Golf shoes are complicated. And most golfers make it simple. If you're interested in optimizing your golf performance, I'd recommend you give some thought to a few key golf shoe tips and hacks to improve your game. Most golfers approach golf shoes in this manner: I need a new pair of golf shoes. Which ones look cool? What do you have in my size? How much is it? Done.
There are quite a few key considerations for golf shoe selection. Each one could probably be a blog post. And maybe it will become that.
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Look. How does it look? Cool factor. Does it match my golf outfit(s)? Golf shoes, even for men, are an important part of your golf style. Choose shoes that make you feel good when you step on the first tee. I always play better when I like how I look and feel.
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Availability. I need a new golf shoe, what does my club have for sale? Most golf pro shops have pretty limited shoes available to try on and take home. But you still should support your local golf shop when possible. Do your research, find your style, get your size right, and see if your club can order it for you. It's a win-win.
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Price. What's on sale? What's the best deal? This is a dangerous approach to golf shoes. Please, please don't buy shoes for this reason. It's just wrong. Golf is an expensive sport. Your equipment matters. Give it time, attention, and spend your money on the right pair of shoes.
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Comfort. How good does it feel? This is the danger of buying online or without trying the shoes on. Your're not sure about the fit and the comfort.
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Construction. Spikes or spikeless? What do I even like better? What's better for me and my golf swing? If you're slipping around a lot in a running shoe or spikeless shoes, you may want to consider a spiked golf shoe to increase your stability. Although Scottie Sheffler doesn't seem to mind a lot of foot movement, he still wears spiked Nike shoes.
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Heel to toe drop. Offset in shoes, or the heel to toe drop, became a topic of conversation with running shoes a few years ago, after the barefoot and minimalist running phenomenon hit. True Linkswear makes a zero-drop shoe. Most golf shoes have built-in heel to toe drop, which does change the center of gravity, distribution of pressure in the foot. This is a complicated topic, and I'll expand in another post about this topic by itself. Probably the tip I'd offer here is this: consider using different versions of the same shoe for consistency. If you play on a Friday in a zero-drop shoe, then play Saturday in a 12mm drop, you may struggle with proper ball impact until you adjust to the difference. Use the same shoe! It makes so much sense.
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Stability. Most golfers will benefit from a more stable shoe construction. Soft and flexible shoes are comfortable for standing, and sometimes walking, but may negatively impact your golf swing and power and consistency.
I'll expand on several of these topics in a future blog post, but for now, consider your approach to golf shoes. And seriously consider choosing YOUR shoe, and only playing that shoe. I've moved to that just recently, in addition to using the JusGo Golf Swing Soles, and am seeing more consistency in my golf game and ball striking. I started making this switch in August 2023, and since then, my 10 posted scores are an average 82.1, with a standard deviation of 1.96. My 10 prior scores averaged 85.9, standard deviation 5.96. I did not have a lesson in this time frame, nor did I change equipment. This can't be perfectly trusted as THE reason, but is is reasonable to a possible or likely correlation between the better golf in the form of of improved distance and consistency in ball striking with us of the JusGo Golf Swing Soles and using the same shoe. Your best shoe. Figure that out. It matters.
I pulled all the golf shoes I've worn in the last year. Cuater, Ecco, Footjoy, Adidas, Athalonz, True Linkswear, Nike AirJordan. I hate to throw them all away, but I've settled on MY shoe. And I'm seeing excellent consistency in my game and ball striking with the SAME shoe and the JusGo Golf Swing Soles under my feet.
