One Planer
Global Moderator
You're right of course.
Clubs have Dress codes not the actual game nor governing body.
TW14's
- Thread starter Fish
- Start date
You're right of course.
Clubs have Dress codes not the actual game nor governing body.
BTatHome
Tour Winner
Sorry but if your gonna make a song and dance about it then when did 'shoes' include metal spikes coming out of the bottom? I've never worn a pair of shoes that were white in anything other golf either.
Dress codes?! Really ?! I hope those plus fours and the waist coat are warm at the moment.
One Planer
Global Moderator
john0
Journeyman Pro
More important than anything else though, are these shoes universally accepted?
In_The_Rough
Tour Winner
Better ask the guys at the Glasgow muni on that one. Anyway they have got spikes in them so cannot see any problem with them. May not be everyone's cup of tea but golf as a sport really does need to wake up and modernise and get with it. There is no wonder the youth of today find it hard to get into or play the sport judging by some of the threads on here.
Hacker Khan
Yurt Dwelling, Yoghurt Knitter
What he said...
Jdb2005
Challenge Tour Pro
I like them, right colours
Hacker Khan
Yurt Dwelling, Yoghurt Knitter
Basketball players wearing astro turf boots and footballers wearing squash shoes is a silly comparison as they are completely unfit for purpose for the sport they are playing. The current trend of golf shoes are completely fit for purpose, it's just the look sand style you are objecting to.
Footballers wear football boots that have evolved over the years. And the current boots are nothing like the ones they wore a century ago. And I am sure basketball shoes have evolved the same way. Have you seen the colours and styles the kids wear nowadays? It's the same with golf shoes, they are just evolving, some would even say modernising, which unfortunately seems a dirty word to some people in golf.
Most cricket boots are effectively trainers, badminton shoes are trainers, squash shoes are trainers, why is golf any different?
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Jdb2005
Challenge Tour Pro
One Planer
Global Moderator
Golf isn't different, it's down to preference.
I prefer golf shoes to look like shoes. If you prefer them to look like trainers that's your opinion and welcome to it.
Please don't tell me that just because I prefer the look of a 'shoe' as opposed to training shoe my views are antiquated and 'anti-change'.
The tech' in my FJ DryJoy Tours and my Ecco World class GTX's is arguably more advanced than some of the trainer type shoes, yet these still look like a shoe.
Golf shoes do and have advanced, of that I absolutely agree. What I will argue is that a change of style from shoe to trainer is more to do with fashon than advancement of the footwear itself.
Imagine how cool these would look with some SoftSpikes
tsped83
Tour Winner
I think they'd be OK for the summer, for sure.
I wear Nike TW13s, look like a trainer, feel like a trainer, super comfy and great support. Embrace change.
I wear Nike TW13s, look like a trainer, feel like a trainer, super comfy and great support. Embrace change.
El Bandito
Q-School Graduate
Not my cup of tea - but I can't remember once ever being offended by anyone's footwear. Those folk at Nike seem pretty successful - Im sure they did their research...
In_The_Rough
Tour Winner
If it has TW branding on it then people will buy it regardless. Having said that I think they all look o.k. Have Nike shoes in the past with no problems. Still think Ecco are the best out there though
One Planer
Global Moderator
This is what I'm struggling to understand.
How does making a golf shoes look like a trainer make it 'better' or 'more modern'
EDIT: Put it another way. Which is more modern? And why?
http://www.thegolfshoponline.co.uk/...ogleshopping&gclid=CLre_dzI7rsCFa3KtAodNGoAYg
or
http://www.thegolfshoponline.co.uk/nike/shoes/tw-14/
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Cheifi0
Challenge Tour Pro
Just don't like the look of this range, too big and clunky.
Vice
Head Pro
People seem to put aesthetics above comfort, whilst both are important, personally I'm the other way round
MegaSteve
Tour Winner
With current course conditions plus fours are a lot more practical choice of attire...
Beezerk
Money List Winner
They'll be allowing Adidas tracksuit bottoms on courses next to complete the council estate chav look
Seriously though, Nike, Adidas etc could release any old tat and people would buy them.
