Legendary Golf Shoe Moments at The Masters

It is a happening that is not like the rest; brands designing special colorways of their golf shoes for The Masters. We could say the line, but the last thing we want is Jim Nantz coming for our necks. Yes, friends, it is that time of the year when the azaleas are blooming, and the absolutely real and totally not piped-in sounds of birds are chirping to welcome us to Augusta National Golf Club for the 2026 Masters Tournament. While it does not have the notorious difficulty of the U.S. Open or the centuries-spanning history of The Open Championship, The Masters does have the advantage of setting the stage for golf’s major season every year set against the pristine backdrop of golf at its sugary sweetest. In other words, the course looks pretty, pretty, pretty, good.

Unlike in other sports where footwear has become an avenue for athletes to display their personality or stand out from the competition, golf in the past decade has been playing catch-up to the sensibilities of today’s sneaker culture.

That’s not to say that golfers have not tried to express themselves through their footwear, and brands did not take advantage of events like The Masters to showcase the latest and greatest, but there was definitely a rush in recent years. Brands like Nike, Jordan Brand, Foot Joy, Sun Day Red, and others use the majors as a platform to get creative with special edition looks, and their first - and arguably best - shots occur during The Masters.

Let’s take a look back at some of the most memorable moments golf shoes have had at The Masters. It’s going to be heavily backloaded with entries from the past few years, but it’s a sign of how much the sport has changed and how brands have started to pay more attention.

Seve Ballesteros With The Double Swoosh (1986)

Decades before customizers and sacai turned the multi-layered Swoosh into a familiar aesthetic, a legendary golfer with a penchant for turning an ordinary save out of the rough in the second round of a tournament into the exciting moment of your life created the double Swoosh.

As the first golfer to sign with Nike, five-time major winner Seve Ballesteros understood his role for the then-upstart brand at the 1986 Masters. Heading into the final round of the tournament one shot behind leader Greg Norman, Seve knew that plenty of eyes would be tuned in to see if he could win his third green jacket.

Not particularly known for wearing caps at the time, Seve bought a visor at the pro shop and cut out the logos from his Nike shirts to glue them onto the visor. On the head of an ordinary golfer, it would look like a desperate attempt at corporate shilling. With Ballesteros, it’s an iconic moment and another example of his artistry as golf’s best improviser.

Did Seve go on to win The Masters? Nope, he actually had his own epic choke with a three-shot lead in the back nine that he would give up when he found the water on the 15th hole. Instead of playing it safe by approaching the green in three shots, he went for it on his second and found water. Why? Because he’s Seve Ballesteros; guy who goes for it on the 15th hole in the final round of The Masters despite having a one-shot lead and rocks a double Swoosh like it’s the most normal thing in the world in 1986. And the golf world would not have had it any other way.

What did that have to do with golf shoes? Not much other than Nike’s involvement in The Masters for the first time, but I like to believe that somewhere at Nike Golf HQ is a vision board with a picture of Seve with the double Swoosh.

UPDATE: I was right, someone at Nike did have Seve on their vision board…

Lee Trevino Changes Shoes In The Parking Lot (1989)

With 29 wins and six majors to his name, Lee Trevino is more than just the inspiration for a classic Simpsons joke (allegedly). He is also one of golf's most colorful characters, who was always ready to stand on business even when compliance would have been the easy way out. In the 1970s, Trevino declined three invitations to The Masters due to a dispute with chairman Cliff Roberts over tickets and other exclusionary practices.

It should be noted that Trevino felt his game never fit Augusta, which is tragic in the golf sense since that is the only major he’s missing to complete the Grand Slam. When Trevino did play in Augusta, he would decline to go into the locker room, opting instead to change into his golf shoes in the parking lot. The most famous instance of this unique exercise was in 1989, when he was actually leading the tournament after the first round.

Greg Norman Collapses In Greg Norman Collection Gear (by Reebok) (1996)

In 1992, after a run with the Reebok Pump Golf Shoe (yes, that really happened), Reebok created the Greg Norman Collection, a performance golf and lifestyle brand centered around one of the most popular golfers in the world at the time. Buoyed by the iconic Shark logo, the Norman Collection included apparel, gear, and golf shoes, all of which were on display during the final day of the 1996 Masters, where Norman was leading by six shots against rival Nick Faldo.

Norman would go on to produce one of the most painful breakdowns in not only golf history, but the totality of sports. By the end of the day, Faldo would win by five, an 11-stroke swing over the course of a Sunday afternoon. Somewhere, Reebok executives are probably breathing a sigh of relief that it’s just the Shark logo on display in those iconic photos and not the vector.

Tiger Woods Wins The Masters In Nike Air Zoom Litany Wing Tips (1997)

Unfortunately, Tiger Woods will not be playing or even attending The Masters because of yet another unfortunate - but avoidable - auto accident, so let’s go back to simpler times. Even though the 1997 Masters was not Woods’ first trip to Augusta National, having competed there as an amateur for several years by then, it was the first time that the world was watching. After a splashy entrance onto the PGA Tour and a record breaking $40 million deal with Nike the year prior, golf fans and casuals were tuned in to see if the kid was worth the hype. One dominant weekend and a 12-shot victory later, the kid was worth the hype.

