Some golfers are lucky enough to find that one pair of shoes that fits them perfectly, and they hope they will last forever.
For others, a brand new pair they expected to be decent fits them horribly and is painful to wear. Those people hope their new shoes will wear out quickly so that they feel like they have an excuse to buy a new, more comfortable pair.
If you are in such a predicament, or are blessed with amazing shoes, you may wonder: how long do golf shoes last?
In this article, we will tell you exactly how long golf shoes last, how to know when your golf shoes are no longer good, and give you tips to make your golf shoes last longer.
How Long Do Golf Shoes Last?
Golf shoes last about 400-500 miles of walking. Considering golf courses tend to be 4-5 miles in length, your golf shoes will last you around 100 rounds of golf, meaning about 2 years for most golfers. However, if you play on smaller golf courses or take proper care of your golf shoes, they will last over 100 rounds.
Golf shoes and shoes in general tend to last 400 to 500 miles of walking. Considering the average full-sized 18-hole golf course spans over 4 or 5 miles, a pair of golf shoes should last you around 100 rounds of golf.
For most golfers, it will take about 2 years to play 100 rounds of golf, so golf shoes will last around 2 years for them.
However, if you play more often than most golfers, your golf shoes will wear out quicker and you will need to replace them more frequently.
You can refer yourself to the chart below to know how often you should replace your golf shoes.
| Number of rounds played per week | Approximate lifetime of golf shoes |
| 1 | 2 years |
| 2 | 1 year |
| 3 | 8 months |
| 4 | 6 months |
| 5 | 4-5 months |
| 6 | 4 months |
| 7 | 3-4 months |
Finally, golf shoes can last you significantly longer if you take proper care of them.
When Are Golf Shoes No Longer Good?
Golf shoes are no longer good when holes or tears appear, spikes fall off, the smell is too bad, when you start to trip or fall, your foot moves in your shoe, your feet start to hurt, or the shoe becomes too soft and does not support or stabilize your foot and ankle anymore.
There are many reasons why you might need to replace golf shoes over time.
First of all, if you can visibly see holes and tears in your golf shoes, it is time to replace them. Those shoes will no longer protect your feet from water and mud, and you will get wet. Furthermore ripped shoes may offer your feet less support than when they were new.
Talking about support, if your shoe boot becomes too soft over time and does not support your foot, nor stabilize your ankle anymore, it is time to replace your shoes. Giving your feet and legs good support is primordial in practicing safe golf and optimizing your performance.
In addition, shoes should not hurt your feet or give you blisters. If your shoes are hurting you or giving you blisters, it is time to replace them. If you are getting blisters, it is probable that you chose the wrong golf shoe size.
To help you with blisters or with picking the perfect golf shoe size, you can consult our following resources:
How To Size A Golf Shoe?
How To Prevent Golf Blisters?
How To Golf With Blisters?
If your foot starts to move in your shoe, then either it has lost its initial shape, or it is too big for you. If your shoe lost its initial shape, then it probably is not supporting your foot well anymore, and you need new ones. If your shoe is too big for you, get some new shoes that fit better; you can read our guide to help you pick the right size..
If spikes are falling off from your golf shoe for the first time, you can replace the spikes alone rather than the entire boot. However, over time, your golf shoe boot will also decay and it might make more sense to replace the entire shoe rather than just the spikes.
If you start to slip or fall in your golf shoes, especially for spikeless golf shoes, then it is time to replace your golf shoes. Golf shoes should give you a stable base for your body and keep you grounded into the turf. There should not be much slipping.
Over time, another inconvenient issue you can run into is your golf shoes becoming extremely smelly. If the smell becomes putrid, you may want to consider changing shoes, especially if you are playing with people with a developed sense of smell. A putrid smell can also be a sign that your shoes are filled with bacterial developments.
Finally, as your shoes accumulate playtime, they may simply start to look dirty, ugly, and not very presentable. This may not be an issue for everyone, but if you are trying to look good for a date, a potential business partner, or something similar, you may want to swap out your beaters for a pair of cleaner shoes.
How To Make Golf Shoes Last Longer?
Golf shoes can last longer if you clean them regularly, dry and store them in a well-ventilated temperature-controlled area, replace spikes once worn out, avoid rainy weather, avoid walking on hard surfaces, avoid leaving your shoes in the sun, and if you buy higher-quality shoes or use a golf cart.
There are a few ways to extend the lifespan of your golf shoes, but every golf shoe will eventually need replacement. Materials have limits.
The first way to extend the shelf life of your golf shoes is simply to clean them regularly with water and soap. Avoid soaking your golf shoes, as they can crust up and lose their shape as they dry.
Focus on cleaning the exterior of your golf shoe, including the laces and the bottom of the shoes. Get all the dirt and mud out of the shoes. Clean off any salt stains that may have been created by sweat. Cleaning your golf shoes will help them look presentable for as long as possible, and reduce decay from contaminants.
After every round of golf is finished, avoid throwing your golf shoes into your golf bag. If you do, quickly remove them from the bag once you get home, and let them dry in a covered, well-ventilated temperature-controlled environment.
Do not ever leave your sweaty golf shoes in a car trunk or in your bag. Leaving your shoes in a well-ventilated temperature-controlled room will let them dry effectively, thus expelling the moisture & sweat in the shoes. Any moisture and sweat left in the shoe will contribute to bacterial build-up and shoe decay.
When wearing your golf shoes, do not walk on hard surfaces like concreate, roads, gravel, etc. These hard surfaces will quickly wear down your spikes on the bottom of your golf shoes. Golf shoes are designed to be used on turf mainly, so avoid hard surfaces.
If your spikes become worn out or fall off, do not throw out the entire shoe. Usually, you can simply replace the spikes on a golf shoe rather than the entire boot. The golf shoe boot can last a lot longer than the spikes under it, so keeping it will extend the overall lifetime of your golf shoes.
Another tip is to never leave your golf shoes in the sun for a long time because the UV-rays can cause material and paint decay on your shoes.
On the other hand, avoid playing golf in rainy weather that can soak your shoes. Getting your shoes wet can accelerate the processes of moisture accumulation in your shoes, bad smell, material crusting up and dirtying your shoes.
Finally, if you have holes or tears in your golf shoes, you can sew them shut yourself or bring them to a cobbler. If the holes and tears are small, this will work like a charm to extend the lifetime of your golf shoes. However, if the holes or tears are big, closing them might look noticeable and affect your image.
Buying high-quality shoes from more reputable brands can make them last longer than cheaper shoes because the materials used are better, and may even be waterproof. Reputable brands tend to have better shoe-building machinery and better quality control processes, making them a safer bet.
Finally, the best way to extend the lifespan of your golf shoes is to…not use them to walk, and instead opt for riding in a golf cart. Riding in a golf cart will allow you to walk considerably less, thus avoiding a lot of wear and tear your shoes would normally go through if you walked only.
Conclusion
There you go! After reading this article, you have learned how long golf shoes last, how to know when they are no longer good, and how to extend a golf shoe’s lifetime.
With these tips, you will be better able to know how much money you should invest in a set of golf shoes by seeing how many years it will last you.
Use the tips in this article, and you will add a few months or years of lifetime to your golf shoes that serve you so well.
How long do you usually keep a single pair of golf shoes? Let us know in the comments down below!
