When starting out in golf many tend to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on equipment before even swinging the club.
One such item is golf shoes, however just as most items in golf some types of shoes should be investigated thoroughly before making a purchase.
In this article we look at what role golf shoes play on the green and how you can pick a pair that suits you best.
Are golf shoes worth it?
Golf shoes are not a must, except on a few exclusive golf courses.
A pair of sneakers can be worn to play golf, however golf shoes will provide a lot more grip especially when playing rounds on wet and on unlevel ground.
Golf shoes come in two forms – spiked or “spikeless”
The main factor when deciding on which shoes to wear is grip.
Think about the playing conditions such as weather as well as the course you play in before making your final decision.
Benefits of Golf Shoes
The question of whether golf shoes are worthy of a hefty price is an intricate question.
With the exception of high-end luxury golf courses and country clubs, if a player wants to practice a few swings at the driving range or opt to play a few rounds on a golf course then there is no need for golf shoes. Sneakers will do just fine in this case.
On the other hand, regardless if you’re a beginner or a professional golfer, golf shoes do have their benefits. This is true in more precise instances, and these have to be taken into account when thinking about purchasing a pair or not.
These benefits mainly focus on grip. Whether you’re a beginner or professional, grip has to play a part in two vital aspects that needs to be considered and heavily emphasized on.
The first of these aspects consist of the grip you have on the golf club with your hands. Secondly, the grip you have on the green with your shoes is as important. For this reason, the footwear you decide on when playing golf is just as vital.
To put this into perspective, your shoes’ soles are the only means of contact with the ground when swinging a golf club. When these have a poor grip, and slip in any way, you will not be likely to make good shots.
The golf swing, in its most basic form, is a turning motion. By moving your body and legs backwards followed by a forward motion.
As soon as these motions and your weight progresses throughout the golf swing you will be required to wear shoes that give you the right amount of grip to keep your feet in place.
Wearing shoes without any well-fitted grips on the soles will have negative consequences, as you will slip resulting in a bad swing and ending with a bad shot. This could even result in you falling down on the ground in case you lose enough balance.
Golf shoes are particularly created to ensure you have a decent grip on the ground throughout your swing and as a result, sort out one of the two main aspects of grip all avid golfers need to consider.
This does not mean that a decent pair of sneakers are unable to provide a decent grip as well.
Of course they can, however there are a few extra factors that you should think about when considering to buy a pair of golf shoes or not.
These additional factors, again, are how wet the ground is and how uneven the courses are where you play the majority of your games. In cases where the ground is wet it should go without saying that similar to tires on a road, having solid grip becomes that much more difficult.
If it so happens that you play golf in a climate where it’s often wet, according to their design golf shoes are likened to provide you with better grip when compared to a pair of sneakers.
In many cases, golf shoes are usually water-resistant and normally waterproof. This means that, unlike sneakers, golf shoes will keep your socks and feet dry in wet conditions.
Golf Shoes Don’t Need to Cost a Fortune
When it comes to wondering whether an item is worth buying, the biggest and most important factor that plays a role in what is being thought about is clearly going to be the price tag.
To assist you in establishing whether golf shoes are worth buying or not, here are a few factors that establish the most common price of a pair of golf shoes.
As mentioned before golf shoes are grouped into two common types, namely spiked and spikeless.
Just like the name says, ‘spiked’ golf shoes feature a range of rounded spikes, or cleats. These are found on the sole and make way for a solid grip on the surface.
Spikeless golf shoes on the other hand, feature rubber studs or dimples instead of spikes on the sole.
The variety of the potential pricing of golf shoes consist of the materials used, for instance water resistance and comfort, as well as the brand.
Today a number of the biggest sports clothing manufacturers produce golf shoes.
This places an even bigger emphasis on how important golf shoes have become to other alternative choices.
Regardless of what brand or pair you decide on, you may quickly realize that you do not have to spend a hefty amount on golf shoes. Also, just like any other retail item you can be sure to buy a few bargained golf shoes to lower the costs.
Choosing between Spiked or Spikeless Golf Shoes
So you have made up your mind and decided that you want to buy a pair of golf shoes. The obvious follow-up conundrum is deciding on whether to buy a spiked or spikeless pair.
Irrespective of the price difference, it boils back down to the initial aspects that have previously been discussed
It may seem blatantly obvious that spiked shoes will undoubtedly provide you with a better grip on the green, however, factoring the advances in golf shoes the variant in the grip provided by the two shoes has become smaller and smaller to where it has been proven challenging to tell the difference.
When spikeless golf shoes made its first appearance on the market, there was a lot of skepticism. This was especially true of golf players with advanced swing speeds, who thought that these shoes would not provide sufficient grip.
This viewpoint has changed now in dry and flat conditions, but now it simply depends on a player’s personal preference.
Spiked shoes will most likely give a little more stability and support, in comparison to spikeless golf shoes. This can be quite true in wet conditions and on unlevelled grounds.
However as spikeless designs become even more advanced, the dissimilarities are becoming more debatable.
For this very reason in comes down to what you are comfortable with. Just like a pair of shoes you would buy, be experimental with a few pairs in your in your budget and see which find out which are the most comfortable. As an example, if you are probably going to play in wet conditions, ensure the shoes are waterproof and provide water resistance.
When it comes to spikeless golf shoes is they are quite in demand for their staunch versatility.
They are great in cases for when you want to wear them while driving or while keeping yourself occupied with other things when coming and going to the golf course or driving range.
Spikeless golf shoes tend to feel quite similar to gym shoes or sneakers.
However, if your feel that spiked shoes will provide you with a bit more added confidence in your swinging game- especially on wet terrain- that is a good choice as well.
It has been proven over time that the key differences linked between spiked and spikeless shoes personal boils down to preference.
If you opt for spiked golf shoes, try not to buy steel spike golf shoes in case you happen to find any as these once popular shoes have been replaced by soft plastic ones.
In addition, most golf courses will not allow them today because of the damage they cause on the greens.
Final Thought
One of the biggest pointers for beginner golfers is that they should save their money before advancing in the sport in the long run. This is to prevent them from taking up the game without being certain that they have a true passion for it.
It also wouldn’t be recommended to buy golf shoes right away without taking careful consideration for the pros and cons or whether they are worth the price or not.
The golf shoes a person decides on is a personal choice but you would be able to find a fairly priced pair of spiked or spikeless pair of golf shoes and both will serve you well in the majority of your games.
