And I say that with confidence as someone who works at a store in the Colorado Mountains that sells an absolute sh|tload of those (both mens and womens) and also handles all defective returns for the store.
So klay, here's a question for you as someone in the biz: I'm 45, way overweight, and have relatively weak ankles. I have wide feet (size 9.5W seems to work best for me from most manufacturers) and an extremely high instep (never have been able to wear cowboy boots). When not playing disc golf, I typically wear New Balance walking or trail running shoes, though for the last several months I've been very fond of a pair of Columbia TrailMeister IVs in a wide width I found on clearance for everyday wear. Because the Columbias are low-tops, though, I haven't played DG in them on my home course.
My home course, where I play the vast majority of the time, has a lot of uneven terrain, with a few fairly steep slopes with mostly loose dirt/rocks/etc. There's a lot of loose leaves, twigs, pine cones and sweet gum balls and such on the fairways most of the time. The fairways themselves are mostly either dirt/rock or wood mulch -- a few are grass, but not many.
There's a small creek that's often dry that makes its way through a couple of holes, but otherwise no water to speak of unless the Atlanta Open's being held, in which case there's torrential downpours and standing water everywhere ;-) (two years running now). So waterproofing's more a nice-to-have feature than an essential. What really makes a difference for me is comfort for my wide feet, an upper and lace/tongue assembly that doesn't unduly constrict my high instep, and stability and support -- a mid- or high-rise ankle, wide sole at the heel and a design that minimizes twisting or rolling of the foot at the ankle, and a tread design that maintains good traction on the various surfaces of my home course.
I've liked the New Balance MW977s I've been wearing the last year or so, in every way except that they're a little bit on the heavy side (all-leather uppers) and a trifle warm at times (again, the leather, plus the GoreTex lining). But I love the ankle support, their stability and traction on the various surfaces, and their general comfort (aside from the issues mentioned above).
So knowing all that, is there a particular shoe model that you're aware of that's available in a wide width, that offers the same support and stability, but that's lighter and breathes better? BTW, my home course has concrete pads only on the black tees, and I mainly play the blues, which are crushed stone, so I don't generally have a problem with durability of the toe area of the upper.
