| When I think about golf equipment over the last | | | | play barefoot. Shoes were a barrier to sensory |
| 25 years, one of the best improvements, | | | | input and numbed the senses of the bottoms of |
| innovations, or upgrades would be spikeless golf | | | | the feet, which are necessary for balance and |
| shoes. Not many old timers will agree, but I think | | | | coordination. That was true of the old golf shoe. It |
| we are in a long over-due era. Spikeless golf | | | | was like wearing winged tipped dress shoes with |
| shoes are here to stay. | | | | spikes on the bottom. |
| Not long ago I started up golf after a 15 years | | | | Playing golf barefoot would allow balance and |
| hiatus. While digging out my old clubs I came | | | | coordination issues to improve. The traditional golf |
| across a pair of my high school golf shoes from | | | | shoe was an impediment to that. What's great |
| the late 1970s. They were actually still intact. | | | | about the new designs is they can be made to be |
| Great leather upper FootJoys with leather sole | | | | a lot more like tennis shoes with pliable soles. The |
| and metal spiked cleats. " Hey" I said to myself, "I | | | | spikes are arrayed in a pattern that provides |
| can put some new spikes on these and be ready | | | | traction without isolating the foot joints so that |
| to go." So, I got a spike wrench out and tried to | | | | you have less wear and tear on the joint and the |
| unscrew the metal spike to no avail. I put it in | | | | ankle and on the knee, and by extension the hip |
| vice clamps using both hands, could not budge | | | | and shoulders and lower back. So, that's one of |
| these metal spikes. Of course, they had been | | | | the great benefits. |
| that way, rusted in place, for 30 years. I laughed. | | | | 2. The ability to wear them off the golf course. |
| Then I went and bought a new pair of golf shoes, | | | | For instance, the other morning I had a friend call |
| spikeless! | | | | me up with an open tee time. I was on my way |
| Remember the endless repairing of spike marks | | | | out the door, and I thought, " I'll just throw my |
| before a putt? Remember the awkward feel of a | | | | golf shoes on now." I went into the office for a |
| missing cleat, the feel of tearing up the carpet in | | | | couple of hours, and then jumped in my car, ran |
| the pro shop, the necessity of meticulously | | | | from the parking lot to the golf shop just in time |
| cleaning of every last spike after a round so the | | | | to make my tee time. I played five hours of golf, |
| dirt and moisture wouldn't work its way into the | | | | and then met my wife for dinner, all without |
| metal cleats? | | | | changing my shoes. So, spikeless golf shoes allow |
| The high maintenance of the old golf shoe is gone | | | | a person to go from the course to the mall, to |
| forever. | | | | restaurants, to shopping malls, without creating a |
| I don't know what brought on the mandatory | | | | racket or without sliding around like you're on ice |
| spikeless rules of today, but somebody | | | | skates. |
| somewhere between 1989 and now decided that | | | | 3. Less moving parts, and low maintenance. |
| golfers were not to wear metal cleats anymore. I | | | | Although many spiked golf shoes have cleats that |
| don't think there's a golf course out there that will | | | | can be twisted off with a golf cleat, they are |
| allow you to wear metal cleats these days. Some | | | | plastic and they twist off much more readily. If |
| of the old timers think that you're not getting the | | | | they break off, you can at least pull them out |
| same benefit. Those cleats really anchored you to | | | | with a pair of needle nose pliers. If you use dry |
| the ground. They provided the traction you need | | | | spikeless golf shoes, there are no moving parts. |
| for a game which depends on the amount of | | | | They just have an accentuated tread with larger |
| torque you can generate. I haven't had my head | | | | nubs on the outside of each foot to provide a |
| in the game for more than a decade, so here is | | | | backstop for the torquing motion, and |
| my take on the bennies of spikeless, having worn | | | | multi-directional treading on the interior of the foot |
| them now for a little while: | | | | to make sure that anybody that weighs over 100 |
| 1. Less wear and tear on joints. When you lock | | | | pounds can create enough friction with the ground |
| the foot in place like you did with early golf | | | | to make a difference. |
| footwear, spiked golf shoes, the torque that your | | | | So, as far as ease on the joints, multi-purpose |
| knees, hips and shoulders bore was much greater | | | | use and low maintenance, spikeless golf shoes, in |
| than with spikeless golf shoes. So, less joint | | | | my book, are the way to go. They should be |
| injuries are probably going to happen. I once had | | | | here to stay, and low maintenance, spikeless golf |
| Peter Egoscue, physical therapist to golf stars, tell | | | | shoes, in my book, are the way to go. They |
| me that his ideal would be that everybody would | | | | should be here to stay. |