Playing golf is one of life’s greatest pleasures for professional golfers and hobbyists alike.
However, the dress code in golf can be confusing for newcomers. Therefore, you may wonder: Are golf shoes necessary when playing golf?
In this article, we will tell you exactly whether golf shoes are necessary for playing golf, and why.
Are Golf Shoes Necessary When Playing Golf?
Golf shoes are not always necessary, but they are very highly recommended. Golf shoes can give you increased stance stability and shot control, as well as protect your feet from hazardous elements on the golf course. Some golf courses require that you wear golf shoes.
Some people would rather play golf in flip flops than golf shoes in order to let their feet breathe, but is that permitted in golf?
The truth is that some golf courses will require that you wear golf shoes, and flip flops are almost never permitted. On the other hand, not all golf courses require shoes that are designed for golf, and you may get away with different types of footwear.
Overall, golf shoes are not always necessary or required, but they are highly recommended, as they protect your feet, increase your golfing stance stability, and your shot control.
In the next section, you can read more detailed descriptions of the reasons to wear golf shoes when playing golf.
3 Reasons To Wear Golf Shoes
Down below are the 3 main reasons why you should wear golf shoes when playing golf on a golf course.
1) Golf Shoes Are Closed
On the golf course, there are many hazardous elements that could make you have a bad time. These include broken tees you might step on, bug stings, grass dye staining your skin, sharp rocks, and so much more.
To protect you from all these hazardous elements, golf shoes are a great option because they are closed shoes. Other types of closed shoes could offer the same protection, granted, but not those might not be accepted at your local golf course.
To learn more about why wearing closed golf shoes is useful, you can read our article: Why You Should Wear Closed Shoes On Golf Courses – 7 Reasons Why.
2) Golf Shoes Are Required By Some Courses
Another crucial reason why you should wear golf shoes is if they are required by your local golf course.
Golf courses can be quite strict about their imposed dress code. For example, if you show up to a certain golf course while wearing flip flops, there is a good chance you will be asked to switch footwear, or worse, be kicked out.
To ensure that you abide by the dress code, simply wear some golf shoes, business casual bottoms, and a collared shirt.
3) Increased Stability & Shot Control
The final main reason to wear golf shoes is the fact that they give you improved stance stability and shot control as opposed to other types of shoes.
Golf shoes are closed shoes that offer support around your feet in key areas, in the same way basketball shoes are designed to let you quickly change direction. Every shoe designed for a certain sport tends to maximize the ability of the shoe to help you in the given sport.
Without the support of golf shoes, there is a higher chance of your ankle bending in an unwanted way while you swing. Furthermore, golf shoes, especially those with spikes, prevent you from slipping on the turf.
If you do not wear golf shoes, and you end up slipping on the turf, forget having great golf performances. You need a good, grounded, grippy connection to the ground if you want to be able to deliver shots with power and accuracy.
Slipping even a little bit will limit your power and stability, to the detriment of your swing mechanics. Without golf shoes, your golf score is likely to be higher than it has to be.
Is playing soccer without soccer shoes good for athletic performance? No. Similarly, why would you play golf without golf shoes?
Here is an experiment. Pretend you are training as a boxer.
Put some socks on, and try throwing punches in the air while on a somewhat slippery floor. Then, put on grippy shoes and try punching in the air again.
You will notice that with shoes, you will be able to generate so much more power and not feel like you are off balance. When you are swinging in golf while wearing nice, grippy golf shoes, you will also be able to generate the most power while keeping the most balance.
To get the best golfing performance, wear golf shoes on the golf course that fit you perfectly. If you do not know how to size a golf shoe correctly, read our guide: How To Size A Golf Shoe?
Conclusion
There you go! After reading this article, you have discovered that golf shoes are sometimes required when playing golf, but not always.
You have also learned 3 reasons why you should wear golf shoes, including that they protect your feet, give you better golfing performance, and are sometimes required by golf course regulations.
Would you rather not wear golf shoes? Let us know in the comments down below!
