I will level with you. I had never heard of Alma Mater shoe brand before this beautiful brown box landed on my doorstep. Wanting to know what I was getting myself into, I put the unopened box aside and fired up the Google machine to find out what these shoes were for.
Apparently, the Alma Mater has a reputation for premium handcrafted luxury sneakers with a youthful, hipster vibe.
Being neither a youth nor a hipster, it’s no wonder I had never heard of them.
It didn’t stop me from opening the box though. And I’m glad I did. These new golf shoes from Alma Mater aren’t cheap, but if you’re a golfer on your feet (even if you’re not), they’re definitely worthy of your attention.
Who is the Alma Mater and why a golf shoe?
Alma Mater was established in Southern California in 2017. Co-founders Eric Sarin and Beatriz Gomez Martinez were footwear industry veterans. Sarin designed shoes for adidas, PUMA and Skechers, while Gomez Martinez spent 20 years in operations at adidas and The Walking Company. The rest of the Alma Mater team came from shoe companies like K-Swiss, Reebok, Fila and Lodger.
With baseball star Alex Rodriguez as an early investor, Alma Mater focused on small-batch production of sneakers, slippers and moccasins. He also forged partnerships with several high-profile professional athletes, including Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer.
Poyer was an early fan of his alma mater and invited the team to his Oregon golf tour. At that event, Poyer suggested that Alma Mater go ahead and make a really good golf shoe.
Two years later, Alma Mater Beta was born.
Beta Longwing and Beta Lite
Alma Mater launched the new line of golf shoes last September with two studless models. The Alma Mater Beta Longwing is a premium leather wingtip with an athletic flair. The Beta Lite is, as the name suggests, lighter weight with even more of an athletic flair.
The Alma Mater golf shoe cleat is what the company calls it 3Pe technologyor “three-part engineering.”
These three parts are the Gripper
slippers and Zipper.
Yes, they actually trademarked it.
The Gripper is the aggressive outsole that, according to Alma Mater, is defined by traction on how players actually move. The midsole and slipper insole are made from nitrogen enhanced supercritical foam. Really.
I had to look it up and, in the world of footwear, nitrogen-enhanced supercritical foam really is a thing. Nitrogen is injected into polymers under extreme temperature and pressure. At that point, nitrogen becomes supercritical (it behaves as both a liquid and a gas). When the pressure drops, the gas expands and forms small, uniform bubbles in the polymer. This creates a lightweight and durable foam for cushioning and energy return.
Seriously, folks, on what other golf site are you going to get a science lesson like that?
The zipper is the wide sidewall that ties the shoe together into a single platform. The company says it makes cushioning, traction and stability work together.
Did Alma Mater deliver what Jordan Poyer wanted?
As a mere golf writer, I can’t vouch for chemistry or any of the other supercritical shoe jargon. However, after two seven-mile hikes in my trusty golf gear, I can say this Alma Mater golf shoes check my top three golf shoe boxes.
They are comfortable, colorful and, most importantly, durable.
In terms of quality, they are built like a cold tank.
Gripper does what it’s supposed to do, as does Zipper. Together, they make the Beta Longwing one of the most durable golf shoes I’ve tested this year (I haven’t tested the Beta Lite). The slipper creates a comfortable fit. The company says the interior is designed with a bio-mapping shape and features a breathable knit lining. I’ll give it high marks for comfort, but the heel extension in the knit is problematic without a shoe polish.
The White/Sky colorway is vibrant enough for this sexagenarian and the upper is made from soft, premium leather and waterproof nubuck. The Sky/Navy color is for those who are really into powder blue. The Beta Lite combines a black upper with a blue ring and lots of pink on the bottom.
Alma Mater says its shoes are “equally at home on the course and beyond.” I can’t see it as a casual walking shoe, but then again, I’m not a youthful hipster.
Along with Poyer, Alma Mater has a who’s who of athlete ambassadors. The list includes former Toronto Blue Jays Joe Carter, former NHL players Joe Pavelski, James Wisniewski, Brad May and Terry Yake, and two-time NBA champion JR Smith, who, after retiring, returned to college at North Carolina A&T and joined the golf team.
Alma Mater price and availability
Alma Mater currently has three shoe offerings: the Beta Longwing in the two colorways mentioned and the Beta Lite in Black/Flare. We’ve learned that the company will be releasing a bag/shoe collaboration with Sun Mountain in December, and we assume more color options will be available in the coming months.
Both the Alma Mater Beta Longwing and Beta Lite are available in sizes 8 to 12 in half-size increments and in 13 to 16 in full-size increments. For the wide-footed crowd, they only come in one width. The toe box is pretty wide, if that helps.
As mentioned, while these Alma Mater golf shoes are extremely well made and durable, they are not cheap. A pair will set you back $288.
They are available at Alma Mater website.
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