Walking Golf Shoes and Golf Swing

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jcb

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I have purchased and worn some of the new "walkable" golf shows out there. I would note that the pga tour players are increasingly wearing these shoes - justin rose, freddie couples, kenny perry, ryan moore, even tiger woods. I recently purchased and tried the True Linkswear shoe which is probably the most extreme - it advertises being similar to playing barefoot. So..my question to players online, and Brian and Michael, is the effect these flat shoes have on posture - no heels, closer to the ground, etc - have any bearing on the the swing itself? Have you tried them? Has it affected any of the pros I mentioned? Will more players switch over? Can Trackman measure the swing differential?
 
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ReefBoy

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jcb said:
I have purchased and worn some of the new "walkable" golf shows out there. I would note that the pga tour players are increasingly wearing these shoes - justing rose, freddie couples, kenny perry, ryan moore, even tiger woods I recently purchased and tried the True Linkswear shoe which is probably the most extreme - it advertises being similar to playing barefoot. So..my question to players online, and Brian and Michael, is does the effect these flat shoes have on posture - no heels, closer to the ground, etc - have any bearing on the the swing itself? Have you tried them? Has it affected any of the pros I mentioned? Will more players switch over? Can Trackman measure the swing differential?
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G'day mate,

I can't comment on how these shoes interact with the swing but I will give a caution to their use. I have seen people in my clinic that have developed feet issues from wearing these shoes. The commonality between the clients is that they treated them just like regular shoes right out of the box. I can't blame them as no one cautioned them.

The thing about these shoes is the lack of support, which is fine if the intrinsic muscles in the foot were strong. Most shoes lead to these muscles getting lazy, so if you want to use them start with easy walking for only 10mins per day. Each week increase the time by 10mins. After you have been doing 30mins with no problems, drop back to 20mins but increase the intensity to a brisk walk. Then start the same progressions again each week till you are doing 40mins with no problems. Once you have achieved this target, drop back to 20mins again but increase the intensity to a power walk. Then start the same progressions again.

This pattern will give the intrinsic muscle in your feet a chance to strengthen up without causing damage. The caveat in this process is if your feet get sore, take the rest of the week off. Once your feet have stopped hurting return to the shoes with the time increment dropped by 10mins. If pain flares up again, rest longer.

Christopher
 
dschultz6072

dschultz6072

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I wear the Air Range WP from Nike and they're gangster. The best part is a long as I don't have geese crap all over the spikes I can wear them wherever and still look good. The only bad thing is the "spikes" are not replaceable. 100 bucks a pop is not cheap, but they've lasted a year so far.

I was actually thinking of getting the Footjoy wannabe Ecco St Premieres or the Dunk NG next. I see no problem with the spikeless. I'm still able to smash the ball fine with them. For me, anyway.
 
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BIGBALL

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I have been wearing the True shoes now for over a year - best purchase of golf shoes I have ever made! I was woried about slipping when I first bought them.. I can honestly say I slipped more in regular spikes than I have in these.
 
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finncox

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I have a slightly different cautionary regarding this type of golf shoe. I bought a pair of Nike shoes that were more "tennis-shoe-like," and I had a good experience with them overall. They were incredibly comfortable, breathable, and easy to keep clean. I could literally just throw them in the washing machine when they got fairly dirty, and they came out looking good as new.

However, there is one big sticking point with these types of shoes if you play in a region that is the least bit rainy, or if the home course you play holds water........your feet will get soaked, depending on the conditions. I live/play in Mobile, AL, and I simply could not get away with lightweight, breathable shoes in the summer. I finally got fed up with that aspect of the shoes, and bought a pair of DryJoys. I will never go back. They are incredibly comfortable, and one of the first rounds I played with them was after a heavy Mobile downpour (really the only kind of rain we get), and my feet didn't have a drop of water on them after slogging through the muck and mud, in "cart path only" conditions.

Also, the sole of my Nike's actually gave way pretty early in the life of the shoe, for whatever that's worth. That, and it simply did not give as much traction as a shoe with more traditional spikes.

My .02....take it for what it's worth.
 
Erik_K

Erik_K

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I have a pair of green joys and my feet always hurt after a round of golf (even when I ride in the cart). Now, the shoes are rather old and perhaps don't support my feet to well (or rather, the arches broke down and my feet don't sit evenly on the ground).

I've been using Vibraims for the last 2-3 golf seasons and it's a lot easier on my feet. I am less tired and this includes when I walk (which is the case most of the time).

