Kankura Scottsdale Pro 4 Shoe Review

Introduction

Ever hear of Kankura Golf before now? Well, you’re not alone – and probably from the U.S. Turns out Kankura is a well established golf footwear brand in Europe. I got my first look at their shoes at the 2016 PGA Show in Orlando and was fortunate enough to learn about the brand straight from Global Manager, Rui Oliveira. Kankura does all their manufacturing in Portugal with the skilled hands and watchful eyes of true craftsman. Kankura offers a fascinating peek at the process with short videos that display the fusion of centuries-old methods and state of the art techniques.

Comfort

The first thing my eyes noticed was the weight – the shoes looked heavy. I was pleasantly surprised when I lifted the Kankura Scottsdale Pro 4 out of the box as it actually felt lighter than a traditional heeled, classic shoe. Slipping on the shoe, the foam footbed was softer than I expected and provided a fair amount of cushioning. Overall the shoes were a little wide for my normal width foot. Wearing a thicker style of sock like Kentwool took care of that, but the toe box still had some extra wiggle room. Both the rubber sole and mesh uppers are very flexible. All combined, the Scottsdale Pro 4 is a very comfortable shoe that required no break in time.

Looks

For me, the Kankura Scottsdale Pro 4 was love at first sight. So unique with the blending of modern fabric uppers and a traditional heel. And the navy and orange color combination wasn’t one I’d ever seen in a golf shoe. What I learned parading them around was not everyone shared my opinion – a bit too European looking for some it turns out. Luckily the Scottsdale comes in other, more traditional looking colorways.

Performance

Performance turned out to be a complicated area of evaluation. A traditional heeled shoe is normally designed to provide a stable platform, whereas the Kankura Scottsdale Pro 4 sole and uppers offer flexibility for moderate mobility. Shoes with a lot of mobility generally have very little heel lift, and if you have been wearing such shoes, the Scottsdale will feel very awkward at first. The wider toe box of the Kankura Scottsdale Pro 4 does fit the mobility profile and allows for focus on particular areas of your foot during the swing.

In hot and humid conditions I enjoyed the breathability of the proprietary fabric called Ondry, which is also waterproof. The bottom line is the Kankura Scottsdale Pro 4 blends modern design elements for a shoe that performs well in the golf swing, including providing great traction.

Conclusion

The modern styling of the Kankura Scottsdale Pro 4 may not appeal to everyone, but I really like the fresh look. The combination of great performance and comfort has made me a new Kankura fan. If you can’t visit a store in Europe, you’ll need to order online and remember sizes are listed as UK. While at the PGA show, the Kankura folks fit me for 8.5 U.K. which is 9 U.S. For reference, my default typical size is 9.5 U.S.

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Matt Meeker

Senior Writer at Plugged In Golf

Matt - aka 'Meeks' - lives in the beautiful Lowcountry of South Carolina with his wife who allows his golf obsession to stretch the limits of normalcy.