I had my eye on the Ecco Biom Hybrid shoes for quite some time before I received the email saying a pair was on the way for review. Needless to say, I was excited with the good news.
I’ve recently tested a number of shoes, each providing unique departures from the more traditional, classic tour shoes I’ve worn through the first couple decades of playing the game. The ECCO Biom Golf Hybrid shoes were particularly appealing based on knowing what a solid job ECCO already does on shoes in the first place. It’s also been intriguing to see discerning touring pros, like Freddy Couples and Graeme McDowell, starting to sport the ECCO brand on tour stops – adding additional and immediate credibility.
The ECCO Biom Golf Hybrid shoes were particularly appealing to me for a couple reasons. First off, I like the classic tennis shoe look in casual shoes I wear off the course, and the Biom Golf Hybrid certainly captures that look. It’s probably not the wisest move for longevity’s sake, but I find myself wearing the shoes after the round, in the clubhouse bar and on the way home. They really feel like a great pair of everyday shoes. Secondly, the common aspects of the wave of hybrid shoes has long been appealing and made me curious how they would perform against the more rigid and traditional golf shoe.
There are a number of features of the shoes that immediately jump out at you. The one that first caught my eye was the configuration of the knobs on the bottom of the shoe. As you’ll see from a number of the pictures here, there is a significant quantity of them (pushing 100 according to the website) – providing support for a multitude of what ECCO refers to as “traction angles”. The material used for construction of the sole is Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) – which research has shown lasts five times longer than rubber.
Most of the rounds of golf I’ve played in the shoes so far have been on hot, dry days. The biggest performance tests for those days are typically on the tight lies of sunburned bent grass fairways. I noticed no issues with slipping or sliding during any swings. The knobs are small, but very rigid, which hold up well for maintaining position during the torque and lateral forces of a common golf swing.
The next feature I noticed was the feel of the leather used on the upper portion of the shoe. ECCO uses Yak leather in dressing the Biom Golf Hybrid – something I’ve never had in my personal collection, on or off the course. It’s a very smooth, soft material – that advertises itself as being highly breathable. The heat and humidity of mid-summer rounds in North Carolina have provided a fantastic test for this assertion.
Growing up, I never wore socks during rounds – can’t really explain why specifically, other than to just say it felt right. I have not been able to do this since our move to North Carolina, as the heat is just too much, and I end up slipping inside the shoe too much. I decided to give it a shot with my new ECCO Biom Golf Hybrids.
I found two things – both very positive. The insert for the shoe is extremely comfortable and very well put together, providing a padding that is only rivaled by my favorite pair of OluKai flip-flops. The other welcomed aspect of the Yak leather is its breathability – which was put to the test with my playing sockless. I found through the round that my feet did not slip around in the shoe, and were kept firmly in place through walking and during the swing. I also found the overall comfort of the shoes to be outstanding.
Another aspect that golfers demand from a good golf shoe is solid weatherproofing. The shoe is water-repellent, and held up nicely on the one wet-condition day I have golfed thus far. I was concerned that the Yak leather exterior may be a little delicate in terms of durability and wear – but was put at ease quickly when I saw both the appearance and physical makeup of the shoe bounce back nicely from a wet, sloppy day on the course.
I’ll close with an intangible – the look and feel overall of the ECCO Biom Golf Hybrid shoes. One of my favorite pairs of non-golf shoes are my Adidas Rod Laver’s. They are actually very similar – in my opinion – to the general look of these ECCO’s. There are obviously differences in material, structure, etc – but it’s worth noting that my goal in golfing in hybrid shoes has been to feel like I’m in a comfortable pair of casual shoes, while not giving up any of the performance characteristics required to hold up through a round of golf. These Biom Golf Hybrid shoes have exceeded my expectations.
From the unique look of the reflective branding on the tongue, to the standout look of the red laces and silver eyelets – and on to look and performance of the BIOM’s stabilization bars at the base of the shoe – the ECCO Biom Golf Hybrid shoes fit perfectly and has held up extremely well through tough summer weather conditions. I look forward to many more comfortable walks in these shoes – both on and off the course.
Wanna see more pictures of these Ecco Biom Hybrids? Check out the photo album on our Facebook page.
