Golf Shoes - Unique Models Turning Heads

The best way to stand out on the golf course is with a sound, smooth swing. This will immediately set you apart from the masses making their lurching, unsightly efforts to get the ball airborne.

If you're not blessed with the grace of an Ernie Els or Sam Snead, you can always resort to an eye-catching ensemble. For those who really want to turn heads and start conversations, there are several shoe brands and styles that will do the trick quite nicely.

In addition to traditional styles, today's player can select golf shoes disguised as athletic shoes, skateboard kicks, even sandals and flip-flops. But if it seems the golf shoe has reached its stylistic limits, a few renegade companies beg to differ.

Here's a look at three unique golf shoe models introduced in recent years:

Crocs Ace Golf - Thanks to super chef Mario Batali and his ubiquitous orange clogs, the Crocs brand is known the world over. Not many folks are aware, though, that the company makes a golf shoe in the same style.

The Crocs Ace is a clog featuring the proprietary Croslite material Crocs are famous for. They're light, comfortable and, Crocs claims, extremely stable thanks to an adjustable, heel-hugging Turbo Strap. Circulation nubs are designed to stimulate blood flow while the footbed creates a cushioning, custom fit.

And yes, Crocs Ace shoes are equipped with plastic spikes, so don't wear them in the kitchen.

Not only are Crocs a sure conversation starter on the course, they retail for about $40 - half the cost of value-priced traditional golf shoes.

Kikkor Golf: James Lepp was once a promising golfer. Extremely promising. The British Columbia native claimed the NCAA individual championship in 2005 as a Washington Husky, besting such stars as J.B. Holmes, Ryan Moore and Spencer Levin.

On the way to fortune and fame at the professional level, however, Lepp lost his spark. For playing competitively, that is. So Lepp launched Kikkor, an "alternative golf footwear brand targeting the younger players at heart," according to its website.

To fill the hipness void left by old-line manufacturers, Kikkor offers its Eppik and Circle shoes. While the patterns and colors are aimed at a youthful audience, Kikkor shoes feature accepted technology like memory foam and flexible, waterproof leather.

The Kikkor website includes comments from fans, one of whom called his new pair of Eppiks "sick." That means good. We think.

V-Groove Tool Golf Shoe - Now here's one that came out of left field. Actually, it came from Augusta, Ga., home of the Masters and birthplace of the golf cart.

V-Groove Tool footwear is the brainchild of Anthony L. Griffin, a former military man and devout Christian who calls his patented invention "the world's first multifunctional golf shoe." It has three support pockets specially designed to hold ball markers, divot repair tools and tees - right on the shoe, within easy grabbing range.

Griffin's product actually takes its name from its unusual sole, which features three separate V-shaped patterns: horizontal, vertical, and on the back of the shoe.