Can it be shoes matter? (sneaker style vs. traditional)

[SteelyDan]

Hi,

 

I normally play lower profile, spikeless shoes in the summer (Puma Ignite PWRSport). Love them.

Now that it's getting nastier outside, I've switched to more bulky and heavier leather Adipure golf shoes with soft spikes.

They are comfy, but whenever I wear them, I play poorly compared to the summer shoe. What I can say is in the Pumas I feel "closer to the ground" and better connected to it.

Is this just between my ears or have you made similar ecperiences?

 

Thanks

 

SD

[Sean2]

I have cold weather shoes as well as very light summer weight shoes...including a trail shoe sneaker I wear on occasion...and haven't noticed any differences in how I play. 

[bladehunter]

A famous pro once said “ I can’t putt in the wrong shoes , if they’re ugly it ruins my mind every  time I look down “.  I’ll have to dig to figure out who it was.  I can’t remember.  But I’ve heard it talked about on TV a couple times.  
 

Now as far as grip. Yes.  
 

in fact.  If you’re a fast swinger , I’d challenge you to order some champ stinger hybrid steel spikes to test on the range.  You’ll immediately see why pros on TV wear  them (metal hybrid spikes ).  I found the traction that I couldn’t get with spike less , and lacked at times with plastic spikes.  Usually the trail foot sliding out on the down swing. 
 

but of course metal is frowned on.  So it was just a test.  Now I know what I’m missing and it’s irritating, especially in the rain.  

[Jc0]

I have had similar issues. What it came down to was how thick the soles are and how I got the club back down the the ground. I would bend more in the hips with the thicker shoes which would cause me to try to pop out of my stance. Had to make a mental note during the swing to stay down.

[rkillian]

Have you thought of trying the spiked puma ignite? I think the pwradapt version. That's the only shoe I currently have. Great grip as far as I can tell and very comfortable. If you like the spikeless and don't get along with a completely different spiked shoe, why not try the spike version of the shoe you do like?

[MattM97]

I find a difference in shoes for sure. I like spikeless for comfort especially if I'm walking but I get much better performance with spiked shoes. So I'm pretty much ditching all my spikeless (only 2) shoes and going with spiked options. Now just to find really comfortable spiked shoes for walking. 

[ChipNRun]

I have a pair of spikeless, and I'm sure they would be OK on a gentle par 3 layout.

 

But for the rolling courses I play, no. It's hard to hold my stance on hillside lies and banked greens without spiked shoes. It's not looks, it's function.

 

I played a pickup round in cross-training shoes one day. My tee shot on a par 3 ended halfway the bank of a steep bunker. I had to take an unplayable lie because I couldn't get a stable stance with spikeless shoes.

 

 

[SteelyDan]

No issues with traction here. Although called spikeless, there are plenty of rubber spikes.

[Righty to Lefty]

I just learned that all socks are not created equal in another thread so shoes can definitely play a role in performance!! 

[ThreeBoxers]

I'm just as bad in spikeless vs spiked shoes.

[eddiecut]

Most of the Puma shoes are waterproof, even in the knit uppers. So why switch shoes? 

 

Half this game, as in most of life, is a head game... so mind eff yourself just because you feel like you should be in different shoes? 

[nsxguy]

5 hours ago, SteelyDan said:

Hi,

 

I normally play lower profile, spikeless shoes in the summer (Puma Ignite PWRSport). Love them.

Now that it's getting nastier outside, I've switched to more bulky and heavier leather Adipure golf shoes with soft spikes.

They are comfy, but whenever I wear them, I play poorly compared to the summer shoe. What I can say is in the Pumas I feel "closer to the ground" and better connected to it.

Is this just between my ears or have you made similar ecperiences?

 

Thanks

 

SD

 

 

In the nicer weather you play well and in the nastier weather you don't and you're thinking it's the shoes ?

 

Is that about right ? 🙃

[phil75070]

5 hours ago, bladehunter said:

A famous pro once said “ I can’t putt in the wrong shoes , if they’re ugly it ruins my mind every  time I look down “.  I’ll have to dig to figure out who it was.  I can’t remember.  But I’ve heard it talked about on TV a couple times.  
 

Now as far as grip. Yes.  
 

in fact.  If you’re a fast swinger , I’d challenge you to order some champ stinger hybrid steel spikes to test on the range.  You’ll immediately see why pros on TV wear  them (metal hybrid spikes ).  I found the traction that I couldn’t get with spike less , and lacked at times with plastic spikes.  Usually the trail foot sliding out on the down swing. 
 

but of course metal is frowned on.  So it was just a test.  Now I know what I’m missing and it’s irritating, especially in the rain.  

Try Sqairz, Traction is incredible!

[PhilsFanDrew]

My take is pretty much any traditional soft spike shoe is going to offer adequate traction for most players in most conditions.  With spikeless its more hit or miss depending on the model.  I've had a pair of Adidas spikeless that were horrible on anything other than completely dry conditions and to be fair I could probably play in my Asics cross trainers in those conditions and have equal traction.  But my Ecco's to me work just as well as any soft spike shoe I ever had for traction and are way more comfortable for walking which is how I play 90% of the time so I use those on a full time basis.  

Edited October 8, 2020 by PhilsFanDrew

[Chilidog]

If it’s dry, you shouldn’t even need spikes at all. I’ve played several rounds with Pros on their home courses that will play in tennis shoes if it’s dry out. I actually play in tennis shoes as well if it’s a dry afternoon. You have way too much going on in your swing if you can’t play without spikes in dry conditions. If it’s wet, that’s a different story. 

[phil75070]

14 hours ago, Chilidog said:

If it’s dry, you shouldn’t even need spikes at all. I’ve played several rounds with Pros on their home courses that will play in tennis shoes if it’s dry out. I actually play in tennis shoes as well if it’s a dry afternoon. You have way too much going on in your swing if you can’t play without spikes in dry conditions. If it’s wet, that’s a different story. 

I don't know that one can say that and safely make that assumption in all cases. I, wearing spikes, was going down a steep slope on dry, dormant Bermuda grass when I fell. In catching my fall I fractured my right forearm. So where that might be true for the most part, it does not apply in all circumstances.

[bluedot]

Like pretty much everything else in golf, it matters if you think it matters.  In a sport where the action takes a couple of seconds and the in-between time takes a couple of hundred times longer, if something is in your head, then it's going to be in your game, too.

[goheels11]

Let’s put it this way, 1/4 inch makes a big difference in the quality of an iron strike.  One day you play in a shoe with a heel, the next day flat with no spikes.  You tell me.