Once they truly entered the golfing culture, it didn’t take long for spikeless golf shoes to become the favoured golf footwear of choice for enthusiastic golfers the world over.
With around two-thirds of all golf shoes sold being of the spikeless variety, it’s safe to say they’re popular. However, that isn’t to say there aren’t still plenty of reasons to stick with a good old-fashioned pair of spiked golf shoes.
But if you are a fan of spikeless models, will this choice still serve you well on the golf course in winter? Or will you find yourself in a situation where you’d have picked up a spiked pair if you could turn back the clock?
At GolfShoes.co.uk, we’re home to an extensive range of spiked golf shoes and spikeless golf shoes that you can wear on the course in winter or year-round - so we’ll always have you covered no matter your style or brand preference!
So let's take a look at the pros and cons of wearing spikeless shoes for a game of golf when the winter chill sets in.
The benefits of spikeless golf shoes in winter
They’re easier to clean
Golf can be a mucky sport to play at any time of the year. But in winter, the fairways and the rough always produce more stray dirt and grass than desired, due to damp ground.
While spiked golf shoes may be a popular choice thanks to the stability they offer (more on that in a moment) they’re not the easiest thing in the world to clean when walking across golf course terrain in wet or cold conditions.
The underfoot cleats, which grip the ground and provide the sturdiness many players desire in their swing, can also pull up loose mud with every step. This then dries over the course of a round and can be a real nightmare to carve away after your game.
Spikeless shoes, on the other hand, don't suffer from this issue. Sure, there may be some minor dirt hidden in the grooves of the sole, but it’s nothing that can’t be removed with a simple toothpick or even a brush.
There are still plenty of waterproof options
Spiked shoes are known for their robustness, with many of them being crafted from full-grain leather in the traditional style.
This leather also offers excellent water protection, making them a great choice for winter or wet weather in general.
But thanks to the inclusion of modern upper innovations, spikeless golf shoes made from other materials can still offer the same fantastic waterproof protection, so you can enjoy a round in rain, sleet or snow and still keep your feet as dry as a bone.
Better still, many of these shoes are both waterproof and breathable, making them an undeniably versatile option come rain or shine!
The drawbacks of spikeless golf shoes in winter
Less power generation as you swing
They may be a little more restrictive than their spikeless brothers, but spiked golf shoes offer an incredible amount of control as you swing, which allows you to build power from the ground up.
Spikeless shoes offer less control on this front, but perhaps even less so in winter when the ground is slightly slippery from a layer of frost or morning dew.
As a result, your feet can end up shifting slightly, throwing your swing out of alignment, or costing you those few precious yards you need to reach the green.
Poor ground grip on uneven lies
We’ve all seen those greens or edges of the rough that seem custom-built into a hill or ridge.
Hitting shots off these lies is a hard task when we have a sure footing. But in the winter when the ground becomes a slippery mess? This difficulty can be intensified tenfold.
A pair of spiked golf shoes should help, though, as the cleats can offer the extra ground grip we need to not lose our balance and catch the shot cleanly.
Whereas spikeless golf shoes would offer no such luxury and may struggle to maintain balance as we follow through with the strike.
Grab a pair of women's or men's spikeless golf shoes from GolfShoes.co.uk
Whether you’re a hardcore spiked-shoe traditionalist, a next-generation spikeless fanatic, or a combination of the two, we’ll have everything you need and more at GolfShoes.co.uk.
We have both spiked and spikeless golf shoes you can slip into during winter rounds. Our shop is also an authorised stockist of leading brands in the sport, including Nike, FootJoy and Ecco to name but a few.
So take a look at our selection of spikeless and spiked golf shoes at the links above to find your perfect pair. Or reach out to GolfShoes.co.uk if you need a helping hand with your purchase.
