two of the Aspire Zero no-show model and two of the Performance One ankle-height model -- to test in four colors. The fit is tighter than what you'd typically get from Kentwool, although somewhat similar to Stance. Stance offers a thicker-feeling sock, which is a different approach from Swiftwick trying to and creating a second-skin fit. While the Swiftwick socks don't feel as padded from step to step compared to Kentwool and Stance, the socks are comfortable and kept our feet dry through four-hour walking rounds. If you're walking a particularly challenging course, you may want the extra padding, but we'd suggest pairing these, then, with a hybrid shoe if conditions allow.
If you're a golfer who loves the barefoot-style shoes, designed to let the foot do its natural thing with little space between the shoe and the ground, Swiftwick socks could be a great complement.
The Swiftwick golf socks run about $13 per pair, which is very competitive in the high-end golf sock market. Knowing that there are different fits for different folks, Swiftwick socks are well worth a try.
