FootJoy Premiere Series (Tarlow, Flint, Packard, and Field) and Fuel Golf Shoes Review: 2022 PGAPappas 12 Days of Christmas Golf Giveaway DAY 1

Let's start Day 1 of my PGAPappas 12 Days of Christmas this year with a choice for you!  You can choose any model of my favorite FootJoy shoes of all time, The Premiere Series.  Heck, even Tiger Woods is wearing FJ Premiere now.  Each shoe in this series - The Tarlow, the Flint, the Packard, and the Field all get my highest praise with exquisite details, hypnotizing beauty, and unrestrained performance.  Absolute proof golf shoes really can make your mouth water.

Or you can also choose the sporty and very popular spikeless FootJoy Fuel golf shoes.  You probably saw Max Homa, Will Zalatoris, and Jessica Korda wearing Fuel regularly throughout this past season.

I already reviewed all of these shoes for you this season, but will highlight a few points here again and touch on some differences between them since one of you will win your very own pair of brand new FJ Premiere Series shoes or FJ Fuel shoes.  Choose any style, any color, any size you want.  Go crazy.

Let's start with the Premiere Series Tarlow.  Inspired by Bill and Dick Tarlow who brought FootJoy into business in 1957, Tarlow are crafted with a timeless cap toe design, natural grain pebbled leather, croc print in the heel and cap, and gorgeous contrast stitching.

 

Tarlow are ultra-lightweight, comfortable, waterproof, and exceptionally breathable.  Actually all three shoes in the Premiere Series are.  Tarlow are lined with luxuriously soft sheepskin, and come in a spiked option only.

The Flint is offered in a spiked and spikeless option (depending on the color you choose).  And FootJoy also made these from soft Pittard's leather like Tarlow and Packard.  Flint was inspired by Perley Flint, a Harvard grad and avid golfer who designed FootJoy's first golf shoe in the 1920s. 

 

Flint has only three eyelets on each side for a sophisticated, old-school look.  You might think fewer eyelets means a looser fit.  But they lace up perfectly snug just like Tarlow and Packard.  Flint is lined with microfiber (unlike the sheepskin lining of the Tarlow and Packard), and honestly all are just decadently comfortable.

And a quick mention on the outsoles.  All three shoes use VersaTrax+ outsoles which feature tread patterns of different shape, position, and firmness that want to grab everything.  And the spiked versions are seven ways to Sunday grippy.  Utterly phenomenal traction.  Even the spikeless Flint option however delivers fantastic grip in probably all but the worst conditions.  Great stability, and great grab of the turf.

The Packard are inspired by FootJoy founder and pioneer Frederick Packard, and feature a calfskin croc print that accents the saddle area from the pebbled leather upper.  And again with that sublime stitching... (pointing/waving finger) you're good FootJoy.  These are also the style Tiger wears now.

 

Packard come in a spiked option only, lined with that sumptuous sheepskin, and like Tarlow and Flint are completely waterproof, breathable, and and extremely lightweight.

And last but not lease are the Field.  Field are FootJoy's latest thoroughbred on to the Premiere Series collection.  A derby style shoe, pretty much characterized by lace eyelets being set into two side flaps that close over the tongue.  This iconic style of shoe is the original format most sneaker designs follow to this day.  It's a fundamental style that looks fantastic as a formal or casual option.

 

From a fit perspective the FJ Field feel lighter than any shoes in the Premiere Series line-up.  The Tarlow and Packard are spiked so that makes sense.  But Field feel a tad lighter than even the spikeless Flint.  Padding around the ankle is sublimely soft and similar with all four Premiere Series shoes.

Of all the shoes in the Premiere Series line-up, Field probably has the most subtle elegance.  Meticulously constructed but a very minimalist approach where even the pebbled grain leather is soft in appearance.  With clean lines and a sporty heel tab, Field are charming and rugged at same time.  And with the right outfit Field's vibe can be savage beast or perfect gentleman.

So clearly... you can tell I love the Premiere Series.  All three styles also feature an Ortholite EcoPlush FitBed, which gives you both added support in the heel, and extremely comfortable underfoot cushioning.  If I had to choose right now, one model of FootJoy shoes to wear for the rest of my life?  It would be the Premiere Series.

 

The Premiere Series collection are pretty much shoes without weakness.  The timeless, classic styles are masterfully crafted with no details overlooked.  The lightweight, performance packed, show-stopping elegance will arouse the traditionalist in you.  These are just completely and utterly glorious.

With the Fuel, FootJoy has basically taken some of the best features and technologies of other shoes in their line, and combined, adapted, and enhanced them to create an entirely new model of FJ golf shoe.  Which is why I like to say FJ went ALL IN with the new FJ Fuel.

What makes Fuel such a great shoe to me is they clearly have aspects of the FootJoy Pro/SL, the HyperFlex, the Flex LE, and even the Stratos incorporated into them.  So yes, Fuel is a new model, but it's also a familiar face.

Starting with the fit, Fuel has a snug molded fit like the Flex LE but with more stability both in terms of traction and all around the foot (and in this sense it's more like a Pro/SL).  So let's say you've loved the comfort of Flex, but wished it had a bit more stability and advanced traction?  Well Fuel gives you everything you want now.  You could also call Fuel a lighter weight option to Pro/SL.

In terms of cushioning, the Fuel insole is softer than Pro/SL and even Flex, but not quite as cushiony as the HyperFlex.  And here again we're talking about FootJoy giving you more options to find a shoe that meets more of the performance aspects you want.  So if you want a stable shoe with great traction but a firmer feel than HyperFlex (and also a lower to the ground sensation), well Fuel gives it to you.

Even the new material Fuel uses is designed to give you the best of all worlds.  It's not leather, but the synthetic upper is fully waterproof like Pro/SL.  More flexible than Pro/SL it's very soft, though not quite as plush as Stratos.  And it gives you a more lightweight waterproof option than either of those shoes.  Say you're deciding between Pro/SL and Fuel?  Well Fuel uses very similar outsole traction technology, but its a lighter shoe with a slightly softer insole.  Again, FootJoy giving you all kinds of options like some kind of glorious golf shoe buffet.

 

Remember you always have three different ways to win the daily gifts in my giveaway this year.  On twitter just retweet my giveaway announcement and follow all; on Instagram repost, mention in your story, or like, and follow all; and here on my blog leave a comment in the section below in the daily review/giveaway, Jingle Bam, and Letters from Santa articles.

These gifts are great prizes of course, but also some of the best equipment and gear in their class that I played and reviewed this season.  And I hope these mini reviews and recaps give you an idea of why I rate them so highly.

Merry Christmas all!