If you know little or nothing about golf and your Dad has asked you for a pair of spikeless golf shoes for his birthday, you may be wondering if he’s lost his mind. You do know traction and support is important for swinging that silly club, so shouldn’t all golf shoes have spikes of some kind or another?
First, traditional steel spike golf shoes may have been great for the golfer, but they were not good for the grass. Consequently, most golf courses today won’t even allow them. They’ve been replaced by “soft” spikes, made of hard rubber of varying lengths. However, longer soft spikes still do damage to the turf so they may soon be following steel spikes into extinction.
Now, the spikeless golf shoe is becoming more and more popular. Major manufacturers like Nike, Adidas, Reebok, and Ecco are getting into the act with a variety of new traction technologies designed to provide support and stability similar to what you used to get from spiked golf shoes. Most of these technologies are variations on a widened stance model and judging from their popular acceptance by golfers the world over, they appear to work just fine.
Comfort enhancements, like breathable interiors that allow foot perspiration to escape, continue to be designed into both spikeless golf shoes, and the remaining spiked shoes. Spikeless golf shoes have another significant advantage over their spiked cousins in that they are far less expensive. So where’s the best place to go for those spikeless golf shoes for Dad?
You can find them at a variety of online e-Commerce web sites, like Internet giant Amazon.com. For almost all on line shopping, Amazon is the best place to start. They have an extensive network of Marketplace Resellers, so they generally offer not only the widest selection of products, but also some of the cheapest prices. In addition, they feature customer product reviews, so you can benefit from the experience others have had with the product you’re looking for.
The one big disadvantage to Internet shopping lies in the fact you can’t “touch and feel” the product to get a sense of its quality and durability. For that, you need to go to a traditional “brick and mortar” retail outlet. All you need is Dad’s shoe size and you can start visiting places like Sports Authority, Foot Locker, Sears, and even Target or Wal-Mart. If you need advice, you’re better off sticking with stores that specialize in sporting equipment as you’re more likely to find knowledgeable sales associates there than you are at a Target of Wal-Mart.
Finally, remember that with some products the cheapest alternative is rarely the best, and that certainly applies to golf shoes. More expensive shoes last longer and can actually end up costing less when you consider the need to replace cheaper shoes more frequently. While you certainly want to find an affordable pair of spikeless golf shoes for Dad, don’t be afraid to spend a little more for a quality shoe.