While his signature red and black on Sunday would become tattooed in the minds of fans everywhere when they think of Tiger, the Nike Air Zoom Litany Wing Tips did not achieve the same mythical status. Would things have been different if Woods had been making that walk on 18th with his first signature golf shoe, the Nike Air Zoom TW that would debut a year later? It’s hard to say, but it would certainly have stood more of a chance than standard issue golf shoes that looked like every other pair at the time.

The Air Jordan 11 Golf Low That Never Was (2019)

In 2017, after years of flirting on the edges of the green with exclusives made for Michael Jordan and his closest friends, Jordan Brand entered the world of golf shoes. Complementing the modern-day designs, like the Jordan ADG, were the retros converted into golf shoes like the Air Jordan 1 and the Air Jordan 11. For the 2019 Masters, Nike Golf unveiled the Snake Pack, a collection of golf shoes in black and white with dark green snakeskin accents.

Included in the pack was an Air Jordan 11 Low Golf with a white patent leather mudguard and aforementioned green snakeskin on the upper instead of leather or ballistic mesh. Also a part of the pack was Nike Golf’s prayer hands logo that was colored similarly to The Masters logo. While not mentioning it by name, referencing the course’s famous Amen Corner, comprising holes 11 through 13, in the press release and item description may have been the tipping point for Augusta.

Mysteriously, a week before release, the entire Snake Skin pack would be canceled without explanation beyond "unforeseen circumstances." It’s safe to say that it’s unlikely Nike will ever revisit the pack’s theme in future collections.

Bubba Watson Debuts Air Jordan Golf 4 Metallic Green (2021)

Despite not being an official Jordan Brand athlete, Bubba Watson has been known to wear exclusives from the Jumpman when the occasion calls for it, like during The Masters. Perhaps in an effort to avoid the ire of Augusta National, Jordan Brand sent Watson the Air Jordan 4 Golf in white with hits of metallic green and yellow, sans the Nike Golf prayer hands. That little difference - and eventually releasing the shoes several months after the tournament - is probably why the shoes never caught heat from Augusta.

Adidas Releases Waffle House Golf Shoes (2022)

You’re probably asking yourself, “Is there a Jacques Slade unboxing of these shoes?” You bet there is…

According to Google Maps, there are around 12 to 14 Waffle House restaurants located within a 10-mile radius of Augusta National. That little factoid probably played more than a tiny role in adidas working with Waffle House on a Tour360 22 collaboration that was released the week of The Masters in 2022. The off-white patterned upper is based on the waffle batter used to make the fan favorite meal, while the Three Stripes represent the color of the waffles when they are cooked just right. It’s a little silly when you consider Waffle House’s reputation in the South, in foodie culture, and the culture in general, but adidas found a way to poke fun at the typically buttoned-up nature of The Masters.

Asics Perfects The Masters Homage (Or Did They?) (2023)

While golf fans still lament the cancellation of Nike Golf’s Snake Pack, it does not mean that golf shoes or sneakers with green, yellow, red, and white released in the month of April are off the table. New Balance, adidas, Foot Joy, and even Tiger Woods’ Sun Day Red brand have all released sneakers and golf shoes that are inspired by Augusta National without trouble.

In 2023, Asics dropped a Gel-Lyte III in early April called the Shamrock with features that would lead some people to believe that it is inspired by The Masters. With a mix of suede textures on the upper, one could come to the conclusion that the upper represents the smooth surfaces of a putting green while the shaggier mudguard is the rough that wraps around the green.

The yellow and red accents that pop throughout the sneaker could be representative of flag pins, but they could also just be stylistic choices to provide contrast to the sneaker. And then there is the earth-toned outsole that might be interpreted as a sand trap but could just be part of the course when it comes to the Gel-Lyte III. Even calling the sneaker Shamrock and releasing just a few weeks after St. Patrick’s Day is a clever move by the brand. Looks like someone discovered plausible deniability.

Phil Mickelson’s Custom Jordan 1s (2025)

Another way to avoid the ire of Augusta National (allegedly) is through custom golf sneakers. Since they will not be sold in stores, it avoids the entire quagmire of profiting off the tournament’s iconography. Phil Mickelson, a three-time Masters winner who knows a thing or two about skirting the line (allegedly), has been dipping his toes in the sneaker world over the past few years.

Even though he has spent the last few years playing for LIV Golf, the rebel golf league that is about as rebellious as a rich kid who threatens to leave home but not without the credit cards and the S-Class, Phil still makes his yearly appearance at Augusta thanks to his lifetime exemption as a three-time winner. His recent major appearances have included his commissioned custom Air Jordan 1 Lows, including two pairs for the 2025 Masters, a light-green-toned pair with nods to his victories and an Off-White-inspired pair that is almost all-white with hits of green.

Rory McIlroy Completes Career Grand Slam In Pink Bloom Nike Victory Tour 4 (2025)

In 2014, when Rory McIlroy won the British Open for the first time in his career, many fans and pundits assumed that he would complete the career Grand Slam - winning all four majors - within the next few years. What nobody - including McIlroy - could have ever anticipated was that it would take 11 years before he would win just one more major.

Granted, he was still widely considered one of the best, if not the best, players in the world in that span, but his inability to win another major, especially The Masters, was a talking point for years. McIlroy would finally put it all together in 2025 with one of the most exciting and nerve-racking final rounds in Masters history. Wearing the special Pink Bloom colorway of the Nike Victory Tour 4 - one of the best reviewed golf shoes of 2025 - McIlroy’s emotional win was not only huge for himself, but for Nike, the sport, and the culture.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com