I, personally, don't buy into the sneakers/shoes "support" your feet argument. If you're like me, the first thing I do is kick off my shoes when I get home. When I walk around barefoot, my feet don't hurt and I don't ask myself if I need support via sneakers or other shoes. I often lift weights, do chores, sprint on grass, etc with no shoes. But that's just me. I tend to wear out sneakers rather quickly (very active, perhaps more than most) and I can't stand buying tennis shoes every few months. However, the issue may be rooted in what you are actually doing. Maybe if I was playing lots of basketball I would need some cushion. I tend to wear sneakers for errands, vibraims for working out and golf, weight lifting shoes if I feel like it, bowling shoes for bowling, and so on. I used to just wear one pair of sneakers for everything and then get new ones maybe once per year.

You can always carry an extra pair of golf shoes in the car to go along with what you'd like to wear. If the conditions are soggy, then wear the traditional shoes (I agree - if it's wet out, the Vibraims will not keep your feet dry).
 
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BIGBALL

New
Erik_K said:
I have a pair of green joys and my feet always hurt after a round of golf (even when I ride in the cart). Now, the shoes are rather old and perhaps don't support my feet to well (or rather, the arches broke down and my feet don't sit evenly on the ground).

I've been using Vibraims for the last 2-3 golf seasons and it's a lot easier on my feet. I am less tired and this includes when I walk (which is the case most of the time).


I, personally, don't buy into the sneakers/shoes "support" your feet argument. If you're like me, the first thing I do is kick off my shoes when I get home. When I walk around barefoot, my feet don't hurt and I don't ask myself if I need support via sneakers or other shoes. I often lift weights, do chores, sprint on grass, etc with no shoes. But that's just me. I tend to wear out sneakers rather quickly (very active, perhaps more than most) and I can't stand buying tennis shoes every few months. However, the issue may be rooted in what you are actually doing. Maybe if I was playing lots of basketball I would need some cushion. I tend to wear sneakers for errands, vibraims for working out and golf, weight lifting shoes if I feel like it, bowling shoes for bowling, and so on. I used to just wear one pair of sneakers for everything and then get new ones maybe once per year.

You can always carry an extra pair of golf shoes in the car to go along with what you'd like to wear. If the conditions are soggy, then wear the traditional shoes (I agree - if it's wet out, the Vibraims will not keep your feet dry).
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I agree with everything you said Eric. I will say this - the True shoes are waterproof - I have played in more than my share of wet conditions! A lot of people don't like them because they look a bit like clown shoes - personally for me, performance first! But they do have some new ones that are a bit more traditional, but I haven't wore those so I can't say how they perform.
 
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Tony D'Antonio

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Ok, I'm going to show how long I've been away from golf. Are golf shoes with real spikes no longer allowed? I've seen some videos by a guy who talks about Hogan having an extra spike in his shoes and the same guy has teamed up with Steve Elkington. Elkington talks about Jackie Burke down at some club in Texas (Champions, I think) and how they allow spikes on their course. The story goes that Burke says when they make Usain Bolt run his sprints without track spikes he'll stop wearing spikes on the golf course. I tend to agree but then I haven't worn a pair of the newer golf shoes, even the ones with plastic spikes.
 
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niblick1

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I was a big fan of the super-comfortable golf shoes and unfortunately developed fairly serious issues from wearing them (issues I never developed in my 20 years ago when I was a runner). So now I have to get shoes with more support, laterally and in arches. Having done that, my foot problems have started to go away.
 
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jcb

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what kind of "issues" are related to the walking shoes in your opinion? I note that the heel is closer to the ground which would stretch the calf - I assume that is good? The True Linkswear has no arch support insert.
 
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niblick1

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jcb said:
what kind of "issues" are related to the walking shoes in your opinion? I note that the heel is closer to the ground which would stretch the calf - I assume that is good? The True Linkswear has no arch support insert.
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Plantar fascitis. The early symptoms were after walking rounds of golf, then full-blown difficulty walking at all in the morning following walking rounds this winter. The symptoms have improved dramatically since I have gone back to some shoes with more support, lateral and arch support. I like the new lightweight shoes and liked the True shoes as well, some people like myself just need more support in shoes, unfortunately.
 
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drewyallop

drewyallop

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You can rip out what is there and put in an orthopaedic insert to give you more support. But don't go for an orthopaedic prescription support. Terribly expensive. Any good running store will have an off the shelf model that will work.
 
Dariusz J.

Dariusz J.

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I started to play during summer dry days with light tracking shoes. Why tracking ? Because of heavily moulded sole preventing from slipping on grass (I use a lot of horizontally oriented ground forces). No difference between them and plastic spikes. I am pretty certain there is a difference between both of them and real metal spikes.

Cheers
 
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