PUMA Avant Golf Shoes Review

PUMA Avant Golf Shoes Key Features:

• PROFOAM midsole: provides all-day, full-length comfort​
• Full grain leather upper: for premium performance, feel and 1-year waterproof protection​
• Radial Traction Technology​: Strategically placed ridges and lugs provide both walking and rotational traction​
• Pebble leather saddle: for ultimate style and comfort​

Providing a modern twist on a classic silhouette, the new PUMA Avant golf shoes bring traditional styling into the modern era. 

Fresh for 2024, the Avant golf shoes from PUMA fill the traditional role in the brand's lineup. PUMA has long been one of the leading innovators in the golf shoe market and is potentially best known for its more trainer-like designs. 

Despite that, PUMA's designers have looked back through the history books for inspiration for their newest shoe, opting to blend a traditional brogue style upper with a modern spikeless sole. 

The waterproof full leather construction seamlessly blends old-school style with modern tech for one of the more intriguing releases of the year. 

To see how they performed on the course, we took them down to Foxhills Country Club for a test drive.

Let's get into it. 

PUMA Avant Looks:

 Opting for a clean and simple design, the Avant shoes feature a full leather upper with a textured pebble leather saddle to elevate the overall visual appeal. 

The relatively straightforward design takes obvious inspiration from golf shoes of old. Branding is kept to a minimum, and clean lines and structure do most of the talking. 

The small metallic PUMA logo near the collar is a lovely luxury touch that adds to the design without being too in your face. This is a key addition that delivers branding without being obnoxious. 

Looking down at the shoes, they have a lovely rounded structure that provides width in the toe box without being bulky, while the heel area is once again kept relatively refined to round out the overall profile. 

The heel features a TPU moulded clip that is primarily included to add support to the structure. However, it also nicely complements the finish without distracting from the shoes' overall appearance. 

 PUMA Avant Comfort and Performance:

When we first tried on the Avant shoes, we were instantly impressed by the soft leather and the padding in the midsole. 

In years past, leather golf shoes were known for being quite stiff initially and requiring a wearing-in period, but thankfully, times have changed, and this particular pair provides instant out-of-the-box comfort. 

The Profoam midsole is light and bouncy, providing long-lasting comfort during our rounds. We've played a number of rounds in the Avants, and we can confirm we experienced no foot fatigue or aching during or after any of them.  

The width on offer within the shoes also prevented any rubbing in the toe box, which will particularly appeal to golfers who have wide feet. 

You don't quite get that same locked-in feeling that's provided by the likes of the FootJoy Pro/SLX but there is still plenty of stability on offer. 

In terms of traction, the ENR carbon rubber logs provide solid traction, although, in wetter conditions, we would ideally have liked an outsole to feature slightly more pronounced traction elements for greater grip. 

While during dry conditions, the selection of rubber nubs and lugs provided suitable grip, we did notice a bit of slipping during the more rain affected rounds we played. 

Should you buy the PUMA Avant Golf Shoes?

If you're a fan of traditional styling but want the comfort and feel of a more modern golf shoe, then the Avant's are well worth your consideration. 

The supple leather, fine detailing and tech-packed construction provide excellent levels of comfort and style, and while traction could potentially be improved, we believe for the modest price of £99, there are few better options on the market in 2024. 

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