GB72
Money List Winner
I think that there are a few realities that need to be faced in relation to golf attire in general. First one is that the ‘shoes look too much like trainers’ ship sailed a long time ago. The transition to a more trainer like shoe has been going on for years and the fact is that this is now the norm. Add to this the spikeless shoes that can look more like a deck shoe than a sports shoe and the transition is now complete. If clubs had been unhappy with the change then they had the chance to take a stance. I remember when Tiger Woods was wearing collarless golf shirts and they were banned by all of the clubs in my area as not in keeping with the dress code. Clubs could have done something similar with shoe designs but have not done so and I think that this is a good thing. Personally I like the brighter colours and multiple style options now available. So, in reality, for the foreseeable future, fewer companies will make a more traditional shoe and the trainer like shoe is going to be the way forward. After all, why should a sports company spend a fortune on developing a totally golf specific shoe when they can take the basic research from a trainer or other sports shoe and adapt it to play golf in.
My one concern over the development of golf shoes is whether we will be left with a majority of shoes that are not appropriate for the UK market. Let’s face it, our percentage of the global golf market is tiny (I am sure that I read that the entire European golf market is smaller than the market for golf balls in Florida) and we are not at the top of the list when it comes to design considerations. On that basis, I see more designs that are lightweight, spikeless etc that are not appropriate in some cases for golf in poorer European weather and why should they be. After all, if the majority of your market is in warmer climates, that is what you design for. My worry is that the day of a sturdy, hard wearing, warm and appropriately coloured golf shoe that can be used in the wet and the mud could be at risk.
The other point to bear in mind is that we are, in the main, not the target market for golf attire these days. Golf gear is designed for and aimed at the younger golfer and certainly not aimed at me in my early forties. Some of it I may like, some of it I may not but the simple fact is that the target market for new golf attire designs is a great deal younger than me. This is something that I find harder to understand as the majority of the golfing market is made up of maturing males. That said, I suppose the view may be that we are happy with our chinos and plain polo shirts and less of us see the need to spend very high prices on having the latest designs and colour schemes from a big name sporting fashion brand.
So, the future as I see it is that the traditional golf shoe has, at least for the time being, had its day and that is something that everyone has to live with. Furthermore, I need to accept that golf gear in general is designed for a market that is much younger than I am and I can either buy into that or go to the many places that sell gear that it more age appropriate.
My one concern over the development of golf shoes is whether we will be left with a majority of shoes that are not appropriate for the UK market. Let’s face it, our percentage of the global golf market is tiny (I am sure that I read that the entire European golf market is smaller than the market for golf balls in Florida) and we are not at the top of the list when it comes to design considerations. On that basis, I see more designs that are lightweight, spikeless etc that are not appropriate in some cases for golf in poorer European weather and why should they be. After all, if the majority of your market is in warmer climates, that is what you design for. My worry is that the day of a sturdy, hard wearing, warm and appropriately coloured golf shoe that can be used in the wet and the mud could be at risk.
The other point to bear in mind is that we are, in the main, not the target market for golf attire these days. Golf gear is designed for and aimed at the younger golfer and certainly not aimed at me in my early forties. Some of it I may like, some of it I may not but the simple fact is that the target market for new golf attire designs is a great deal younger than me. This is something that I find harder to understand as the majority of the golfing market is made up of maturing males. That said, I suppose the view may be that we are happy with our chinos and plain polo shirts and less of us see the need to spend very high prices on having the latest designs and colour schemes from a big name sporting fashion brand.
So, the future as I see it is that the traditional golf shoe has, at least for the time being, had its day and that is something that everyone has to live with. Furthermore, I need to accept that golf gear in general is designed for a market that is much younger than I am and I can either buy into that or go to the many places that sell gear that it more age appropriate.
hovis
Tour Winner
Let's be honest.
They are a trainer.
A trainer with a few Soft Spikes in the sole.
Are they shoes? No IMO.
My view is correct attire for every sport. IMHO golf shoes should be exactly that, shoes. Not training shoes.
Do Basketball players wear Astro-Turf boots? Do Footballers wear Squash trainer? Do Tennis players wear Football boots? No, they wear the correct footwear for their sport, often attire that is covered in the sports dress code.
Golf has a dress code (... Let's not get started on that one
Or to put it another way. If you were going anywhere that required you wore trousers and a shirt would you wear trainers with that attire or would you wear shoes?
Just because X, Y or Z wears them on tour doesn't make it right either. They are paid/sponsored to wear such things. If someone came to me and said we'lll pay you £1,000,0000 a season to wear these shoes, am I going to say no
FWIW those Nike pumps look rank and hardly worth the price tag.
Correct footwear for the sport? Basket ball players wear high trainers to prevent ankle injuries. How is wearing "shoes" with spikes on the bottom correct for golf. You wouldnt put normal shoes on to walk your dog 6 miles. So really golf footwear should be a pair of hiking boots with spikes on!
Can you explain what makes shoes so suitable for golf?
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