Shoes for hitting on mats

[GolfinDave]

I end up practicing on golf mats 2-3 times per week and the shoes can get eaten away pretty quickly. I currently have some Under Armor HOVR spikeless shoes and they are in desperate needs of replacing. Curious if anyone has found a particular line/brand to work well on that type of surface.

[Pepperturbo]

I have always been hard on golf shoes.  Finding comfortable shoes that last has been difficult.  Don't go to the range as much these days but Sqairz do just fine there.  I am on my 2nd pair, now; they are great shoes.

[cjblake09]

1 hour ago, GolfinDave said:

I end up practicing on golf mats 2-3 times per week and the shoes can get eaten away pretty quickly. I currently have some Under Armor HOVR spikeless shoes and they are in desperate needs of replacing. Curious if anyone has found a particular line/brand to work well on that type of surface.

I just wear normal running shoes and have no issues or wearing issues with them.

[Springsteennut]

I wear my Merrill hiking shoes mostly when I hit off mats at the range. 

[dimitrym91]

Get a cheap pair of running shoes at burlington or the outlets. Plenty good for range time on mats usually and if you beat the crap out of them it won't feel like you're throwing away money cause the shoes were cheap anyways 

[MattM97]

Just use your old golf shoes for mat duty or buy a cheap pair for them. 

[optimator]

3 hours ago, MattM97 said:

Just use your old golf shoes for mat duty or buy a cheap pair for them. 

I just got a new pair. That’s exactly my plan for my old ones.

[eric61]

I tend to drag my trail foot, so I absolutely ruin the toe on my left shoe (lefty here) on range mats. I got something called Tuff Toe on Amazon, and put it on an old pair of golf shoes I wear to the range. Works great. I think it's intended for baseball pitchers.

[dwboston]

I have a pair of ASICS Gel Kayano Ace spikeless golf shoes that I use mostly for simulators and mats.  Super comfortable and better than running/court shoes for me on the mats.

[DoughBack18]

The AirMax 90 golf version are pretty good off mats. They have enough traction, but have fairly wide ridges on the sole and i’ve never had an issue with them getting caught in the mat. I feel like I stick in the mat a bit with some of my other shoes with a more traditional sole, so those have been my go to.

[Sp4zRX]

I ruined a pair of footjoy superlites on mats in only a few weeks. The sole separated from the shoe at the toes on the trail foot and the sole started grinding away. 
 

I’ve been using spikeless Ecco Biom on mats for the past year and they are still in excellent condition. 

[BYK]

14 hours ago, MattM97 said:

Just use your old golf shoes for mat duty or buy a cheap pair for them. 

This for sure

[trilinkrealty]

Like a couple other have said I stopped wearing golf shoes and have just been using running shoes or nike metcons and they work great plus you dont have to change 

[bakere]

I am in this predicament, not because I wanted golf shoes, but all of my running shoes are white, or are mostly white. This has caused so many fail to reads on the GC3, especially with a close stance with wedges. Now I have to golf in my socks or buy some dark colored running shoes, which I do not really want to do because I already have plenty of running shoes.

[sleuth]

Is your issue on the right toe too? I nearly ruined my GFore Gallivanter's before I noticed the toe wear early. I just use golf shoes with a harder outsole or toe protection like my HOVR Drive 2.

[bellken]

55 minutes ago, sleuth said:

Is your issue on the right toe too? I nearly ruined my GFore Gallivanter's before I noticed the toe wear early. I just use golf shoes with a harder outsole or toe protection like my HOVR Drive 2.

+1

 

Some driving range mat surfaces are like sand paper, and, if you drag your toe (guilty), shoes can wear away quickly.  Luckily, my local driving range replaced their mats with one's with a softer surface, and, my shoes are lasting longer. Avoid shoes with rubber like soles. 

[GolfinDave]

1 hour ago, sleuth said:

Is your issue on the right toe too? I nearly ruined my GFore Gallivanter's before I noticed the toe wear early. I just use golf shoes with a harder outsole or toe protection like my HOVR Drive 2.

I just went and checked out exactly where mine is happening. I'm lefty, it's happening on the inside of the left foot (trail foot) and on the entire outside of the right foot (lead foot). It is a soft sole so it's been grinding away for a while. I do have some Ecco Biom shoes which are harder, but didn't want to grind those away on mats either. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go a running shoe route as the shaping is different to a golf shoe, maybe less stable. 

[PedronNiall]

I use Puma Ignite Proadapts and have never had an issue with mats with them. Been on various types, from high density & better quality to rough as sand paper. 

 

Prior to that I used an Adidas spikeless that still had a traditional golf shoe design and firmer sole, also without issue. Adidas doesn't honor their waterproofing, so I moved away from them, just as a heads up if that matters where you are. 

[enfuego]

On 1/18/2024 at 6:12 PM, eric61 said:

I tend to drag my trail foot, so I absolutely ruin the toe on my left shoe (lefty here) on range mats. I got something called Tuff Toe on Amazon, and put it on an old pair of golf shoes I wear to the range. Works great. I think it's intended for baseball pitchers.

I've got multiple pair of old golf shoes perfect for the range but the trail toe develops a hole/wear. Can you post a picture please? I also came across tuff toe as the only solution so far but haven't pulled the trigger.

 

I did notice a few pair of New Balance golf shoes had extra inside toe protection but I'm already stocked up on multiple pairs of Air Max 1g's.

[Bravo36]

I just wear my regular golf shoes.  They're comfortable enough for whatever on the course, including mats.

Edited March 5 by Bravo36