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Golf Equipment: Treat your Feet to Play Better Golf

Getting Started

Shoes are shoes right? Not exactly. Golf shoes are really golf equipment. Adidas actually had a marketing campaign stating exactly that fact. There are shoes for every ability. From new player to tour player. They come with different features and benefits which can help both comfort and playability. The question you may be asking yourself is what shoe is best for my game? Or, as a beginner...what can I use to get started?

New Players

There is no doubt that a pair of golf shoes will help you as you start playing this great game. However, do you absolutely need a pair? No. You can start out with just a pair of running shoes. Is that the best? No, but it can get you started playing without having to spend money on a pair of golf shoes.

If you choose to go without golf shoes, be sure you choose a regular pair of running shoes. You do not want to have a shoe with a heel. The people who take care of the course will not be to friendly with you if you try to play in a work boot that has a stiff heel, or any kind of woman's heeled footwear.

The drawback of wearing a running shoe is that it does not have the grips on the bottom of the shoes. The soft spikes on a golf shoe will certainly add grip. They help with keeping your balance. The second problem is that running shoes are soft on the sides of the shoe. As you develop your golf swing you will find that the running shoe will not keep your foot place.

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PGA Tour Winner Quick Lesson

Congratulations to Steve Stricker on his victory at the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

I believe the commentators said he has won 9 times in his 40s. That is amazing!I also agree with Sir Nick and Johnny Miller that his swing will be copied in the future. Technology has reduced the need for hand action in the golf swing to generate power. Watch the old videos of Bobby Jones to see how much action he created compared to that of Steve Stricker.

A great objective for any player is to eliminate any unnecessary movement. Stricker does a great job of that. His hands stay very quiet on the backswing. His wrists hardly hinge at the top of his backswing. You can see from the above video that his backswing is all shoulder turn.

His downswing starts from the hips and he simply turns everything through the golf ball at the same time. His hands and wrists release naturally without any effort. This is a great way to have a consistent rhythm through the golf ball on every shot. This swing delivers enough power to win on Tour.

European Tour Winner Quick Lesson

Congratulations to Louis Oosthuizen and his victory at the 2012 Africa Open.

Louis burst onto the scene with his dominating performance at the Open Championship. Many have predicted multiple wins for this player. His victory this past weekend is likely one of many to come.

In the video above pay really close attention to when the video ends. Take a look at his left foot. Notice how all his weight his on his left heel. This is a great sign that he has cleared his hips properly.

One of the key reasons for starting the downswing with your lower body is to clear your hips out of the way to create more room for your arms to swing through impact. It is a great indicator as to how well you cleared your hips, when almost all your weight is on your heel.

If your weight is leaning on you toes or even the middle of your foot then you have not rotated and cleared your hips enough through your downswing and past impact. You really want to feel the pressure of your weight on your heel like Oosthuizen.

Make sure you start your downswing with your lower body. At the top of your backswing; either pull your left knee or your left hip (right handed player) towards the target. Also make sure your hips keep rotating through impact and into your finish position with your weight on the heel.