Golf Shoes

[bigsandals]

Have been golfing for over twenty years now and have never owned a pair of golf shoes. My buddies all flip me crap when I show up in my tennis shoes or sandals....then I go out and smoke them on the course (they suck though). Would golf shoes make a difference in my game?

[Loop]

Unless you keep great balance, golf shoes are pretty useful...

[Rynamite]

I notice a difference. My feet tend to slide around when I'm swinging if I don't have spikes. You can pick up a pair for pretty cheap, especially now with all the clearance sales. It would def be worth getting a pair.

[Hangfire]

One of the best things you can do for your swing!

[Rockford35]

Agreed.

More often than not, you can tell golfers who play the game and those that "play" the game based on their footwear. Serious golfers that expect good scores recpect the grip and balance you get with a good pair of shoes. Guys that play flip flops and sandals are looking to have a few beers and shoot 120, which is fine too.

Get a pair of shoes. They're not expensive, last a long time and improve your "game". Both technically and visually.

R35

[Golfbum]

Originally Posted by bigsandals

Have been golfing for over twenty years now and have never owned a pair of golf shoes. My buddies all flip me crap when I show up in my tennis shoes or sandals....then I go out and smoke them on the course (they suck though). Would golf shoes make a difference in my game?

You say you smoke your buddies when playing with them? How do you light them? Must take a big lighter to do that!

Seriously, what kind of scores do you shoot (NO BS'ING US HERE EITHER).
If you are scoring well, and by that I mean in the 70's then I would say no shoes required.

If you are in the 90's you might want to think about trying a pair. The added stability in your swing would help lower your scores. Personally I would not step onto a course without my Bites laced up on my feet.

[Pa Jayhawk]

I would likely play like crap (all the time) without the grip of golf shoes, and the reason I go through spikes so often. If you like the feel of sandals, Bite (mentioned earlier) also makes golf sandals with spikes. Footjoy does as well.
http://www.biteshoes.com/golf/all/sandals.htm

I have never worn them but here is a review. I see them on sale for cheap every now and then, but they usually never had my size.
http://www.hamegg.org/main/article.php?sid=190

[Slingblade61]

I can't imagine that the feel of sand, grass clippings and fertalizer between your toes is condusive to good play.

[halifax_golfer]

I walked a course once in bare feet (There was NO ONE there at all). I thought the grass felt so much nicer and softer then the grass in my yard, and the sand was nice and warm too .

I find golf shoes make a big difference though aswell. I'd recomend a pair. I really like my Adiddas AD75's.

Chris.

[JEFF4i]

Well, for me they assist quite well. If you look at my avatar closely, you can see that my right foot actually drags forward a bit in my forward swing. Dont know why, just does, but my shoes contribute to my balance in my forward momentum.

[nsherman2006]

I play with whatever i had on before going to the course usually. Had the Club Championship this weekend so i put on golf shoes. Shot the same as i usually do(and won!). I think now i've learned to swing without relying on spikes for balance, so i'm set. But they can't hurt!

PS: Playing barefoot is awesome. Nothing like walking over a nice green in bare feet, or a good bunker

[twogreen]

Originally Posted by nsherman2006

PS: Playing barefoot is awesome. Nothing like walking over a nice green in bare feet, or a good bunker

Guess it all depends upon where you spend the majority of your time during a round. Personally, I find the broken twigs, sticks, pine cones, pine needles and briars to be somewhat painful.

[WMitch6]

I once played in a brand new pair of dryjoys. Bought them at the course put them on and tee it up - yeah, I know. By the 7th hole my feet were killing me. I played the last 11 holes barefoot. It was actually pretty comfortable.