What Are the Benefits of Golf Shoes?
Golf shoes are vital to most golfers who play the game regularly. In addition to being comfortable, strong and water-proof, they make a fashion statement for anyone on the golf course. They also help a golfer execute his game because they help with stability. This is particularly true of difficult shots from a hazard like a bunker or from slippery terrain.
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Function
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Golf shoes help to give a golfer true stability as he swings the club. The golf swing is about transferring weight, if a right-handed player, from your right side of your body to your left while performing an athletic maneuver. Golfers can execute this move in bare feet or gym shoes, but the likelihood of slipping or losing one's footing is great without the proper footwear. Golf shoes have grips on the bottom that helps the golfer maintain her position so she can execute her shot well.
History
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Golf shoes used to have metal spikes on the bottom to help the golfer gain his foothold. Over the last 20 years, golf shoe manufacturers have changed the way shoes were made. Instead of making shoes with metal spike, they started making them out of plastic. The spikes were 1/4 to 1/2 inch long and they dug into the ground. Plastic spikes helped the golfer increase her stability without digging up the course or the surrounding area. Manufacturers have changed the look of the gripping devices on the bottom of the shoes even further so that they rarely make any holes in the golf surface. Many golf courses no longer allow golfers to wear metal spikes.
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Significance
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One of the most important places that golf shoes come into play is in the bunker. Golfers are not allowed to ground their club or take a practice shot when in the sand and it can be difficult for any golfer to maintain his balance on this surface. By digging into the sand with your golf shoes--side to side motion directed by your heels--you can gain stability. Then it's just a matter of executing your shot. Trying to do this without golf shoes would result in a loss of balance and the possibility of falling while executing your shot.
Geography
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Golf courses that have significant terrain shifts also make solid-gripping golf shoes a necessity. If you are teeing off on a long hole, you will most likely use your driver. That is the longest club in your bag and it can be difficult to tee up a golf ball 3/4 of an inch off the ground and hit it consistently. Trying to do that without shoes that grip the tee box might be impossible. Most tee areas have a very thin layer of grass that provides almost no cushion. That grass area is also quite slippery. Players who attempt to drive the ball without golf shoes often slip because they have nothing to grip onto without golf shoes. This is particularly true of golf courses with a lot of hills and valleys.
Considerations
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Golf shoes will help keep your feet dry while you are playing a round. Golfers who like to get out for a round in the morning notice how wet many courses are because of the morning dew in addition to the watering of the course. Try playing in gym shoes in the morning and notice how wet your feet get and how uncomfortable that is. Golf shoes also provide strong support for your feet and that is important when you are walking 4 to 6 miles in an 18-hole round of golf.
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