Nike Air Range WP II

Nike Air Range WP II Review: Stickler for rules I am, but I guess that’s what you get after four years in the Navy. So when it comes to my set of clubs I carry no “foot wedge” nor do I have a pocket full of mulligans. However, I fear that while my old school nature has kept me from a rash of bad decisions (like wearing all orange to a PGA event), it has also hindered me from taking advantage of the new golf shoe trends. You see, I have been a traditional golf shoe guy for as long as I can remember.

Not only am I a traditionalist but I am also a cheap SOB which is perhaps my real excuse for not diving into the athletic golf shoe craze. Heck, my golf shoes last forever, so why would I ever need to expand my horizons. In the end, I acquiesced and signed up to test the new Nike Air Range WP II. Not one to rush in, I broke in the Nike Air Range WP around my house for a good 4 hours prior to considering taking them out for real. Slippers, I tell you, these puppies are super light, and other than the fact they have spikes, I would never be able to tell them apart from my running shoes. Ahh, but no one ever hit a driver in their living room (well not without first opening the screen door).

Up at 6am, ugh. Three days ago a 7am tee time sounded great but now with barely 4 hours of sleep, I was rethinking that decision. Yea, it had been a particularly brutal evening, but the job required me to test drive the Nike Air, and like any good soldier, I was not going to shirk my duties.

Since this was my first experience with a running type golf shoe, what struck me most was the feeling of being connected to the ground. I guess I had never really thought about the ground before, but now I almost had the sense that the shoe forced me to consider my stance and sense of balance (or lack thereof in my case).

Unfortunately, it was not only brutally early, it was also wet – apparently I was going to be thoroughly punished for my prior evening sins. Fear not, the Nike Air Range WP II comes with a two year limited waterproof guarantee. If only I could get someone guarantee the pesky yips would not keep sneaking into my game.

You may have noticed that the Nike Air Range WP has a mix of traditional spike shape and more progressive cleats. My guess is that Nike realized that the inner toe and outer heal tend to wear quicker and by putting the larger spikes in these areas the shoes life could be extended. NOTE: all spikes are molded and not replaceable.

After 4 hours 18 holes, 6 Tylenol, 3 chunks and a couple of explicatives, I carded a 92. Not my best round, but considering my head was still a bit fuzzy, I can live with it – plus my feet were dry and cozy. I finally get why it seems like the days of the big traditional golf shoes are numbered. While I am not ready to ditch my 10 year old Bostonians, I am gonna toss my old golf shoes in favor of the Nike Air Range WP II. One note on sizing, Nike runs a bit narrow and small so I would go with a 1/2 size larger. And there you have it, the Nike Air Range WP II is a winner and will run you about $100.

You can see all of the Nike Golf shoes on their website.