You may, or may not, have read my previous article about playing golf. It’s been great for me and what’s funny is I’ve been able to cross over some of my Army veteran experience into the world of golf. I’m a gear dork and have always appreciated the latest and greatest gear that can improve my efficiency and performance. Some things I like are Velcro, cordage, knives, backpacks, watches, and shoes. Since I’ve started playing golf, I’ve incorporated some of those things into my golf gear. Now, we’re gonna talk about the shoes.
In order to be completely equipped to crush a good round of golf, you need the right gear. I haven’t bought any new clubs, yet, but I purchased a new bag and obviously balls, gloves, and tees. One thing I’ve been on the fence about was the shoes. Do I really need golf shoes and do they really make that much difference? The answer is, kind of. Do they make a difference? What makes the difference is traction. Whatever shoe you use, the traction needs to be able to dig in. Also, comfort. If I’ve learned anything over the years, most importantly is taking care of your feet. Those are the foundation that everything else rests on. So, a good pair of running shoes may work for most, but you don’t have the traction. So, it’s not necessarily having a golf shoe that makes the difference. It’s the traction and comfort. That being said, you have an enormous list of possibilities.
For years working in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other places I went through numerous pairs of Merrells, La Sportiva, combat boots, Vasque, New Balance, Salomon and other shoes. The two that have stood the test of time were the Merrells and the Salomons. In the end, it’s the Salomons that rose to the top. I’ve had the Salomon GTX hiking boots and a few pairs of the Speedcross trail running shoes. The shoes I’ve been using for golf are my Salomon Speed Assault Boots. They’re a mid-high trail running shoe. I’ve worn a few different pairs of shoes but these are my absolute go to for golfing. I am, however, going to buy a pair of Salomon Speedcross 5 Trail Running Shoes. I had the Speedcross 3 shoes and loved them! I wore them to run trails out at Ft. Bragg and other places around the globe. These suckers dig in, are comfortable and are durable.
That last thing I’ll say about the shoes is that they have to look cool. I mean, you don’t see many dorky looking golfers. Actually, now that I think about it, you do. If you can’t play well, at least look good when you suck. Like me. Ha! I’ve shopped many types of golfing shoes and have found that the Salomon shoes are very comparable in price. I’ve also found that the Salomon shoes are much more comfortable for wearing through 18 holes and over 4 hours of golf.
Hope that helps and gives you some direction on what to buy as far as golf shoes go. There’s cool, then there’s tacticool. Be tacticool on the course. Thanks for reading!!
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