I walk most of my rounds of golf and I play on a lot of hilly courses. By the time Im finished my feet cant wait for the moment of ecstasy when the shoes come off. Ive worn a lot of different brands of golf shoes in my day and I cant say Ive ever found one thats as comfortable as a good sneaker or walking shoe.
It must have something to do with those spikes on the bottom. It feels like most of my weight is being supported by those little suckers as they dig into the sole of my foot.
I also do a lot of trail hiking over hill and dale and my feet dont ache nearly as much as they do after a round of golf. All this got me to thinking that if I could find a good hiking type of shoe for golfing Id feel much better at the end of my round.
So I looked in sporting goods stores for something that would be comfortable, give me great support, be waterproof and allow me to hit golf balls in all conditions without slipping. That last item is particularly important. Ive discovered over the years that soft spikes have a lot of drawbacks in that area.
Try playing with the grass wet, right after a mowing and see how long it takes for your spikes to be useless because theyre completely clogged. Youve been there, so you know that point comes about 10 feet up the first fairway. Its even more of a problem with dead leaves if you play in the Fall.
I chose a trail-running shoe which is basically a cross between a hiking boot and a sneaker. Theyre low cut, waterproof and have a very aggressive tread. After all, if youre going to run through the woods, up and down over rocks, you cant be slipping and sliding.
I ended up buying the North Face Ultra 104 Gore-Tex XCR trail running shoe from REI. Thankfully its easier to buy than say. Im in love. Ive only worn my golf shoes once this season since I bought these babies and thats because I was playing as a guest at a fancy club and didnt want to embarrass my host.
When I finish a round I no longer sprint to the car to change my shoes. Because theyre Gore-Tex lined and made for the trail, they can take any kind of watery conditions on the course with ease. And Ive never had a problem with slipping, even standing on a dewy hillside hitting a ball below my feet. Im not going back to golf shoes until the manufacturers start thinking outside the box.
Todays golf shoes may look stylish, but they leave a lot to be desired when it comes to function. Footjoy, Ecco and the rest, go send your RD people to the local camping store and combine the best of both worlds into a modern stylish, comfortable and practical golf shoe. And dont forget to leave those silly little plastic things off the bottom. They last about 2 rounds at best and dont work at all when its wet or its Fall.

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