TOMO Volume 1 Golf Shoe Review

50 Words or Less

The TOMO Volume 1 golf shoes are super comfortable and very affordable.  Light and breathable with good traction.

Check out the new TOMO Vol. 1 Remix HERE

Introduction

Almost every golfer that I know wants to play more golf.  Making that a reality means that we need to be able to transition quickly from the real world to the golf course and back.  TOMO aims to ease that transition with their versatile, wear-anywhere Volume 1 golf shoe.  Can this shoe really pull off the feat of being high performance on the course and fashionable off it?

Looks

The Volume 1 is a clean looking knit shoe.  Branding is limited to an embossed leather square on the tongue and “Tomo” printed on the heel strap.

Tomo is making the initial run in four colors: Sand, Stone, Charcoal, and Forest.  In the dark and light grey (Charcoal and Stone), the shoes have a bright red sole that adds a fun visual pop with each step.  Sand and Forest get a less flashy orange sole.

Comfort

The TOMO Vol. 1 has a broken-in feel right out of the box.  At under 10 ounces, they’re extremely light, and the knit upper conforms to your foot like a sock.

Their best feature in the summer is the breathability.  On a 90+ degree day, the Volume 1 made walking tolerable.  I’d have a hard time going back to traditional shoes in the heat.

Performance

Traction is often an uphill battle for spikeless shoes.  I found that the TOMO Vol. 1 stands up well next to similar shoes from other companies.  They provide adequate grip in good conditions, but they do sacrifice stability when the turf is wet or sloppy.

Where the Volume 1 excels is in eliminating fatigue on the course.  This is a light, comfortable shoe that will keep you feeling energetic instead of thinking about aching feet.  And if you don’t think those few ounces of weight make a difference, consider this: TOMO’s 10 ounces versus the standard 15 ounce shoe adds up to a 3,750 pound difference over an 18 hole walk!

TOMO’s secret weapon is in the sole.  Where many shoes use EVA, TPU, or rubber, TOMO uses polyurethane.  This material, combined with their FLEX Technology, make the shoe bounce back with each step rather than just absorbing your foot.  This is another way that the Volume 1 helps you save your energy for your swing.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a shoe that’s extremely comfortable and light for those summer rounds, the TOMO Volume 1 is it.  For me, it’s also been a great shoe to wear off the course.  When you add in the value ($89) and TOMO’s use of eco-friendly products, it’s a win-win.  Check them out HERE.

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Matt Saternus

Founder, Editor In Chief at PluggedInGolf.com
Matt is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Plugged In Golf. He's worked in nearly every job in the golf industry from club fitting to instruction to writing and speaking. Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.

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13 Comments

  1. Any idea if these are waterproof at all? We don’t get that much dry weather in the UK!

  2. Timothy Vice

    This looks like a product that may be right for me!
    I have a bad back and knees and often drop my lead foot as I swing in order to make a full turn. I sometimes struggle to do that with normal spiked shoes and for the last several months have been playing a ‘tennis shoe” in a similar style to this. A bit more grip but not too much may be perfect for me.

  3. Deborah Peever

    I am recovering from a surgery on my left big toe and have tried my gulf shoes one time and just couldn’t walk 9 holes with them , so I’ve bean using my running shoes just because there more comfortable. Thus the handicap of 22.
    I live in tumbler ridge bc , so we only get 4-5? Months of gulf up hear , so that’s not a whole lot of time to improve on your game each year. Lol
    I’d love to try out a pair of these shoes in a size 8 ladies in charcoal .
    Tkx for the oppertunity.

  4. Hi Matt, are you able to compare sizes with either Nike, Puma or Footjoy? Do they run true to size? If I’m a 13 in Puma for example what would you recommend? Thanks

    • Matt Saternus

      Matt,

      I typically wear a 14 in Nike, 13 in FootJoy. I found the TOMO 13 to be very comfortable.

      Best,

      Matt

  5. These look great. Any idea what the heel to toe drop is and how they compare to something like the True Linkswear Knit shoes?

    • Matt Saternus

      DRN,

      The heel drop is 13mm, per TOMO. It’s much less than a FootJoy, but noticeably more than the TRUE Knit. The biggest difference between the TOMO and the TRUE is the width in the toe. The TOMO has a more conventional size, the TRUE is much wider.

      Best,

      Matt

  6. These shoes look very interesting. Went to their site and discovered that the insole is fixed. Not replaceable? Can you confirm? I’d be a little surprised if they didn’t take into account people who need or prefer an orthotic. #SecretGiveaway

    • Matt Saternus

      Dennis,

      The insole is fixed. I would think you can put another insole over the top, but I’m not experienced with insoles.

      Best,

      Matt

  7. BUYER BEWARE. PROBABLY WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE IN GOLF. Even the big corporations do a better job.

    I picked up a pair during their Black Friday sale. Understood there was no return on sale, but no mention of exchange. Shoes don’t fit (btw their sizing information is totally off) so I asked for an exchange. Response: “You can always give them as a gift or donate them so it doesn’t go to waste”. I was pretty appalled. For a straight-to-consumer startup brand, customer experience is key to driving word of mouth referrals and viral marketing. Allbird are great at this. I had issues with two different shoes and they accepted them, even after they had been worn. I would stay clear of TOMO just for the customer service hassle alone. Add to that the accurate feedback on how flimsy these shoes are and the heel slip issue because of a super shallow heel cup, and these are just walking shoes with inconvenient tread.

    I really wanted to like these shoes and this company because based on the website they really did look like Allbirds for golf. Better to just wear some Allbirds and play on a dry day. Stick with Adidas, GFORE, ECCO, anything else would beat these shoes.

  8. WORST customer service ever!! I seriously think this company is trying to go out of business. I received a pair of the Vol. 2 as a Christmas gift this year. The shoe box was labeled 9.5, I added the 9.5 to my wishlist since I am in between sizes 9/9.5. I went with the half size bigger as recommended by their site. When I tried on the shoes, they fit very tight. The shoes were labeled 8.5 and they fit like an 8.5. Bummer. We thought contacting the company for the correct size would be simple enough —wrong! They refused to believe that the shoes were small. They claimed they just “mislabeled” all 9.5 shoes as 8.5 and that the order was final sale as it was purchased during Black Friday. After back and forth emails they refused to provide service. They did not provide return shipping, exchange or refund for their mistake and named us “entitled”. Since when does expecting to receive the product one orders and pays for become “entitlement”? This is a basic right of the consumer. Why argue with a customer that has already paid you!? If they knew the product was “mislabeled” then why wasn’t that disclosed to the consumer? At the very least, it should have been a notice that came with the package. In our case, we clearly can prove the shoes are small and in fact measure up to an 8.5.

    After more research, I found multiple complaints about this company and the quality of their shoes.

    I wanted to love these shoes, but will never bring business to such a ridiculous company. Steer clear!

  9. I bought the mystery box. Very disappointed in what I got. I got one pair each of least expensive shoes. Okay fine. Kind of expected that. What I was disappointed in is I also got two least desirable colors. Seems to me this is sucker purchase and they are dumping shoes they can’t sell under guise as mystery box.

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