by The FootJoy Fuel golf shoe has today burst onto the scene and is already my early contender for most exciting shoe of 2022.
Straight away you can probably see it’s a large leap away from the more traditional shoes that FootJoy is arguably more renowned for. To its credit, after the success of Men Nike Shoes the Premiere Series and Traditions shoes in 2021, FootJoy has hurtled into 2022 with one of its boldest shoes to date.
Not only is it one of the most athletic silhouettes FootJoy has ever opted for, but the colour schemes are much bolder compared to the classic black, white or navy options, with the orange outsole particularly catching my eye.
The women’s FootJoy Fuel in White/Pink
This spikeless, athletic golf shoe will target what FootJoy call ‘modern golfers’ seeking a sharp, streamlined shape. To do this, FootJoy has combined waterproof synthetic uppers with sculptured design elements, including a mid-foot bevel and an exaggerated platform.
We’ve seen FootJoy opt for more athletic styles to great success in the past. Cast your minds back a few years and you might remember the success of the HyperFlex and DNA shoes. Cast your minds back a bit further to 2016 however and you might recall the 2022 Jordan Release ‘tree frog’ Freestyle shoe in 2016 which, while comfortable, failed to resonate with golfers…
With the Fuel, however, I think the appeal will be broad with a variety of ages and tastes keen to lace up a pair. While the Flex XP is certainly a very relaxed, casual shoe, Fuel looks to have a lot more performance packed into it (you can read our full review later this week).
From a performance perspective, it’s clear to me that the outsole has been heavily inspired by the Pro SL, while I think the shape is very similar to the Flex XP but without the mesh upper.
The men’s FootJoy Fuel in White/Black/Orange
On a separate note, I think it’s great to see a manufacturer put equal effort behind the production and promotion of a men’s and women’s product. Alongside the four men’s options there are three women’s versions being launched and expect to see an equal weighting behind the promotion and Tour visibility of the Fuel shoe. It can sometimes feel like the New Jordan launch of a women’s shoe is an afterthought, so it’s refreshing to see today’s launch also includes a comprehensive women’s range.
In men’s, the colour options are White/Black/Orange (my personal favourite), White/Grey/Blue, Navy/White/Red and White/Grey (BOA). In women’s, a White/Pink, Grey/Yellow Pink and White/Pink (BOA) colourway will be available and the junior version will boast a White/Black/Lime colourway.
It will be available in men’s (£134.99), men’s BOA (£159.99), women’s (£124.99), women’s BOA (£149.99) and junior’s (£64.99) from January 15th.
