Top Tips For Picking The Right Golf Shoes

by The Golf Club Guru

Choosing The Right Golf Shoes

How do you pick your golf shoes? We bet that most of you, especially if you are a beginner or average golfer, haven’t given much thought to this aspect of your game. The fact is, however, that golf shoes can actually improve or hinder each shot in every round! This article will help to explain how choosing and wearing the right golf shoe can help to bring greater enjoyment to every swing you make and every round you play!

Can Footwear Affect Your Game?

Not all golfers believe the answer to this question can have much of an impact on their scorecard. Yet, the fact remains that golfers of all abilities can benefit greatly from simply wearing the right golf shoe.

Walking the course even more so, but golf-cart-riders are also out there for long hours and walk great distances. The right golf shoes provide comfort for the feet and legs which leads to better balance and greater confidence in every swing. Without that benefit of comfort in the foundation of your golf swing, you may find your legs, knees, and feet hurting in the middle of the round which will prevent you from making your best golf shots!

Finally, when you make a golf swing, you want to know your feet have a firm connection with the ground. This ensures greater balance while keeping your alignment more consistent and provides a solid foundation for each swing. You definitely don’t want your shoes to slip off during the game or feel too loose and firm and snug fit shoes will provide balance and confidence and a significant boost to your on-course performance.

Understanding that the golf shoe is the cornerstone of the foundation on which you construct your golf swing we can conclude that choosing the right shoes for you and your game is at least as critical to your on-course success as picking clubs that complement your unique swing and style of play.

Picking The Best Fit

Now that you know more about the importance of having the right footwear, let’s discuss a few handy tips on how to make the right choice! Here are some of the main factors for which to look:

To spike or not to spike? - it may just come down to personal preference, but both shoes with and without spikes have their benefits and drawbacks. Most readily evidenced by the condition of the course you play. If possible, it makes sense to have on hand both spiked and spikeless shoes so you’re ready for the appropriate conditions on any given day. Golf shoes with spikes will provide greater traction while playing in most conditions, yet may also become clogged more easily with loose turf and debris. Spikeless shoes may provide better comfort but will not perform as well on wet and slippery surfaces.

Breathability! - if you don’t want to feel your feet slip back and forth after a few hours of golfing, make sure you opt for shoes that are made of high-quality material and offer enough breathability! This is especially important for hot weather conditions.

Stability – this is one of the key factors to consider because stability and balance directly influence your swing. Thus, we recommend opting for shoes that can provide the most stability for your swing!

Flexibility – although balance and stability are important, it is no less vital to ensure that your shoes provide enough flexibility and don’t restrict your movement. Therefore, look for elasticity when picking the right footwear.

Comfort – this point should go without saying! It is vital to ensure that you will feel comfortable while playing, so be sure to fit your shoes before purchasing them!

Stiffness – stiff shoes offer more stability and empower your swing so this is another critical element to consider. Yet, keep in mind to not forego the required flexibility you also desire. A comfortable and secure fit that provides both stiffness for a firm grounding and flexibility for unrestricted movement is the combination for which to look when choosing your golf shoe. That may sound like a bit of an oxymoron having “stiff flexibility”, but the right fit in a well-constructed golf shoe will provide both benefits in a harmonious union of comfort and performance.

Waterproof – this factor may not be as important for everyone, however, if you like playing in different weather conditions, make sure you wear waterproof shoes to prevent wet weather from spoiling your golf experience!

Price – good footwear doesn’t necessarily have to mean cracking open the piggy bank or refinancing the house. In some cases, budget golf shoes may work better for you than those on the top shelf of the display rack! Therefore, we recommend not focusing too much on the price, but rather look for those more important features and characteristics that best meet your needs.

Style – this point is obviously unique to the individual, yet should be secondary to the other elements of consideration. Pick the style you like most but only after first addressing the characteristics and requirements discussed above. NEVER compromise on the critical elements of a good golf shoe just to look good on the course. Vanity can only hurt your game … it will NEVER improve your scores!