I just bought a pair of the new FootJoy Contours from Golfsmith to use in a rotation with my old pair. After 1 round, the uppers started flaking where it meets the sole. FJ's policy seems to be that shoes should be sent to them for a refund determination, but is that my only option? Their policy also states that cracking due to lack of proper maintenance is not covered. I have had my last pair of FJs for over 3 years without a single problem so I am a bit disappointed by these so far. Also, I hate the idea of having to pay for shipping on some brand new shoes because of a defect they have.

Any thoughts?

Footjoys customer service is fantastic. Take them back to place of purchase and they should be able to swap you out for a new pair immediately. If they won't call FootJoy customer service direct and they will take care of you. If the retailer who sold them to you will not swap them out for free, I would never do business with them again.

They were purchased from a golfsmith, but they didn't have another pair in my size when I bought these.

I don't see any defect in your photos.
However, if you want a new pair I am certain Golfsmith will order your size for you, and exchange a new pair for your old pair.

If they do not have your size one of 3 things should happen:

1. they call another one of their stores around the country and have your size and style transferred to them

2. they special order the shoe and size directly from footjoy

3. as a last resort they offer you an in store credit

None of these requests are out of the question. The shoes are clearly defective, and you should be compensated one way or another. I had the exact same thing happen to a pair of Adidas tour 360's, however I did not purchase them from a retailer as I am a golf professional and have a Adidas account, they sent me a new pair immediately for free. I also have sent back numerous defective footjoy shoes for members and have never once had a problem with their direct customer service. Hope this helps.

look where the white upper meets the sole and the brown overlay. It is hard to get a clear pic of it, but you can see it in the 2 I posted.

I used some tweezers and pulle doff the flakes that were already coming off so hopeully it won't flake any more. Is that going to be bad for the shoes though? The surfaces feel different now. Is the thin outer layer the waterproofing or what?