Good morning from Classic Swing Golf School in Myrtle Beach South Carolina! While you’re enduring this cold weather, here are some warm thoughts about golf.
There was a time, when it was embarrassing to wear sneakers on the golf course, today, many professional golfers wear performance shoes instead of traditional golf shoes.
The first golf shoes date back to 1857, a Scottish book called The Golfer’s Manual recommended using nails and springs in the bottom of street shoes to improve traction on the course.
In 1891, the first golf shoes with screw-in spikes were developed and a few years later the Spalding Sporting Goods Company introduced saddle-shoes which featured a strap of leather across the lace area. Originally designed for racquet sports where they weren’t popular, the design became a standard for golf shoes and is still used today.
Golf shoe design changed little over the next eighty years until the fitness craze of the 1980s inspired athletic style shoe designs. A decade later, plastic spikes replaced steel ones as golf shoes moved into the new millennium.
Since then, Nike has been an innovator in the sport and its relationship with Tiger Woods brought new upscale designs. Then in 2010, Fred Couples wore a pair of spikeless shoes, Couples has a long history of back problems and needed a more comfortable style shoe.
Today, spikeless golf shoes are the mainstay of the game, innovative designs featuring molded soles and flashy designs have become a popular accessory for those who want to look and feel their best on the course.
It’s safe to say that today’s golf shoes are a technological improvement that has added pleasure to the game without adding any more frustration.
If you want to know what’s new in the game, come see our staff at Classic Swing Golf School, they can give you a comfortable swing to match those comfortable shoes and make the game a lot more enjoyable for you.