Nike Golf

Nike Golf

Nike has long been associated with quality sportswear, but it took over a decade of success before the brand released its first golfing silhouette in 1984. Since then, Nike Golf has harnessed heritage and innovation to create a collection of stylish and high-performing golf shoes.

In the beginning, Nike Golf stuck to traditional leather golf shoes like the sophisticated Saddle Oxford or the flamboyant Fallbrook and Women’s Colwood, with their fringed leather ‘kilties’. To help promote these designs, pro player Seve Ballesteros was recruited in 1985, and, one year later, the brand embedded itself deeper within the culture by signing the University of Georgia women’s team. Partnerships with other top golfers, including Curtis Strange and Juli Inkster, followed, and by the early 1990s, Nike had become title sponsor for the PGA’s developmental tour. Meanwhile, its designers developed more athletic-looking golf shoes like the Air Approach alongside conventional silhouettes such as the Air Classic Pro.

Nike Golf signed Tiger Woods in 1996, his record-breaking performances taking the brand to the top of the sport. The department was officially established as a separate business entity in 1998, launching its debut golf ball followed by its first club in 2002 and eventually becoming the second most popular producer of golfing footwear behind the long-established FootJoy in 2003.

In 2013, Nike Golf signed the latest world number 1, Rory McIlroy, and agreed a contract extension with Woods. Both resulted in groundbreaking golf shoes, with the Tiger Woods 13 featuring barefoot-running Nike Free technology, and McIlroy’s interest in classic sneakers leading to the Air Zoom 90 IT in 2016 and, later, the Air Max 90 G, which, apart from a waterproofed upper and updated outsole, looks exactly like Tinker Hatfield’s iconic original.

Around this time, Nike Golf stopped designing balls and clubs to focus on its footwear and apparel. New silhouettes followed, with 2019’s Air Max 1 G, its 2023 variant, the OG ‘86, and 2025’s Air Max Plus G offering a blend of heritage style and performance for casual players. The brand also worked with top-level elites to produce outstanding high-performance models supported by cutting-edge technologies. There is McIlroy’s suave Victory Tour series, launched in 2019 with Zoom Air cushioning and a sophisticated leather upper, and Brooks Koepka’s running-inspired Infinity Tour, released in 2020 with a Zoom Air Strobel and React foam. In 2023, Nike created the Victory Pro as an accessible option, but with 2025’s second iteration, world number one Scottie Scheffler was enlisted to upgrade it to a professional-quality shoe with unique stability features designed around his distinctive footwork. Meanwhile, in 2024, women’s number one Nelly Korda took to the course in the new Nike Free Golf, which, inspired by the TW 13, is built for comfort and flexibility.

Nike Golf has built its success through bold innovation and masterful athlete partnerships. Its modern-day golf shoes are incredibly popular, with a line-up to suit everyone from the fashion-conscious to the consummate professional and even the top-ranked elite.