We're now used to some of the best golf shoes of the modern era being more trainer-style (or sneaker for my North American friends) models. Adidas, Nike, Under Armour and others have been busy taking some of the best off-course styles and making them golf-appropriate.
New Balance is another brand that has been smashing it out of the park from this perspective. With the likes of the 997 SL and 574 Greens V2 hitting the course over the last few years, I was very excited to see my favourite New Balance style, the 550, get the golf treatment.
I must first quell the notion that shoes like this are built exactly the same as the on-street shoe with a golf outsole slapped on the bottom. While the upper design is an uncanny difference from the non-golf option, a specially designed outsole, waterproof upper and reinforcements in the heel area have been added to make it more suitable for golf than if you just picked a pair of 550s up from Schuh (other shoe shops are available.)
All that being said, and as nice as these shoes are to wear, they will not provide the same levels of support and performance that purpose-built spikeless shoes like the Under Armour Drive Pro Clone SL or Ecco Biom C5, for example. So, bear this in mind when considering whether something like the 550 SL is right for you.
The outsole is more golf-specific than the original, and offers solid grip in both the dry and damp/greasy conditions I've been able to test them in so far. I've not tested them in seriously wet conditions yet, but like all outsoles on these styles of shoes, they're likely not to perform as well as the best spiked golf shoe or a spikeless outsole like the one on the FootJoy Pro/SL 2026 I tested this year.
I've not got much to say about the look; they're a pair of 550s - simple as that. Released in the late 80s as a low-top basketball shoe, it took until the early 2020s for the style to come back into favour in New Balance's stable after a collaboration with Aime Leon Dore brought it back into relevance. Since then, the 550 has been one of the most popular lifestyle shoes on the market.
One note on sizing, they come up a full size small on me. My normal UK 8 fits much better in a UK 9, so bear this in mind before you purchase, or try and find a local store where you can try on a few different options.
At £119, there is stunning value on offer here, considering how much wear you'll be able to get from these. On the course for more casual rounds, in the bar afterwards, and in pretty much any setting off the golf course you see fit, there is a place for the 550s. I'm thrilled New Balance has brought such a great trainer style onto the golf course, and am even more thrilled with how well they've executed it.
