PLAYING WITH … CALLAWAY SHOES

Cost: $179.99. Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Writer (GA Handicap 9.4)

Brendan James and Jimmy Emanuel are both on the fussier side when it comes to choosing a new pair of golf shoes. How will the latest offerings from Callaway perform?

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: When I first laid eyes on the Xfer Fusion it was immediately obvious why Callaway used the word fusion in the name. The shoe blends a modern athletic look with a touch of classical golf shoe styling and mixes the comfort of a spikeless model with the stability of a spiked shoe. HOW THEY PERFORMED: After trying on the shoes and instantly noticing the comfort the Xfer Fusions offered I wore the shoes for the first time during a walking game of golf, something I very rarely do with golf shoes having suffered the ill effects of not breaking in shoes before.

Instead of ruefully nursing sore feet and blisters I was excited to emerge completely unscathed and came away extremely impressed by not only the comfort of the Xfer Fusions but also the stability and all-round performance of the shoe.

Although other spikeless shoes I have worn in the past provided similar levels of comfort, the Xfer Fusion stood out due to the combination of comfort and a solid, supportive base that was neither heavy nor bulky.

The stability of the Xfer Fusion during the golf swing rivalled that of some of the traditional spiked golf shoes I typically opt for. With the small lugs on the bottom of the sole feeling as if they locked into the ground, I never experienced any slipping during a swing or when traversing my way around a course that had experienced overnight rain.

Overall the Xfer Fusion pleasantly surprised me with their out of the box comfort and the golf specific performance of the shoes was faultless.