Do golf shoes really need spikes?

[HighlandLaird]

I started golf  at the age of 13 in 1955 when the only golf shoes available were those with metal spikes, apart from the few available with rubber "maze" pattern soles, which were useless when it was wet.  I must say I find the newer plastic cleats OK, except on hilly, wet courses where you really do need metal spikes---I've taken a tumble more than once because of this.

My own preference is always for metal spikes---they are the best all round, and there is very little evidence for them causing more damge to greens than any other type. Indeed they seem to help with aeration.   Most clubs here in Britain still allow metal spikes, although I understand they are banned at many American courses.

Sadly, it is very difficult to find new shoes with metal spikes, but fortunately, I'm not very hard on my shoes, and I still have some from years gone by---even some tan brogues with "kilties" believe it or not.

Does anyone know of manufacturers still offering metal-spiked shoes?

[Paradox]

most of the places I play(bentgrass usually) are never really dry. If its morning, theres dew and watering, middle of the day, watering..evening, watering.

[KRP18]

Had a really hard time when metal spikes were first outlawed.  The transition for me was a pretty long one because we play some very hilly and rocky terrain in Wisconsin and around the Midwest ... and marshy, often wetland fairways when we head to Myrtle Beach & Pawleys Island for winter/early spring golf. One style spike just didn't fit the bill, and initially what were offered out there were really generic.  One style and one size hardly fits all -- whether it's our golf clubs or shoes & spikes.  Finally found the Champs line are far and above the rest of the line out there.  They have a wide array of styles.  (Especially love the Zarma -- multi-layered technology so they're firm but cushiony).   They grip well on all terrain (not as well as metal, but close) --- and I agree with the other posters that spikes are needed to stabilize your stance at the tee through the backswing and impact.

Check the Champs website to see the large variety of styles to see what suits you.  I'd suggest checking your wear pattern on your street shoes to see if you have any aggressive out or in wear.  Maybe you need to mix up the different styles to cantor at the heel or toe area -- or as some of us have, one leg may be a wee bit shorter than the other.  You might want to consider one style on one shoe and another on the other fool.  Unlike the spikes which penetrated the turf completely, all the soft spikes still keep us a bit elevated based on the design of the "wings" of the spikes themselves.  So, one of the advantages to the soft spikes is to be able to customize our stances at the tee and for those precision short shots especially.

[twisted5ltr]

I don't knock guys who don't wear them, my father in law had to stop cause of physical issues and he got he nubbies, he likes them. But for me and my game. There is no way I'm taking a chance on an easy screw up like that. I used to drag race back in the day. And when I first started I would do my burnout and then I saw other guys who would like stomp the throttle right before they pulled up to the line to see if their burnout was gonna hold. I thought this was a good idea. So I started doing it. My dad says to me first once your out of the burnout box it doesn't matter you can't go back in. But also if you break a part your done, and you didn't even start the race yet. Why risk it. If your gonna break do it on the starting line. I think of this the same way. I need to take care to make sure the easy stuff is nailed down so i can focus on the stuff i havent nsiled down yet. it would be stupid of me to put one out of bounds cause my foot slipped. And it would be pure stupidity to put myself into a situation that it could happen not once but more than once in the same round. I'm trying to lower my handicap not raise it. But that's for me and MY game . . . .another thing I learned drag racing, focus on myself. The guy in the lane next to me could catch on fire but I won't know it cause I'm worried about me.

[Jpin76]

i slipped and fell on my back wearing tennis shoes while playing once.  This was years ago when i started to learn golf...  It was more embarassing then anything else. So no tennis shoes but the spikeless shoes they sell now are fine......

[Bullitt5339]

Originally Posted by Jpin76

i slipped and fell on my back wearing tennis shoes while playing once.  This was years ago when i started to learn golf...  It was more embarassing then anything else. So no tennis shoes but the spikeless shoes they sell now are fine......

I did this today walking down to the range during lunch in street shoes.  I was cutting across an area beside the practice green and there were pine needles there.  I didn't think anything about it, since I'm typically wearing spikes and completely ate it.

Yes, it is embarrassing..........

[Miklos Breitner]

Last year Advanced Research Centre found (I assume Softspikes can be sponsor of this research) that new, out-of-the-box cleated shoes provided up to 70% more traction than cleat-less shoes in wet conditions, and up to 51% when the ground is dry: http://www.golfbusinessmonitor.com/golf_industry/2013/03/footjoy-spikeless-golf-shoes-are-hot.html. As a beginner player I tried to play with different kind shoes from my running shoes to Geox that have golf spikes like sole. My experience that they can stabilize your swing as you will be more connected to the ground so your swing will be more powerful.

To answer to your other question, yes there are leading PGA players with spikeless golf shoes like Graeme McDowell, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh or even Tiger Woods (Nike's TW '13, have a combination of plastic spikes and molted traction.). I guess they are using these shoes as part of their sponsorship deal + their technique is far better than our.

[thanw]

Tried playing in tennis shoes for a number of rounds back in the 90s. My golf shoes weren't uncomfortable but face it the new tennis shoes are heaven. One day on a par 3 the grass was only slightly damp on the tee box. On the back swing my left foot shifted enough that when I came through the ball my line was a good 20* off. That was it for me.

[DaggerSA]

Do you need spiked golf shoes?  Well, it depends.  It's kind of like asking, "do you need all 8 cylinders on your car to be firing?"  The answer is, "no....unless you'd like your car to be running at peak power and efficiency.

I'm inclined to point out that if you're not able to notice a difference between wearing golf shoes or not, then there are fundamental issues with your weight transfer and correct dynamic balance.

