Ecco Street Review

Ecco Street and Street Premiere

Grade: A (Street); B (Street Premiere)
Teacher’s Comments: A good walking shoe. The Street gets a higher grade than the Premiere for me because it feels slightly wider.

hen Ecco introduced the “Street,” it created a new category of golf shoe—one that has more in common with Sketchers than with the traditional oxford. They actually remind me of the Keds or low top Chucks everyone wore when I was young.

That’s where the resemblance ends, though. There’s no canvas in sight and the interior is that of a modern walking shoe. On my black pair, the uppers are constructed of distressed camel leather—no need for polish there. The interiors are lined with a micro fiber, and the insoles are nicely padded and supporting. After several rounds of walking (including one particularly tough hike), I’ve found that they’re an absolutely marvelous shoe.

The non-traditional design of the Street extends to the soles. In lieu of metal or plastic spikes, the Streets have small rubber knobs. Like several spikeless shoes I’ve tried lately, they don’t look like they’d provide the stability of more traditional designs, but I really can’t tell the difference. The Streets provide for me just as much stability as the more traditional Ecco golf shoes I own.

The spikeless design, and the looks of the Street make it easy to just put them on before I Ieave the house and wear them straight to the course. I can even stop at a store on the way home without feeling out-of-place.

In terms of fit, I found that the Streets ran a half size larger than expected. Eccos use European sizing—their 44, for example, is a US 10 - 10.5—and I found I needed a 43 rather than my usual 44. There’s actually plenty of toe room left even at 43. The Streets also are a bit more narrow than my other Eccos. I fixed that, though, by loosening the laces and wearing them around the house for a while. They’re fine now.

What I appreciate most about the Ecco Street is that they’re a walking shoe. Like the True golf shoes I reviewed earlier, the Streets seem designed from the start for players on the hoof. Fred Couples is the most famous proponent of these shoes, but I’ve also noticed them on Vijay Singh. Along with the True and my Ecco GTX shoes, these now are in the rotation (I try to wear a different pair each time out—especially in the summer, when I’m walking several times a week. It evens out the wear).

My one complaint: they aren’t waterproof (to be fair, Ecco’s literature does point this out). Indeed, they really aren’t even dew proof. That, I found out on one of my early morning rounds. By hole two, the shoes were soaked. By four, my socks were wet, too. Fortunately, I had on a pair of wool hikers and it didn’t ruin the round. But I learned my lesson. They only come out now when I’m sure that it’ll be dry.

In addition to the Black/Moonless Streets, I also have a pair of white Street Premiere. I am not quite as enamored with those, though. There’s a sewn-in strap on the side that offers some visual interest, but it also makes the shoe tighter through the sides. I haven’t been able to wear these in nearly as well as the basic Street. I think I’m going to give them to Thing One (the teenager) to wear when I take him and Thing Two out for our father-son outings.

In defense of the Street Premiere: I have wide feet and have always needed shoes with a larger toe box. If you don’t suffer with these afflictions, I think the Street Premiere would be a terrific shoe.

I can’t help but compare these shoes to the True Linkswear shoes that I reviewed earlier. The two are similar in that they’re spikeless and a terrific walking shoe. Either are a terrific choice. The Streets, however, are a bit more stiff in the sole and feel more like a traditional shoe. I suspect there will be golfers who prefer this feel to the more glove-like fit of the True Linkswears. I like both.

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