Mint chocolate chip ice cream, mint julep and of course “just one more wafer thin mint”. Yes, mint makes most everything better except maybe shoes. Huh, mint shoes? Yup, Kikkor has been bold enough to offer their Men’s Player in splendid mint!
Of all of the shoes I trot out, I get more double takes and questions about the Kikkor Player Mint Shadow than anything else. And why not, they are green for Pete’s sake. Since we have reviewed the Kikkor shoes in the past I will spare you the company details and just hit you with what is new.
The Mint Shadow is basically like the other Kikkor Player shoes except one small detail. They are freaking mint color and they are awesome. I am not sure exactly why a green pair of shoes are so cool, but it is not just me. Again, I get guys from all walks of life tell me they dig these shoes so I am gonna go ahead and say they are 100% money.
Speaking of which, they won’t break the bank as the price tag comes in at a cool $99. Not bad for a water resistant suede shoe. Note on water resistant -no way am I wearing these in the rain so I don’t care about waterproof but I do care that they keep my feet dry in early morning wet grass (which they do).
Comfort wise, Kikkor are pretty darn comfortable. Perhaps not as comfortable as I want them to be but I think that is more due to the fact that they look like they should be insanely amazingly comfortable and they are merely very comfortable. Walking 18 is no issue with the Kikkors and there is no break-in period.
Aside from the color, I also really like how they have separated the space between the grommets where you lace up the shoe. I am not sure what that space is called, but most shoes have a very small space where as with the Kikkor Player shoes, there is a full inch of space which give them a very unique look. That and the fact they are mint green (have I mentioned that?).
The sole is your standard Kikkor cleat. Traction is fine and they last fairly well. The back two cleats seem to wear a little faster but getting a season in should not be a problem. The truth is these are not a pair of shoes you are going to wear for two years.
For me, these are a great shoe to wear on days of blue sky and light breeze. They say “dude it is awesome outside, lets play some golf!” These are not workman shoes to be trotted out while grinding on your game or when clouds are looming. Naw, they are for better times. Mint green times.
Final note on the suede. I was pretty sure that after three rounds they would look awful and discolored but they actually hold up very well. Yes, they do get a little dirty but you can scrub them and get them mostly clean. The mint color remains solid and bold. Again, not for keeping two years but for a summer’s worth of play – perfect!
P.S. A huge thank you to Kikkor for sponsoring the Hoeffler Cup, which is a tournament we organize as a way to raise money for Victory Juncton and SKJAJA Fund. Kikkor does a fantasic job with community outreach and is definitely one of the “good guys”.
You can check out all of the Kikkor gear on their website
Kikkor Golf Shoes: Over the past few weeks I have had the privilege of wearing the Men’s Dress Sneaker from Kikkor Golf. While I have read a number of reviews that speak to the comfort of these shoes I was interested to see how they would work for me as I still suffer from damage done to a herniated disc in my lower back. Since that time, I’ve been wearing shoes without spikes to combat the foot fatigue and pounding that I could not avoid with shoes that have cleats. Up to now, I have found the only good solution has been to wear cross-training shoes with Gore-Tex, but there were times that I missed the traction of a standard golf shoe.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve worn the Kikkor Golf shoes to hit balls, chip and putt, and walk a few rounds. In each case, I have been really pleased with the results. The shoes have a very solid base with soft rubber spikes built into the sole. Although they are not large spikes, I found they were well placed on the bottom of the shoe and gripped the ground well. The big bonus for me was that my feet did not feel any pressure from the impression of the spike on the bottom of my foot like I normally do in regular spiked shoes.
Kikkor Golf recommends staying off of cement as much as possible to add to the life of the spikes which is a good idea since this was really the only issue we had with the shoe. In our experience the spikes on the Dress shoe tended to wear down with regular use. Stability wise, the shoe performed well on all types of ground and the water-proof element seems to be effective. While I was not in any downpours, I did step in some deep mud puddles and came out as dry as I went in.
These particular Kikkor Golf shoes have a kind of ‘white wall’ around the shoe that does pick up mud here in NC where winter mud is a staple on most golf courses, but it wasn’t hard to give them a wipe down when I was done to restore the shoe to looking shiny again. As for the comfort of my back, I didn’t feel the shoes needed breaking in; they were comfortable from the start and my knees, hips and feet were all very happy after spending several hours walking and playing. I am very glad to know about this company, and I think you will be too.
