Improve Your Junior Golfer’s Score by Wearing These!

Junior golf is on the rise and today’s field can be very competitive, one way to improve your golfer’s score is to invest in Golf shoes! 

Yes, while it seems obvious that your Junior Golfer should wear golf shoes, you will be amazed by how many young golfers wear tennis-type shoes to play golf.  (Note: If your kiddo is under 10 years old, you may not have a great selection of junior-sized golf shoes available and tennis shoes can be less costly especially during frequent growth spurts.)

As cost effective and comfortable as tennis shoes and sandals may be, they are poor first-choices because they’re not made for playing golf.

• Tennis shoes tend to have thicker soles which raise the foot higher off the ground
  • Leading to a possibly higher incidence of ankle injuries
  • Less feel on all ground surfaces
  • Poor traction and stability
  • Virtually no water resistance.
• Sandals do not provide the lateral support required for golf
  • Are uncomfortable when there is moisture or ants present.

Parents, please remember, there is always water on or around golf courses; from early morning dew, to a rain shower and of course, the dreaded water hazards.  Our family has always believed that water-resistant or waterproof golf shoes are the only way to go as an investment into our Junior Golfer’s future.  Again, for your kiddos under age 10, these shoes can be hard to find and run into some money, particularly if you are buying shoes every few months.

Let’s begin with some golf shoe basics. The main reasons to wear golf shoes are:

• 1.  To provide a stable platform for the golf swing – cleats
• 2.  To provide support and comfort for the feet during all phases of the round -swinging and walking
• 3.  To provide traction for walking on slick, grassy surfaces
• 4.  To provide some water resistance or waterproof protection
• 5.  And certainly for teenagers, to provide a degree of fashion and good looks

 Features you want in a golf shoe:

1.  A good fit – let the shoe pro determine a great fit

2.  Soft replaceable spikes – metal spikes are not allowed on many courses

3.  Water-resistant or waterproof material

4.  Leather is best (it lasts longer than synthetics)

5.  Buy a name brand – over time your JG will feel the difference

6.  Buy a box of spare cleats and a cleat tool for your specific cleats

Some top name brands are Adidas, Ecco, Etonic, FootJoy and Nike.  Oakley and Puma make great products that are starting to show up in more stores.  Never buy golf shoes without having your Junior Golfer try them on first.  Nikes tend to run narrow and while our son loves their styles, he has not been able to find a pair that fits his feet.

 S3 and our whole family have worn the Adidas Tour 360 4.0’s (now called Tour360 ATV) for the last 4 years and have found them to be fabulous golf shoes.  They are durable, waterproof, easy-to-clean and a fit great!  And a lot of pros wear them-just look for the 3 slightly diagonal stripes on the side of the shoe.

News Flash!!!  Ask your swing coach, junior high coach or high school coach what kind of discounts they can get from their golf reps.  These discounts are widely available and can save you as much as 50%.

Well, that’s enough for now!  Let’s go find some golf shoes!!