I’ve started keeping a golf journal, and I noted everything that I thought was relevant. Course, weather, how I felt, golf ball played, any equipment changes and what shoes I wore. Someone asked me why I was tracking the shoes, and it made me realize that there are small wins out there for people that they have not even considered.
Obviously shoes matter. You need to be wearing comfortable shoes that fit to play golf. I think that is a fairly basic concept that does not need to be debated. After listening to Sasho MacKenzie (a name that will pop up here a decent amount) talk about his studies with FootJoy, I started to wonder how much my shoes mattered.
On his episode of Hack It Out he talked about doing a study for FootJoy and realizing that different people needed different shoes, with the basic difference being a more flexible shoe to allow more movement through the swing, and a more stable shoe to keep people more stable. Per his research, some golfers it doesn’t matter, and some see benefits with a specific type of shoe.
I wear 13 4E shoes, and struggle to find anything in my size. I had ordered 2 different pair of FootJoy in the only styles they had in my size. One is a flex fit, and one is a classic fit. I am not sure if it’s merely a placebo effect, but I am not confident I play better golf in the classic fit. Moving forward, I will buy the more rigid shoes that give more stability.
I realize this might be a silly, small win. The good part about it is it’s a permanent win. My shoes are figured out and I am playing the “best” shoes for me. To quote Forrest Gump, “That’s one less thing to worry about”.
I think we have a ton of little wins out there that make us a little better. Finding the right golf ball, making sure our clubs are built to our specs, getting fit for a putter are some big examples. They might not lead to a clear, overnight improvement, but they allow us to consistently perform a little better every round. I am constantly on the look out for things that will give me a consistent advantage. I will be exploring them in this space.
For now, though, consider the shoes you are wearing on the golf course. They do matter. Maybe they don’t matter a lot, but they definitely matter some. Pay attention to how different shoes feel during a round, and how you can move in them. I did speed training in my flex fit shoes and noticed a difference. Interestingly, my overall numbers were low, but I hit one of the highest swing speeds I’ve hit while training. I’m honestly not sure if there is a lesson there, but I do know I’ll be wearing stable shoes on the course (and practicing in my flex fit shoes, both to use them and to double check my assumption)