For years I wore spiked golf shoes because that was how all golf shoes were designed. You really had no other option. The thought of wearing trainers to play golf was absurd, you’d lose traction and control.
The very mention of spikes triggers a nostalgic memory of a familiar clatter of metal spikes across the golf club car park. This is likely how many golfers remember spikes, but my word, how times have changed, and so have the materials used on the soles of golf shoes.
As technology and time moved forward I was extremely excited to own my first pair of spikeless shoes. The more spikeless pairs I tested, the more surprised I was at the amount of grip they offered. However, if I’m going to play a round when I want to really crank up distance and accuracy, I wear spiked shoes.
Why? I swing the club fairly fast, I hit it hard. Also, one of my biggest issues is that I lack stability in my lower body and tend to hop and use the earth to push power up and through my drive. It’s therefore really important for me to have maximum grip. There’s already a significant amount of movement, so I need to know I’m not going to slip or slide even slightly.
I find that the torsion I can create in my backswing is far more controlled and doesn’t move too far off the ball. The grip also gives me something to push off on from my downswing through impact. When I wear some spikeless shoes, I feel a bit more unstable, although I admit that Payntr’s X 007 spikeless shoe is out of this world when it comes to comfort and stability.
Now, if my swing speed was slower, I guarantee I wouldn’t feel as much of a difference wearing spikes over spikeless, but I’d still feel some. In most cases I’d recommend to pupils that if they want maximum stability, spikes are the way to go.
(Image credit: Tom Miles)
Let’s talk about the amount of energy we produce when swinging a golf club. It’s a powerful action when done properly. Granted, some produce more torque than others, but you are winding up and unwinding in a small area. The kinematic sequence of energy channels from your body through to the golf ball, so you shouldn’t be sliding all over the place.
Adding spiked shoes into your equipment bank is a marginal gains approach to your golf. They’re not going to make…
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