Slip-on Golf Shoes

By Jim Fanara, CSCS

 Comfortable golf shoes are so important, especially if you walk the course.

And there certainly has been innovation in shoe comfort and performance over the years. But this latest innovation I just don’t get.

Recently I’ve been seeing ads for slip-on golf shoes.

What are the reasons a golfer would need slip-on shoes?

The first and most obvious reason is that there is some type of injury or health reason that makes bending down to put on shoes difficult. Like back pain

Maybe blood pressure issues? If a person has low blood pressure, sudden changes in the head's position can cause dizziness, especially when bending over or standing up suddenly.

Being overweight can make bending over to put on shoes difficult.

If someone has a legitimate reason like back pain for wanting a pair of slip-on golf shoes, it makes sense on the face of it.

My question is…

… if someone has such serious issues that bending over to put on shoes causes problems, should they be playing golf?

Since the golf swing is an injury waiting to happen even under the best of circumstances, if you have a pre-existing condition that makes bending over difficult, could you be making your situation worse by swinging a golf club?

The other more troubling reason is that the golfer just doesn’t want to bend over to put on shoes and tie shoelaces.

If someone doesn’t want to bend over to put golf shoes on, even though there is no medical reason not to,  should they be playing golf?

Why does bending over to put of golf shoes matter?

It begs the question, what other movements are being avoided during the day?

Because sedentary, inactive lifestyles increase injury risk when playing golf, make performance improvements more elusive and ,most importantly, increase the risk of chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease.

No one plays golf well, or at all, when sick or injured.

Being more active every day by doing non-exercise daily activities like cutting the grass, raking the leaves, cleaning the house, washing your car, doing home improvement projects, and taking a dance class are important to maintaining and improving your movement quality. Even sitting on the floor when you’re watching TV counts. A standing desk won’t hurt either.

 Non-exercise activities include bending over to put on golf shoes.

The secret to improving athletic performance is to improve movement quality. When you move better, athletic techniques become easier and performance gains are easier to achieve.

More importantly, when you improve your movement quality injury risk is reduced and you feel better everyday.