It’s the age-old debate in golf. Spiked or spikeless golf shoes.
Some golfers stand by the grip and stability of traditional spiked golf shoes, whilst others go for the comfort and versatility of the more casual spikeless options.
But what if the answer isn’t simply a matter of preference?
According to Under Armour’s Head of Footwear Optimisation, Chris Murtagh, the right choice depends entirely on the golfers wearing it. But, nothing to do with the quality of player.
Instead, he explains, how the generated force during your swing is a major factor in determining which suits a golfer most.
If a golfer’s foot doesn’t push down strongly on the ground this in turn could lead to issues making the golf club turn and may result in a struggle to make a smooth powerful swing. Or as Chris Murtagh explains,
“From experience, if people have low peak force, they tend to generate low torques, they tend to find it difficult to rotate and coil well,” Murtagh noted.
“So, in that instance, we’d be looking at somebody using more of a spike shoe. The spike shoe can help centre rotation, it can help to increase vertical force, and from that point, hopefully, performance will improve.”
Equally, it is important to acknowledge that generating too much force during a swing can have the opposite effects when wearing spikes. It can even go as far as working against them.
