Swiftwick sent me a pair of their signature Flite XT socks to try, and while I was convinced it would just be another pair of socks that would go in the drawer, they more than proved me wrong.
I live in Pennsylvania and play golf at least two times a week, depending on the weather. I’m at the range most days, and I recently bought a membership to a local club that has an exceptional short game area, and since joining, I’ve spent at least three hours there a night chipping and working on putting and at least an hour before I work on my short game, I’m hitting balls on the range.
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It’s a long time to be on your feet, and the humid Pennsylvania climate makes Spring an interesting time. In all honestly, it is less tolerable than the extremely hot Summers here. I would rather play in the 95-degree Summer heat than the 75-degree Springtime weather. Humidity and inconsistency are why.
I previously talked about my five must-haves for every golfer from Amazon, and one of those was a trunk organizer. In those pockets, I store a few extra pairs of socks. Lieutenant Dan said in Forrest Gump, “Always take care of your feet,” and he encouraged Forrest and Bubba to change their socks whenever they had a chance. I have done that in the past. With the Swiftwick Flite XT, I don’t know if I’ll have to be taking off my shoes at the turn to put a dry pair on.
A few weekends back, I played 18 with some friends and wore the Flite XT. They’re low cut, which is different from the usual mid-cut Nike Crew Socks I wear, which are technically an athletic sock and comfortable, but don’t do a great job at keeping your feet dry. It was a warm day. Temperatures got up into the mid-80s, humidity was high, and I was sweating. My feet, however, were very comfortable.
They look great, and what I was most impressed with was how comfortable and cool my feet felt. This is likely because of the thin, channeled upper of the sock that keeps it light and breathable. It also features an Olefin fiber, which is hydrophobic and wicks moisture.
It was a good day for my feet, but I decided to put them through an even bigger test: wearing them with a new pair of shoes.
The fine folks at FootJoy were kind enough to send me a pair of the new Hyperflex Carbons. Keep an eye out for a review of them in the coming weeks (I have so many good things to say about them).
Even my favorite pairs of shoes in the past have given me blisters. I was expecting to have some issues with the FootJoys as well, as the Traditions I wore a few weekends back in my first go-around with these socks gave me blisters the first few times I wore them last Fall. I didn’t expect anything different with the HyperFlex Carbons.
My round was unfortunately cut short, which was a shame because it was a scramble, and our team was performing very well at -6 with six holes to play. I walked plenty that day, however, and the Carbons did not give me any sort of blisters, and I think the socks are a big part of that.
I felt more stable in these shoes, and although they were new, I didn’t receive any blisters from them. My feet stayed dry, and this is because of the Swiftwick GripDry fibers, which feature the Olefin fiber I discussed previously. I won’t say the HyperFlex Carbons did not contribute, but I truly believe the socks helped my feet stay stable, dry, and comfortable.
If you struggle with sweating and play in humid weather and you have issues with your feet, I really recommend you try a pair of the FliteXT socks. I used this pair, linked here, and they are something I’d recommend to anyone.
They’re not just for golf, either! They’re suitable for any physical activity.
