How do golf shoes affect your swing?

Had this thought yesterday at the driving range after noticing my knees were really hurting (never happened before). I've had one good day in the past 3 months at the driving range where my swing felt balanced and consistent. Every other day has been a total crapshoot and I haven't been able to hit long clubs consistently at all. I always seem to be falling over at the end of the swing, one way or another, and as such my ball striking suffers.

This got me thinking.

That one day where I was hitting really good, I was wearing my old golf shoes, which are more a traditional golf shoe (shaped like a dress shoe / dance shoe with a well defined sole pattern). It fits pretty snug and the sidewalls are firm enough that your foot stays in place even if you shift your weight to the outside of the foot (example, left foot on the followthrough).

The shoes I have been wearing are a pair of GreenJoys athletics. Sneaker style shoe with a much wider sole and less side support. They aren't quite as snug, and you really can't roll your feet in them without slipping because the edges are more rounded rather than defined. They also have much more arch in the foot than the traditional shoe.

My theory right now is that these shoes are horrible for my golf swing and they are killing my balance. I'm going to test it out, but I think the sneaker style doesn't have enough support in the right places to give good traction through the swing.

Anyone have any similar experiences? I hate blaming equipment, but I can't figure out for the life of me (and neither can my instructor) why my balance and tempo have been so bad lately. Can shoes and footwork really affect it that much?

Golf shoes don't really affect me one way or another. A lot of times I won't even wear them, I'll wear my day to day tennis shoes instead (and I'll seldom tie them any tighter than what will allow me to slip them on/off). The exception to this is if it's wet. When it's wet I'll almost always wear my golf shoes.

I quit wearing golf shoes back in high school due to my fast, high tempo, swing. I found that w/out golf shoes on I really had to force myself to stay in control or I'd start sliding all over the place. This really helped me slow down my tempo w/out losing any/much swing speed at all. Slowing down my tempo really helped my control.

Personally I don't think that it's your change in shoes. My thought is that something isn't quite right in your swing that is being pointed out by the fact that you have a little less support (and thus less stability). Bring in the metal side of the game however, and you may be going in the right direction (more supportive shoes) to fix your swing...

Good thoughts there. I'm just really perplexed that the one day I switched shoes, I hit so much better. Maybe it was a confidence thing, maybe the shoes really have nothing to do with it.

I do know in the sneakers I have a really hard time keeping the right knee flex in the backswing, and that's a major key in my swing. Straighten the right leg, I'm dead.

Either way, I'm putting those shoes back on!

For me golf shoes are very important. Having a consistant base for my swing that is fixed firmly to the ground allows me to forget about it.

When I first picked up a club and was hitting with tennis shoes only on the driving range my feet would get terribly out of position on every swing and things would be all over the place. Then, I bought my first pair of golf shoes, size 12 and they fit how my normal shoes fit, it was a huge improvement having cleats to better anchor my feet during the swing.

Recently I bought a pair of Nike Air Max Rejuvinate S. When I went to the store I tried on about 30 pair of shoes before settling on the Rejuvinate. I was looking for a snug fit but not overly tight. Most 12's felt too loose on my foot and most 11's it felt like my foot was cramped. They do not stock many 11.5's. So I was looking through the boxes and I found an 11.5 Rejuvinate S and I tried it on and it was perfect.

Now when I am out on the course or practicing my feet are a non issue, my foot does not turn in my shoe at all and it well anchored to the ground. This has helped keep my alignment more consistant as a beginner and has also provided a more solid foundation in my swing.

Long story short, if you don't have a good solid base for your swing how can you expect it to be repeatable.

-E

4 out of my last 5 rounds found me not wearing them.

The one round that I did wear them was on last Friday. I played in a foursome with a buddy and some guys he plays with often. We rode.

The other four rounds I walked and used my pushcart and wore my regular sneakers. They are so much more comfortable on long walks and I have special arch inserts that fit better in them than in my golf shoes.

There were only a couple of shots where I can honestly say there was a big difference. These were at times where I'd find myself in a severely uneven lie where the extra traction is super.

My knees and feet ache a bit after walking 18, but it's a "good" ache if you know what I mean. If I wear golf shoes w/o that insert then it's more than an ache and hurts for the remainder of the day and the next.

Here's my experience:

The best round of my life was shot barefoot. I wore a pair of slides and kicked them off to take full swings. I eventually had to stop playing barefoot because it started to really wear on my lower back. I couldn't play more than 4 holes without seriously paying for it the next 3 days. I have since gotten a pair of Adidas that are somewhere between a traditional and a sport style shoe. I can play pain free, but haven't gotten back to the same level game-wise.

I think that playing barefoot caused me to slow everything down to keep from falling on my ass. If it didn't hurt so bad (plus get my feet filthy) I'd go back to it. I did get some funny looks when I'd step up to the tee box, kick off my sandals with my size 15 feet. Just watch out for goose crap.

Size 15? .Ever clip the end of the toes with the club, lol?

Close. Flop shots are dangerous.

i thought golf shoes were overrated until i almost took one of my playing partners head off because when i came through with my downswing my feet slipped on the wet grass and i pulled the ball dead left. That being said i have shot one of my best rounds (which isnt saying much) in tennis shoes. For me i guess the spikes give me that little bit extra confidence in my swing.

Well, went to the range yesterday and sure enough, I need to get rid of those sneaker style shoes. Not enough support. I was striking the ball much better and with better balance wearing my old golf shoes. Maybe it's the shoe design, maybe it's just how they fit, or maybe it's mental, but I'm sticking with the old shoes.

just buy a new pair of your old style shoes. TaDa!!


man im gonna start charging for these ideas...LOL

I've been using golf shoes the last 2 years and will not consider anything else in the future. If I try to put on some other shoes, or just a cheaper pair of shoes, I fell much less stable. I've got a pair of DryJoys today, and love them. Took some rounds before they fit my foot, but now I can't play without them. Also keeping me dry through the round is great. I have played some rounds with old golf shoes with holes in them, making me all wet. It affected everything I did on the course.

I know from experience that new shoes doesn't always feel good from the first second. That's why I give them some time to adjust, once they do, they feel great. Do not judge a pair of shoes by your first steps, or first rounds even.

I've had my DryJoys for some months now, they still keep me dry. I'll be using them next season too and see how they hold up at the end.