A good pair of shoes is one of the most essential golf accessories that a golfer uses each round.  If they are uncomfortable or let moisture in easily the round can be truly a good walk spoiled.  So it is worthwhile to spend some cash for a good pair of shoes.  Once you have the good pair of golf shoes you are going to want to keep them in good condition.  If not for just the cost a new pair, every shoe has a break in period and once they fit you good, you don’t want to have to start over.  To keep the shoes working well you will need to do a little maintenance, here are some tips.

1)      Keep your shoes clean.

Cleaning your shoes after every round can be easily done with a brush while you take them off.  If you have access to an air compressor (some courses have them near the cart barn) you can blow off debris and dry them out at the same time. Keeping them clean will avoid dirt build up in the spikes and in leather creases that reduce their ability to be water proof.

2)      Use a shoe trees.

The use of a wooden shoe tree keeps the golf shoe in the proper shape while drying out.  Most golf shoes are subjected to extreme moisture and need to dry properly before the next round.  Footjoy recommends not using the same shoes two rounds in row – but then again they are trying to sell more shoes – the concept is sound, however.

3)      Use a shoe bag

Many golfers just toss their shoes in the trunk until next time. This can lead to scared up leather that not only looks bad but also allows moisture to leak into the inside of your shoes.

A shoe bag that I have recently seen, one that is worth looking at, is manufactured by OGIO (www.ogio.com).  They offer a great shoe bag called the SHOESTER. 

The Shoester is opened by a zipper that reveals a padded bottom to the shoe bag.  There is a somewhat firm divider down the center of the bag so each shoe sits in its own compartment.  This is great for each shoe to be separate and not scraping against one another.

There is a nice handle to carry the bag and a loop for hanging your shoe bag open to help speed up the drying process without the shoes falling out.

Take these steps to better shoe maintenance and you will be buying new shoe a lot less often.

This month in the magazine you can find my Annual Golf Bag Review Part 1 & 2 (part one inside the October issue with part two in the November issue)  Let me know what you think by dropping me an email.