Looking after golf shoes???

[Hendy]

Got another pair of shoes now for this season and I really want to try and make them last more than a year this time around as I normaly tend to run the air line on them after a round and thats about it. Meaning the leather cracks and water tends to leak in within a short space of time.

anyways what do you guys do to look after/treat the leather etc on the shoes.

Any good tips or advise be great...

 

[Golfman]

Making sure they get to dry out properly is the key. bear in mind that sticking them on a radiator is guaranteed to wreck them. I just bring mine indoors and take them out of the shoe bag to dry out. Others stuff them with newspaper which also works.

When dry I tend to polish them and then I have some of the little silica gel packs that tend to come in the packaging of computers and electrical goods and put one of those in each shoe. Works a treat at keeping any moisture out of the shoes. Every month or so put the silica pack on a radiator overnight and it works like new again.

Sounds a bit anal but at around £100 a pair they are worth looking after.

 

[Hendy]

Making sure they get to dry out properly is the key. bear in mind that sticking them on a radiator is guaranteed to wreck them. I just bring mine indoors and take them out of the shoe bag to dry out. Others stuff them with newspaper which also works.

When dry I tend to polish them and then I have some of the little silica gel packs that tend to come in the packaging of computers and electrical goods and put one of those in each shoe. Works a treat at keeping any moisture out of the shoes. Every month or so put the silica pack on a radiator overnight and it works like new again.

Sounds a bit anal but at around £100 a pair they are worth looking after.

Some great tips there mate silica packs would never have used anything like that before.. Need to buy a TV or something now to get a few of them lol.

Do you just use a standard shoe polish on them?? Never polished a pair of shoes in my life lol

 

[birdieman]

New pair each year, you can get last years top models new for £60 ish.
Think of the miles you walk in them, 4 or 5 miles a round. After a year they're worn out, they might look ok but the support structure will be weak.

 

[thecraw]

Bloody hell! How old are you???

Never polished a pair of shoes in your life! Shame on you!

 

[Smiffy]

Wipe the mud off as soon as possible after the game (at least within a week ), let them dry (naturally) and then some Cherry Blossom put on nice and thick. Leave them with the polish on for a day or two until needed, and then buff them like mad.
Still look new a year down the line

 

[drawboy]

For white shoes, multi- coloured or shoes with white stitching you can get neutral polish which is clear so you don't stain them with black polish.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I tend to give them an airbrush at the club primarily to get as much crap as I can off the soles. I let them dry and normally put shoe horns in them. Once dry I wipe the majortiy of mud off with baby wipes and leave them to dry again. I then polish them and try and dub them about once a month.

Baby wipes work particularly well on white shoes (a trick I picked up on here) as I find the neutral polish never seems to get the same sort of whiteness back.

I guess you get back what you put in. A little time invested in caring for them and they should last you a good while. Stick them in the boot and leave them, dry them by a radiator or leave them in a damp shoe bad and they will inevitably crack

 

[rgs]

After cleaning and polishing the shoes i then use Dubbin to keep the leather supple.

 

[thecraw]

After cleaning and polishing the shoes i then use Dubbin to keep the leather supple.

No no no!#

Dubbin rots stitching in the shoes, only use polish to nurish the leather. Baby wipes are a good alternative.

 

[bignev]

Forget Cherry Blossom, use KIWI Parade Gloss has a better wax content which helps with the water proofing. I also use an old toothbrush to get the polish into the awkward areas.

 

[MarkE]

I always use dubbin about once a month, never had a problem with rotting stitching.
I'm sure the shoes will wear out elsewhere before I notice any degradation in the stitching.

 

[Golfman]

Forget Cherry Blossom, use KIWI Parade Gloss has a better wax content which helps with the water proofing. I also use an old toothbrush to get the polish into the awkward areas.

I'm with you on the Kiwi Parade Gloss. Best polish out there in my opinion. Brings up a really good shine if you leave it to dry well before buffing up.

 

[richy]

Forget Cherry Blossom, use KIWI Parade Gloss has a better wax content which helps with the water proofing. I also use an old toothbrush to get the polish into the awkward areas.

I was in the Army. We used to use parade gloss to help get our boots waterproof but most importantly soft and comfy.

Plus it made them shinny and thats all the sergeant major really cared about.


You could use a clear polish if your shoes were white.

 

[Smiffy]

Just cleaned mine up for The Addington.
Not saying I was a bit "wayward" last Sunday but I had three tadpoles and a stickleback impaled on my spikes

 

[Hendy]

Might give some of the KIWI stuff a go(is this it?) http://www.barratts.co.uk/webapp/wcs/sto...Links-_-Generic and also I am going with the baby wipes, as I think thats a great idea..

I use to remove mine from the boot and put them in the hot press but i guess now that might have been a bad idea.. Some news paper inside and let them dry in the back room would be a better idea.

Thanks for all the tips and advise, deff a fair bit to think about.

 

[SandyBalls]

Baby wipes are a good alternative.

Especially good when they are covered in 'crap'!

 

[Macster]

My 'shoe-cleaning' habit is well documented on here if you search a bit.....

Simple summary......
1. Air hose or quick brush off when you walk off course....
2. Baby wipe them down when you get home.....(particularly good on White shoes....)
3 When dry, a normal 'polish' will do the trick, but I personally find the Woly Shoe Cream's better for leather shoes, as it gets in the cracks in the leather and re-nourishes it, before polishing to a shine.

In my experience, even 'cheap shoes' will last 2/3 years IF looked after, but many dont.....

If you have more expensive shoes, ala Tour 360 Ltds/FJ Classics, and anything else costing £60-160 quid, why anyone wouldnt spend a smidge of time keeping them looking/wearing good is beyond me

Maybe I'm wierd.......

 

[Ethan]

I have a strict routine.

1. Blow off grass with air hose. This step may be omitted on dry days.

2. Take off shoes and put in boot of car.

3. Leave there until next time.

 

[Hendy]

LOL @ Ethan that was what i did.. then they start to leak so go into hot press at home..

Now i might as well be playing in my bear feet lol.

the shoes i normally get are around the 40-60 price range, would love to pay for dry joy but never get them at a good price and cant afford to hand over 100 quid for them.