Best Socks Ever

If you are a child of the 70’s like I am, then you surely remember the iconic tube socks. Yup, the ones that went up to the knee and had three rings around the top. Money! I don’t know about you, but I would hike those puppies up just as far as they would go. Unfortunately, they must have been designed by a five year old as they were about the worst fitting socks imaginable (talk about one size fits none). Worse, they lost the elastic after about a week (which was not all bad because for the 1st few times you wore them you would have rings indented on your calves)

Keds optional but recommended.

Of course we finally realized how stupid tube socks looked and everyone went to a short sock that we now commonly wear. Unfortunatly, it would seem that the “kids” have now decided to bring back the long sock and even wear them with Topsiders. Seriously, fellas…this just looks dumb and chicks definitely do not dig it.

Anyhow, I am actually not here to talk about fashion, instead I want to talk about the best socks ever. Before I get to name dropping, I want to weigh in on what I think makes any sock superior which is, simply, what they are made out of.

Until a few years ago, I figured all socks were made from cotton. Sure, there were some performance socks made from nylon or other synthetic material but they tended to be really thin which made all of my shoes a 1/2 size too big. Plus, I am just not a fan of synthetics because they are not very soft. So what then is this material that I so covet? The answer my friend is wool, age old wool. The same wool that has been used to make socks for 1,000’s of years.

$100 says they all are wearing wool socks.

I know what you are thinking, “wool is hot and only good in winter”. Wrong… dead wrong. Wool golf socks are so far superior to cotton socks that I literally have not played golf in a pair of cotton socks in over two years. So far superior is wool that I will pull out a pair of worn wool socks rather than a clean pair of cotton socks.

Simmer down, I am not that grubby. The fact is because wool socks do no absorb sweat they don’t stink even after a full day of golf. I know it sounds gross, but I have been in situation in which I had to shower and then put on my wool socks I just played 18 holes in, and believe it or not, it is not disgusting. They don’t smell and they are totally dry.

On the other hand, try that with a pair of cotton socks. Ugh, they would be dripping wet with sweat. Yikes, I will pass on that.

Ok, so I think I have made my point. What wool socks do I recommend then? Well, to be fair I have only worn two brands so I am sure there are some others out there, but both Kentwool and Swiftwick are absolutely great.

Kentwool Socks

I now own 11 pairs of Kentwool socks (some 3 years old) and they all remain in great shape and in my heavy rotation…if I could only find that one missing orange sock. The original Kentwool socks are great but they are fairly thick so the only downside is that I cannot wear them in some of my tighter fitting shoes. Thankfully, they have recently introduced the KW Series, which are thinner, so now I have choices…and choices are good. In addition to the golf socks, they also have a longer sock which are my winter time favorites. Beyond the comfort, the other trademark of Kentwool socks are the color options. Besides white and black they also come in lime green, orange and about 7 other bright colors. Bottom line, there is a Kentwool sock for you.

Swiftwick Socks

Since I had already decided Kentwool made the best socks on the planet, I was not overly excited about reviewing Swiftwick, but I am now super glad I did. Swiftwick makes some synthetic socks but they thankfully also make some that are made from Merino wool. The colors are tamer than Kentwool but they do have a number of versions and lengths. The Swiftwick advantage is that they are in part a compression sock. Now, I am not a fan of really tight compression socks since they tend to strangle my feet and I literally want to rip them off 10 minutes into putting them on. Fortunately, the Swiftwick socks are fairly mild in that nature but are still able to add a level of comfort because of the construction.

There are only a few things that I think every golfer should have and wool socks are at the top of that list. Everytime I see some guy roll up in his generic cottons socks I just wanna tell him – dude, spend $18 and get a pair of socks that will last years and be 1000 times more comfortable.

You can check out the Kentwool website and Swiftwick website to learn more.