As the Golf Monthly shoe tester over the last five years I have managed to get my hands on a lot of shoes, and I mean A LOT. Testing them all can take a long time because I want to understand the overall performance of the product in terms of comfort, grip, stability, waterproofing and how they actually look on the golf course. Off the course performance plays a part as well.
I do this by using the shoes as much as possible in my every day golfing life because I believe this approach gives an accurate portrayal of a shoe. I can see how the shoe performs in different conditions, stances, lies, and how durable they are over that period, just to name a few examples. Additionally I always try to verify brand claims as well.