Even when they ride, golfers do a lot of walking on the course. And while strolling around town in running shoes can be comfortable, by swinging a golf club you create significant torque in your feet and ankles. And golf courses, being outside, put you out in the elements, so a shoe’s ability to handle hills, water, sand and dirt is also essential.
For all these reasons, golf shoes are among the most complicated pieces of footwear made. Here are some tips to help find the perfect pair.
Fit is critical
Under normal circumstances, the best way to find a good-fitting pair of golf shoes would be to go to your local pro shop or golf specialty store and try on a few pairs. However, we’re not living in normal times right now, and many stores and golf courses are closed. Shoe companies are selling products online, but trying on shoes before you buy them may not be possible.
It may seem obvious, but to find good-fitting shoes, start with what you know and what has fit well for you in the past.
“Over the last three years, we have not changed our sizing at all,” said Masun Denison, Adidas’ global footwear director. “If you have worn an Adidas shoe in the last three years, there is an excellent chance that the size you were comfortable with then is the size you would be today in any model we offer.”
However, things are not always as simple as buying the same size, because the most crucial factor in how a shoe fits is the last. The last is the mold or form that the shoe is designed around, and it determines things such as how wide or narrow the shoe will be, how much room is in the toe, the curvature and the shoe’s height. Companies often use a different last for different types of shoes, so if you are changing styles or opting to buy a shoe from a different brand, the last in the new shoes likely will be different, and that could make them fit differently.
For example, Adidas’s Tour 360 XT will feel different on your feet than the new Adidas Codechaos Boa because different materials are used in their construction. The shoes also have different lacing systems, and one is a spiked shoe while the other is spikeless. You would likely need the same size in both shoes, but they would feel different on your feet.
“If you look at the shoe from the toe-down view, as if it was on your foot, you can see that some are more rounded and some are pointy,” said Andrew Lawson, Puma Golf’s product line manager for footwear. “You can then look at your foot’s shape and tell if you have a wider foot or a narrow foot. Comfort is king, so if a shoe doesn’t fit your foot’s shape, it’s never going to be comfortable.”
Richard Fryer, FootJoy’s director of product management, said it’s worth noting that if you have a favorite pair of shoes, updated versions and new editions of that shoe will almost always fit the same way.
“As you look through our different categories, if you look at DryJoy Tour, Tour X, Pro S/L, the FJ Fury, they’re all based on the Laser Plus last,” Fryer said. “So if you were a 9 last year, you’ll be a 9 this year and be very happy.”
If you chose to buy a pair of golf shoes online, check the return policy before completing your purchase. It might be smart to buy two pairs, try them both on at home and keep the best-fitting pair if you are offered free returns.
How much traction do you need?
Inside the USGA Museum in Far Hills, New Jersey, there is a pair of golf shoes worn by Ben Hogan on display. You don’t need to press your nose to the glass to realize the Hawk’s shoes were unique. Hogan’s shoes had 14 metal spikes in each sole, four in each heel and 10 in the forefoot.
While it is safe to assume Hogan never would have been a spikeless shoe advocate, scores of tour pros use spikeless shoes every week, and the most-worn shoe on the PGA Tour is the spikeless FootJoy Pro S/L. It begs the question: Do modern spikeless shoes give you spiked-shoe traction?
“The only real difference today between our spiked shoes and spikeless shoes is you can take the spikes out in some shoes,” Fryer said. “There are hundreds of contact points in both of them with the ground. Fundamentally, just because you can pull some of them in and out, it doesn’t make a huge difference.”
Each player’s style and the demands he or she is going to put on their shoes is also a factor in determining whether a golfer may want a spiked shoe or a spikeless offering. For example, if you only play golf four or five times a year, tend to play shorter courses and avoid golfing in the rain, Denison says you are probably a candidate for the comfort and versatility that modern spikeless shoes offer.
“But handicap and regionality also play into it,” he said. “If you are a single-digit-handicap golfer and you live in Seattle, and you are going to buy one new shoe for the next year or two, you probably want a spiked shoe,” he said.
Dension also notes that the durability of the traction is something most golfers overlook. He said the CodeChaos offers more traction than any spikeless shoe Adidas has ever offered, but after six months of play, the traction elements will naturally wear down.
“It will still have good grip, but remember that with a spiked shoe, when those cleats wear down, you can get the exact level of traction back by putting new cleats in,” he said.
Waterproof vs. water-resistant
If you are only going to have one pair of golf shoes, they need to be waterproof. Even if you live in a dry climate, walking over dew-soaked fairways or in mud can make your feet wet. And once your feet get wet, they’re going to stay wet until you change your shoes and socks.
To make a shoe waterproof, brands typically add a membrane that can keep water out. Some companies also add seam-sealing waterproof tape to areas for extra water-fighting protection. To ensure a shoe is waterproof, brands commonly submerge prototypes in water over the seam where the sole meets the upper. It the inside stays dry after being submerged in water for a few hours, it will keep your feet dry on the course. In fact, barring a puncture or tear, today’s waterproof shoes are so good at keeping your feet try that many brands offer one- or two-year waterproof warranties.
If you have the desire and the means to get a second pair of shoes, make them water-resistant instead of waterproof. Typically, water-resistant shoes can keep your feet dry under many conditions, and they tend to be more breathable.
“Typically, water-resistant shoes are treated with a water-repellant for all the materials, so they don’t absorb water,” Lawson said. “Some do have linings in them, and some don’t. It’s all a matter of construction.”
Fryer agrees that once a player has a good pair of waterproof golf shoes, getting a second shoe opens up a lot of possibilities.
“It used to be that once a player got something like a waterproof pair of white shoes with a brown saddle, his second pair would be white with a black saddle,” Fryer joked. “If consumers tell us they also want x, y and z in a golf shoe, we’ve got to listen. Sometimes we would not have thought about those things from a performance standpoint, but we need to answer that in a golf-specific way.”
Fryer notes that consumers are no longer tied to only one style of shoes. Plenty of elite golfers love to mix sneaker-style spikeless shoes with high-performance, traditional-looking spiked shoes. Some like modern styles and also want at least one pair of saddle shoes.
The best compliment you can give about a new pair of golf shoes is that you forget about them when you play. That happens when the fit is right, you get all the traction you want and your feet stay dry and comfortable. By thinking about your shoes as equipment, you can make a smart choice when it comes to footwear.