First, on your back swing, during the final degrees of movement, you should be loading up your back foot (that is, the right foot for us right-handed golfers) and pushing off while your still stretching out the back swing. That's right, you're lower body and upper body should be moving in opposite direction during the final inches of your backswing in order to deliver maximum power to the swing.  So, how can you possibly anchor your foot well enough to handle this torque if you're not "spiked" into the turf?  If you can, then you are missing out on dozens of additional yards from the lack of transfering "all 8 cylinders of" power into your downswing.

Next, if you're moving your forward foot (that is, the left for us righties) instead of rolling onto the outside of your foot, then you're losing power in your swing by "leaking" it into movement of your imroperly anchored forward foot.

So, if you like driving an 8 cylinder car with only 6 cylinders firing, then going spike-less is probably not a problem for you.

[newtogolf]

I don't like going to the range without wearing soft spikes so I'd never go try to play a round of golf in non-golf shoes.  My home course is pretty hilly and can be pretty slippery in the early hours.  I see no reason to risk a bad shot or worse an injury due to not wearing golf shoes with spikes or cleats.

I don't know how comfortable they are but I see Nike, Callaway, Adidas and Etonic golf shoes on clearance bins all the time at Dick's for less than the cost of a dozen premium golf balls so cost really shouldn't be an issue.

[anthony]

Aside from the grip part of it, most golf shoes are also waterproof. If you play early in the morning, it's a necessity. I made the mistake of leaving my spikes at home last year one day and my sneakers/socks were absolutely soaked.

[Fourputt]

I played a lot in Rockport walking shoes back in the late 90's when I first started having trouble with my feet when wearing golf shoes (walking on turf was just killing my feet for some reason).  I found a couple of positives - one that my feet didn't hurt midway through the round as they had with any of the golf shoes I'd used in the last 3 years.  Second was that they actually promoted a smoother swing because I sometimes slipped if my transition was too quick.  I couldn't go too hard at the ball, but for me that just meant that I was making better, more consistent contact.  It didn't seem to result in any loss of distance.

Ultimately my foot problems got bad enough that I couldn't walk the course any more, first had to start riding after 9 holes, then gave up walking for golf altogether.  I still sometimes wear almost smooth soled shoes to play when I'm having swing issues.  They quickly get me back in a good smooth rhythm.  I will qualify my comments with the fact that I play 99% of my golf in Colorado where dew is relatively rare and my home course waters at sunset most days so the course dries out fast in the morning.  I've played a lot of golf in sneakers with a moderate tread pattern and rarely slip, but I'm not a really aggressive swinger.

[Dave2512]

I just bought some Nike Swingtips, love 'em, like wearing comfy street shoes. But for sure will only be a sunny day, course not soggy from rain the night before choice. Nothing to do with traction as much as keeping them clean and dry. More often than not I am thankful for my cheap pleather FJ's. Until they start hurting my feet and ankles. I have some tennis shoe style Adidas I picked up on sale at DSG but one time digging into a bunker with wet sand below the surface and the mesh was stained. A good soaking of rain will keep low areas wet for days here even in the summer. But I am definitely in the market for some durable spikeless shoes, something minimalist. Playing in dress shoe styles or anything with a high heel pad makes my left achilles tendon hurt with all the rolling of that foot.

[shanksalot]

When I first started to play golf some 50 years ago I did not have golf shoes. I really don't remember when I first bought a pair but I played for

a long time not using spikes. My wife played barefoot when I first met her and she is a good golfer. I play in all kinds of weather these days

and I certainly need some type of spike in the rainy weather.

[WalkTheCourse]

Originally Posted by Never Lay Up

If over 99% of tour players wear shoes with spikes why question if you should wear them?

Because golf shoes cost money. Spikes cost money. Money doesn't grow on trees.

That's like saying "Why shouldn't you use a $500 driver if 99% of golfers use one?"

I'm sure they're freakin' great. I wear tennis shoes. I don't slip.

[skigolf33]

It has been my experience that on occasion the back foot may slip out when using the driver, fairway woods and long irons. This may be caused by high torque. Apparently it would be foolish just to have spikes and one shoe so I believe that's why we have spikes were cleats in both golf shoes.

The golf shoe has evolved into more of a sneaker over the years and many manufacturers only use bumps on the bottom

What is next flat surface. When the weather is wet spikes become more valuable and may be necessary..

The evolution of the spike from steel to rubber/plastic has helped the condition of the greens considerably. In the old days steel spikes damage greens and by the end of the day the greens was so chopped up that the ball path was often compromised.

[anthony]

Originally Posted by skigolf33

The golf shoe has evolved into more of a sneaker over the years

This is worth highlighting. I bought a pair of Nike golf shoes this year and retired my beat callaway's that are 4 or 5 years old. The amount of comfort is like night and day. Obviously, new shoes are more comfortable than old. The callaway's were basically dress shoes with spikes and the nike's are running shoes with spikes. Big difference. I paid $49.95 for them on clearance.

[newtogolf]

Originally Posted by WalkTheCourse

Because golf shoes cost money. Spikes cost money. Money doesn't grow on trees.

That's like saying "Why shouldn't you use a $500 driver if 99% of golfers use one?"

I'm sure they're freakin' great. I wear tennis shoes. I don't slip.

You can buy a decent pair of golf shoes for about $50 on clearance.  Spikes cost about $14 for both shoes.  Golf isn't an inexpensive hobby and for the cost of a day of golf or a dozen premium balls you can get yourself a pair of golf shoes.