Gear Review: Footjoy MyJoys

Equipment Review: Footjoy MyJoys

Price: $189.99 CDN

Okay, I’ll admit it. I have a shoe habit that would make Carrie Bradshaw envious. I love good looking shoes, and probably golf shoes that outnumber my wife’s footwear. I’ve grown particularly attached to the latest lines of athletic golf shoes — the ones that are a million miles away from the traditional golf shoes from decades past.

I am particularly fond of Footjoy’s new Dryjoys, and reviewed them here last year. They offered tons of support and were super comfortable right out of the gate while offering just the right mix of traditional optics and new-age athleticism. Needless to say, I wore through my pair by the middle of 2008, and then was given the opportunity to test drive Footjoys’ MyJoys customizable shoes.

The process is pretty simple, and most major retailers now use the online site that allows one to customize your shoes and see exactly what they’ll look like. All you do is pick the type of shoe you like (Dryjoys Tech, Traditional, Spikeless, etc.) and then the program asks you a series of questions about the aesthetics you desire. You pick the saddle colour, base colours and accents, essentially designing the look you have in your head. The system works flawlessly, allowing you to change and mix and match without issue.

The finishing touch is the kicker — your ability to personalize the shoe with logos, monograms and other features. I have no idea why someone would want to put the logo of their favourite football team on their shoes, but that’s a possibility. For me, it was all about the Canadian flag — including it on the heel of each shoe. All too often during my travels I am mistaken for one of my associates to the south of the Canadian border — that isn’t the case with these shoes.

How often have you had your male friends say, “Dude, love your shoes!’ Never? Well it happened to me four times in a week when I was wearing my MyJoys, including once at Maidstone in Long Island. ‘Nough said. And yes, now my MyJoys are a touch dirty (see photo above), but they are much loved.

Customization seems to be the way forward in the industry. TaylorMade allows you to number your golf balls, practically every club can be personally configured to meet your specifications, and even your shoes can look exactly how you’d like.

And sure, club customization might help you reduce your score, but your MyJoys will jazz things up regardless of how you play. To quote Billy Crystal, better to look good than to feel good. Thankfully, I’ve found MyJoys work on both accounts — and why not have style and game?