New to golf or looking for ways to lower your score? Your shoes might make the difference
Six Nations is lucky to have several 18-hole golf courses within a half-hour drive—including MontHill Golf & Country Club just off Highway 6. Whether you’re a new golfer or a veteran working towards a lower score, can golf shoes help your game or do they help just as much as a collared shirt?
Almost all the latest golf shoes on the market claim to boost distance, consistency, and speed. First off, how do golf shoes differ from other types of athletic shoes?
“Golf shoes are specifically designed to give players stability, balance and flexibility during the g. If the player is slipping or sliding during the swing movement, it is hard to make good contact with the golf ball and consequently difficult to produce good shots,” stated an article on golfweeks.com “Unlike other athletic shoes, golf shoes have a larger sole and a broader shoe base. Because the golf swing is performed while standing still, it’s necessary to have a larger shoe base so the player can maintain good balance. Running shoes, tennis shoes or shoes made for team sports do not have such a broad base because quick or sustained foot motion is more a part of these sports than golf.
If you tried some swings in your bare feet, you’ll notice a lot more foot movement than you expected. Because of this, more stability can be really important when it comes to hitting straighter, farther, and more consistent.
“The more stability a shoe can give a player the better,” states golfweek. “Most golf shoes have built-in stabilizers along the side of the arches to help keep the feet from shifting or sliding right and left. Spikes are also part of the golf shoe, which help keep the feet from sliding on wet or uneven turf.”
To put golf and spiked golf shoes to the test, a test pro from Today’s Golfer put together an experiment in 2017 to see what the difference was when it came to average carry and average ball speed. Chris Ryan and Ed Simon Daddow hit balls at the range barefoot, in socks and wearing spiked and spikeless shoes. A launch monitor recorded data. To ensure a fair test both testers used a new pair of spiked and spikeless shoes and a clean pair of socks. We won’t tell you how to play your game, but here are the results of the test:
Test 1 – Bare Feet
Average ball speed: 151 miles per hour
Average carry: 253 yards
Test 2 – Just Socks
Average ball speed: 149 miles per hour
Average carry: 247 yards
Test 3 – Spikeless Shoes
Average ball speed: 150 miles per hour
Average carry: 257 yards
Test 4 – Spiked Shoes
Average ball speed: 151 miles per hour
Average carry: 259 yards
The only suggestion we have is not to play barefoot, as far as results go it was all pretty close. So, as the golf season picks up this summer just remember to get out there, have fun, and hit it hard!