You can learn more about Kikkor Golf shoes on their website and see our Facebook Gallery for pictures of the Tenny and Retro style Kikkor Golf shoes.
2012 PGA Show: Having just returned from my first visit to the 2012 PGA Show I am feeling a bit punch drunk. Much like a kid in a candy store, the PGA Show had so many sweets it was easy to go overboard and end up with a sugar high. So without further adieu, lets get to some of the highlights.
PGA Show Driving Range
Equipment: Yes, all of the big boys had a huge presence at the show but for me it was a great time to learn more about some of the boutique companies. In the putter and wedge niche, I was able check out Edel, Piretti and T.P. Mills putters which are simply stunning (I only wish I had taken pictures). Newer on the scene but also impressive is a line of putters from former player Chris Carnahan who makes both wedges and putters for Carnahan Golf. Finally, in the putter and wedge area, we visited with Rife putters and Renegar Golf, both of which I really like and look forward to taking out on the course.
While I did not make the demo day, I did get to spend some time with Stephen Boccieri of Boccieri Golf who explained his weighted club design. In short, his clubs, or separately sold grips, are weighted at the butt end to promote greater lag and hence better club speed.
Golf Shoes: Since Ecco came out with their Fred Couples street shoes, everyone seems to be jumping on the band-wagon. While Ecco is not about to go away, new mid-sized companies will give them a challenge. For example Kikkor added about 4 more lines to their portfolio including, wait for it, a high top. TRUE Linkswear is simply exploding with new styles and even Crocs is jumping into the market. However, the most minimalist shoe I found was Barefoot BERBS which are as close to no shoes as you can get. While each brand has a unique style, consistent among them is a lower profile, closer to the ground feel. Stay tuned as we will be putting these shoes to our 18 hole test in the coming months.
Even Crocs is getting into the golf shoe game
Golf Apparel: Although am no fashion expert, it seems like the Europeans are having an impact on the fashion industry. Bright colors were everywhere – this was no more evident than at the LoudMouth booth where everyone was decked out in the zany attire.
LoudMouth Golf PGA Booth
While not quite as colorful as LoudMouth, Ian Poulter’s collection is just as unique as you would expect from the man who seems to always be ahead of the fashion curve. As an added bonus Ian made an appearance at the booth and I can honestly say he is a super nice guy.
Ian stops by to sign a few autographs
Speaking of super nice, let me just say that just about everyone at the show was awesome, but a quick shout out to some of the folks were were particularly welcoming to Three Guys Golf Blog:
Kikkor: Hosted an awesome night golf event.
Sligo: Great clothing selection plus they had Brian Gay stop in for a while.
Abacus: A Scandinavian company who will be outfitting the Euros this year.
Cross Golf USA: Great outerwear and clothing.
Tattoo Golf: We have already done a product review for Tattoo so it was cool to meet Bill and Greg in person.
Arnie Wear: Can’t wait for this new line of clothes that was literally designed using real items from Arnold Palmer’s closet.
Other Stuff I liked: There was so much great stuff and hopefully we will get a chance to review much of it in greater detail, but for now this is a quick list of items that caught my attention.
Asher Golf: Makers of creative golf gloves and part owned by the #2 long distance driver in the world Ben Tua’one. I was lucky enough to play 9 holes of night golf with Ben and suffice it to say we used all of his drives in the captains choice except when he hit it too far and it went into a lake we did not see 325 yards out.
Jan Craig: Wonderfully hand made head-covers.
59 Belts: In the top 3 coolest belts I have ever seen.
Pro Mental Coach: Computer brain training for us mental disasters. Look for a review in a couple of months when I finish my training.
Jones Bag: Throw back to the simple days of golf when bags did not have 36 zippered pouches.
Kentwool Socks: Saved my feet on Saturday.
Optishot: Affordable indoor golf simulator.
Flavor Flav: Yes, Flavor Flav was in the house with the Back 9 channel. No idea why but Matt is such a huge fan that I got him a signed hat.
Flavor Flav shouts out to Matt!
