FootJoy HyperFlex vs adidas Tour360 24: two spiked waterproofs, and the choice is knit that walks or leather that braces

The buggies go back in the shed somewhere around the end of October. At most parkland courses that is when winter golf turns into walking golf, often on ground that is soft and sloping and that sticks to everything. Three and a half hours of that is a different test from a summer round, and the shoe that passes it depends on what gives out first, your legs or your footing.

The FootJoy HyperFlex at around $200 and the adidas Tour360 24 at around $200 are two of the most obvious answers. Both are spiked, both are sold as waterproof, and they list within a pound of each other. Beyond that they are built for different golfers.

What this piece is not re-arguing

Whether you need spikes in winter at all is a question about your course, not your shoe. We covered that in the ground changes before the sky does, including why replaceable cleats beat a moulded sole on heavy ground. We also covered leather against knit as an upper that has to last several seasons in the Pro/SLX review. This piece starts from the assumption that you have decided on a spiked waterproof shoe, and asks which of these two.

The waterproofing is a draw

Start with what the box says, because it settles less than people expect. FootJoy claims 100 per cent waterproof protection for the HyperFlex, through a durable, easy-to-clean coating on its ControlKNIT upper, and backs it with a one-year waterproof warranty. adidas gives the Tour360 24 a waterproof leather upper, and Snainton lists the same one-year waterproof warranty. Neither brand promises more than the other on paper. If you were choosing on dry feet, you would be choosing on how the shoe looks.

Underneath: six low cleats against seven and lugs

The HyperFlex runs six low-profile Pulsar cleats by SoftSpikes per shoe. The Tour360 24 has seven of adidas's green-friendly ThinTech cleats plus what adidas calls strategically placed lugs, a secondary layer of moulded traction between them. On paper the adidas puts more points into the ground and the FootJoy sits lower to it. In mud the extra cleat and the lugs give more grip per step. On firmer winter ground, a low-profile cleat feels less like walking on studs.

One practical point for whichever you buy. The two shoes use different cleat systems, so a packet of replacements bought for one will not necessarily fit the other. Check the system before you buy spares, and buy them before the first set is worn, not after.

Where they really differ: flex or torsion

This is the decision. The HyperFlex is built to bend. ControlKNIT is a spiral-wound engineered knit, the midsole is StratoFOAM over an OrthoLite FitBed, and FootJoy describes the OptiFlex outsole as one that bends naturally with your foot to reduce walking fatigue. The TruFIT system holds the heel in place. All of it is aimed at the walk. On a hilly parkland course in December, the walk is most of the round.

The Tour360 24 is built to resist twisting. Its waterproof leather upper has adidas's 360Wrap support, and underneath it the Torsion Bridge is a see-through piece of construction that adidas says strengthens torsion control and stability. MyGolfSpy describes the cushioning as a Jet BOOST heel with a Lightstrike forefoot, which is soft where you land and firmer where you push off. This is a tour shoe in the old sense. It is designed so the foot cannot roll inside the shoe when you swing hard, and a shoe built that way is stiffer to walk in.

In plain terms, the HyperFlex puts its effort into the eighteen walks between shots and the Tour360 24 into the moment you swing. On a soft, sloping winter lie, a braced shoe keeps your back foot where you put it. Over the back nine, a flexible shoe stops your feet giving out. You are deciding which of those you notice more.

Fit, and the price you will actually pay

Both come in regular and wide fittings at Snainton, which is worth more than it sounds. A shoe that fits a broad foot does more for stability than any outsole. If your feet are broad, take the wide fitting on the HyperFlex rather than sizing up in the regular. Knit forgives a foot it does not quite fit. Structured leather, built to hold the foot still, generally does not, and it usually wants a few rounds before it stops feeling stiff.

On price, the list figures are almost identical, but the Tour360 24 is a 2024 shoe and is being priced like one. When I checked, Snainton had it marked down well below the figure on our page, while the HyperFlex was much closer to its own. If the adidas suits your swing, you will probably pay less for it. If it does not, a discount does not change that.

Who should buy which

Buy the HyperFlex if you walk your winter golf, your course is hilly or heavy, and your feet or legs are what fade on the back nine. It is the comfort pick with proper cleats. It is the one I would recommend to most club golfers who play through the winter, because most of them are walking, not hitting it 300 yards.

Buy the Tour360 24 if you swing hard and have felt your back foot move on a wet downhill lie, if you want a leather shoe that looks the part in the clubhouse, or if you simply like a firm, planted feel under the swing and can live with a stiffer walk. It is also the one to buy on price if a retailer has it discounted and the fit is right.

Skip both if your winter golf is on a links or sand-based course that stays firm, where a spikeless shoe is the right tool all year. Skip both too if your current spiked pair still has a good upper and just needs fresh cleats, because that costs a fraction of either. For the rest of the field, the waterproof golf shoes guide has more options.