Spikes have been featured on golf shoes since the earliest days of the sport, allowing players to enjoy excellent underfoot grip to keep their feet steady throughout their swing, as well as to generate maximum power from the ground up.
But as golf shoes have evolved, and the tastes of players the world over have evolved, could the day finally arrive when the sport does away with spikes altogether?
Granted, spikes are nowhere near as intrusive to players or courses as they used to be, but that doesn’t change the fact many golfers are opting to wear trainer-like spikeless golf shoes instead of the traditional option.
Will this become the norm? Or will spikes always have a place in the game? Let’s look at the discussion from both sides.
Why spiked golf shoes may disappear soon
Some younger players opt for style and comfort over practicality
Most golfers who began playing when they were young didn’t have the option to wear anything but spiked golf shoes on the course – they were (and still are) the standard.
But as times change so do attitudes towards what we wear – both in public and in sport. Today, you’ll likely find several young players wearing spikeless golf shoes on your local course. This is because not only are spikeless shoes more widely available and accepted, but the players wearing them find themselves amidst a generational shift. A shift where notions of tradition are slowly disappearing and being replaced with an eye to the future. Or, in this case, an eye to fashion and comfort.
As many spikeless shoes are modelled after stylish trainers – similar to the ones produced by brands like Nike – it makes sense that younger players would want to wear something that both looks great and feels super comfortable to wear. While many spiked golf shoes are comfortable, they do require a little extra effort on the part of the wearer compared to the alternative – something younger players may prefer to avoid, however it may impact their game.
Spikeless golf shoes offer reasonable underfoot grip
They may not create quite as much traction as their spiked cousins, but spikeless golf shoes still offer plenty of ground grip thanks to their genius sole designs – something that golf shoe manufacturers spend an inordinate amount of time designing and crafting.
The rigid, jagged edges offered on the soles of many spikeless golf shoes create enough grip to offer reasonable stability and power generation, without creating an unpleasant or awkward walking experience as some players may find when wearing spikes. This means players can still enjoy the benefits traditional golf shoes are expected to provide without the need for spikes. So much so that some professional players now opt to wear spikeless shoes during important matches – though they are still in the vast minority.
Why spiked golf shoes are here to stay
They’re still the wide majority
As we just discussed, the number of famous professional players who choose to wear spikeless shoes is still dwindling, while spiked shoes remain the go-to choice for thousands of pros and millions of amateurs worldwide.
Until we see a drastic shift in these numbers, there’s no need to fear that spiked shoes may be wiped from our courses entirely. In fact, as long as the numbers of spiked shoes remain as strong as they are, it’s reasonable to assume they will always be the shoe of choice for most players.
They’ve been used for over 100 years
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?
There’s a reason spiked golf shoes have been around for as long as they have. Even in their earliest form, they still offered enough advantages for players on the course to warrant hammering metal spikes (or even sometimes wooden spikes) into the soles of shoes.
The grip and stability they generated – and still generate – is what helps many players maintain a firm footing during their swing, while also assisting with balance on wet, uneven ground that’s encountered from hole to hole, depending on the weather conditions.
Spiked golf shoes are here to stay
Given that the number of players who exclusively wear spikeless golf shoes is yet to come anywhere close to the gargantuan number of players who opt for spikes, it’s safe to say spiked golf shoes won’t be vanishing from our courses anytime soon.
Having said that, as the years roll on and attitudes continue to change, we may see an influx of shoes of the spikeless variety begin to mount an offensive against their spiked counterparts.
Either way, as long as golfers have the technology to offer them a firm footing and the ability to draw from the sheer force generated from a solid stance, whatever they choose to wear, the game is in good hands.