Ecco Cage Pro Review: Are they Ecco’s Best Golf Shoe?

A couple of years ago, I had one of the most pleasant golfing surprises of my life.

I first wore a pair of Ecco golf shoes.

Now, as you might know, I’m generally a Nike guy, and I love the half a dozen or so pairs of Nike’s I have – but I’d always heard good things about Eccos.

They’re expensive, but if you’re going to spend 4-6 hours a round in them trudging up and down hills, then spending an extra $60-80 for something is totally fine if they make my feet happier.

The pair I got were the Ecco Biom Hybrid 2s, and they have become my favorite golf shoes ever.

When I wear them, I don’t feel like I’m wearing golf shoes, they’re that comfortable to walk in.

I’ve hardly ever lost traction with them, or missed the traditional spikes, and the leather is the softest I’ve seen on a golf shoe.

They aren’t quite as waterproof as some of the other beefier shoes out there, but for summer rounds, these can’t be beat.

The other benefit of the Eccos is that they can look like street shoes.

Not that I’d wear them out for a night on the town, but let’s say I’m in NYC and hopping on a train to get out to a course – to be able to have shoes that I can inconspicuously walk around town in, without having to bring a second pair, is a huge benefit to me.

So, I was pretty excited when a couple months ago, a new pair of Eccos showed up on my front door with all of the latest and greatest they have to offer.

Enter the Ecco Cage Pro.

Update: Check out my more recent review of the Ecco Biom Hybrid 3 golf shoes. Personally, I like them even more than these.

First Impressions of the Ecco Cage Pro

The Cage Pro is similar in style to the Biom Hybrid’s but also completely different as well.

Upon opening the box and first checking them out, the same supple leather was there – off to a good start.

But when you turn over the shoe, that’s when you really notice something different.

The “Spydr-Grip” outsole, is easily one of the most unique soles I’ve ever seen for any shoe.

Unique Spydr-Grip sole

One of the goals was to create a shoe with excellent traction, that didn’t suffer from some of the typical woes of spikeless golf shoes – like the clogging you get from the typical waffle patterns (which I definitely experience in both my Biom Hybrids as well as my Lunar Waverlys).

And they certainly succeeded here.

The Cage represents the connecting of the heel and the midsole, which you can definitely see when looking at the shoe.

As I kind of expected after seeing the Cage design, these shoes feel stiffer and more supportive than the Hybrids.

I wear a size 12 (or 46 in European sizes), and I found there to be a little extra room in the toe box than I would usually expect for a size 12. According to Ecco it’s to add more room for breathability, but it was enough space that I’ve found wearing a second set of socks to be helpful, which does just enough to make the fit almost perfect.

The rest of the shoe fit really well, and didn’t take much time to break in. They felt right at home on my feet and on the course by the second round.

Like you would expect from a $200 shoe (golf or not), everything about this shoe feels premium. It’s very clear this isn’t your typical $60 golf shoe from Golf Galaxy…wait, that’s not a thing any more, is it…

You get my point.

Ecco Cage Pro Performance

So they’re comfortable, made of the highest quality materials, but how did they perform?

Short answer? Great.

I first took them out for a morning round in Central Oregon last month, where there was a still a little dew out on the course – and I had zero issues with traction.

I was able to confidently turn and make a swing – which given the funky design, I wouldn’t say I was surprised by, but it was nice to see the shoe live up to it’s billing.

My biggest concern with the shoe is related to durability of the sole. I have no doubt the rest of the shoe will survive great, but the sole does feel relatively soft, and the spider-cage doesn’t exactly have long thick spikes.

My Ecco Cage Pros

I’d venture a guess that Ecco has tested this, and it’s a non-issue, but I found myself wondering “will these really last a couple of seasons”.

Time will tell, but so far through half a dozen rounds they have been great.

Also worth noting, the Cage Pros definitely felt beefier and more stable than the Hybird 2s, and while they are very comfortable golf shoes, they probably aren’t quite as comfortable as my previous pair.

Conclusion

Ecco has come out with a slightly gimmicky, but ultimately, extremely well made and comfortable golf shoe. It accomplishes it’s goal of providing more stability, while removing the clogging issues so often associated with this style of shoe.

And for people who like a little bit of flair, or having the latest technology on their feet? These will do the trick there too.

This shoe is perfect for someone who prefers the look and feel of spikeless shoes, but wants a little bit more stability than what they might typically provide.

Being totally honest, I probably prefer the Biom Hybrid 2s, and those are still my reference point for every other spikeless golf shoe I review – so far, they remain unbeaten.

But the Cage Pro is still a very high quality shoe, and my guess will find many a happy home for the people that fit the criteria above.

The Breakdown