Golfers are always looking to technology for nominal improvements in their games. In no other sport do professionals and amateurs alike obsess over their equipment as we do in golf: clubs, balls, training aids, apparel, and footwear.
Recently, I wore golf shoes with the Boa Fit System for the very first time. I was blown away by my ability to dial in the perfect “fit”. Boa and their partners in golf (Adidas, ECCO, FootJoy, and Nike) have transcended footwear from mere golf shoes to performance-enhancing equipment for your feet. Admittedly, I have avoided Boa in the past because I was uncertain about the appearance. That is no longer the case. Now Boa and their partners offer cutting edge technology, superior fit, AND shoes that dial in the style (with a legitimate presence on the PGA Tour this season–which is the ultimate in product validation).
Overview of the Boa Fit System
Boa has redefined the future of “fit”. How do they do this? If you aren’t familiar with the technology, each Boa system is engineered to exacting standards made up of three integral parts:
- A dial adjusts fit with precision and allows for quick release.
- Lightweight, super-strong laces.
- Low-friction guides to ensure a smooth closure, every time.
In a nutshell, compared to laces, Boa allows you to dial in the perfect tension that securely and consistently wraps the shoes around your feet. Over the course of your round, there is no chance that the lacing system will loosen or come undone. The technology is exceptionally easy to use and if you feel like you want to tighten or loosen your shoes throughout the round, it adjusts quickly on the fly.
Boa on Tour
Director of Consumer Marketing at FootJoy, Chris Garrett told me in an email, “Generally speaking, once a player tries Boa, they tend to stick with it.”
This got me wondering; why aren’t more guys wearing Boa on Tour? And who is wearing it?
By my calculations, there are currently 14 PGA Tour Pros wearing Boa in 2019. This is up from last year. There are currently eight players wearing Boa in the top 100 Official World Golf Rankings and six more who are within the top 275 (OWGR as of 03/20/2019). Half of the PGA Tour pros wearing Boa were born outside of the United States and FootJoy has the largest presence of athletes (11) wearing it on Tour.
Adidas TOUR360 EQT Boa
Jon Rahm (OWGR 10) of Spain has worn Adidas Boa since he turned professional in 2016. For the past couple of seasons, he has dialed in the Adidas TOUR360 EQT Boa. The TOUR360 EQT offers Boost cushioning and the Boa closure system placed on the outside of the shoe with IP1 incremental pull-and-push for customizable micro-adjustability.
Li Haotong (OWGR 38) of China has worn the Adidas TOUR360 EQT Boa exclusively since he switched to Adidas in January 2018.
Adidas Forgefiber Boa
Although the recently released Adidas Forgefiber Boa does not have a presence on the PGA Tour (yet), I felt it deserved mention. This spikeless shoe is the first golf model to feature Boa’s textile laces and guides, which go perfectly with the textile upper of this shoe and provides an adaptive feel and customized fit. It also utilizes Forgefiber technology for the first time in golf footwear; providing a lightweight shoe with extra stability in strategically targeted areas through advanced stitching construction.
FootJoy Pro/SL Boa
FootJoy is the original golf shoe partner of Boa. As a result, they are the only shoe manufacturer where the dial is placed on the heel. This Boa dial placement has the lacing system running along each side of the shoe and it wears a little narrower, especially in the heel. However, it also tightens around the heel and instep (by pulling the foot back into the heel of the shoe), making for an even more secure and snug fit.
“The FJ Pro/SL Boa fits perfectly right out of the box so I can dial in and play my best.” — Louis Oosthuizen
South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen (OWGR 27) began wearing the spikeless FootJoy Pro/SL Boa at the 2017 Players Championship and has worn it exclusively ever since. Louis is one of seven players on Tour wearing the very popular FJ Pro/SL Boa.
“Mr. Ryder Cup” Ian Poulter of England (OWGR 32) has been dialing in the style since April of 2017.
Byeong Hun An (OWGR 51) of South Korea has been wearing FootJoy Boa since June 2016.
American, Luke List (OWGR 66) is known for his prodigious drives and he rips them while wearing Boa.
Californian, Charley Hoffman (OWGR 86) is the longest-tenured pro wearing Boa, dating back to the beginning of Boa in 2012. Charley was still rocking the mullet when he began wearing the technology. Consider him a Boa OG.
Michael Thompson (OWGR 131) grew up in Arizona and earned a golf scholarship to Tulane in 2003. He had to transfer to the University of Alabama in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina forced Tulane to disband their golf team.
Arkansas native Austin Cook (OWGR 151) began wearing FootJoy Boa towards the end of the 2018 season and never looked back.
FootJoy Fury Boa
Floridian, Sam Saunders (OWGR 270) and Rory Sabbatini (216) of South Africa both began to turn it up in 2019 with FootJoy’s latest spiked offering. FJ Fury is designed from the inside-out and features the proprietary TruFit System, which offers stability and comfort and comes with the option of the Boa Fit System.
FootJoy DryJoys Tour (coming soon with Boa?)
American, Patrick Cantlay (OWGR 19) started wearing what appears to be custom FootJoy DryJoys Tours with Boa in 2019. These currently are not available for sale but I have to imagine they will be coming our way soon.
FootJoy D.N.A. Helix Boa
Canadian, Roger Sloan (OWGR 259) is the only player on the PGA Tour wearing the FJ D.N.A. Helix Boa. This athletically inspired spiked shoe offers extreme comfort and Tour-level performance.
Nike Lunar Command 2 Boa
Diaper Dandy, Wyndham Clark is a fine example of once a golfer switches to Boa, he sticks with it. Nike offers the Vapor Pro Boa but not to their Tour athletes. As a result, Clark has been wearing an older version of the Nike Lunar Command 2 Boa on Tour this season.
ECCO BIOM G3 Boa
I am always amazed that ECCO does not have more of a presence on the PGA Tour. Despite this, any discussion of Boa would be incomplete without mentioning ECCO. Their shoe is beautiful, exceptionally crafted, and performs as well as any shoe I’ve ever worn. The ECCO BIOM G3 Boa offers incredibly tough and lightweight Yak leather and GORE-TEX technology for unsurpassed waterproof protection and breathability.
I haven’t tried the Boa laces because I like to change up the shoe lace color of my shoes for fun. I bet they dial in the fit well.