Turf shoes provide athletes with the ultimate grip on any surface. With their tacky soles that often feature protruding groves and rubber studs, turf shoes can be the best trainer to use when playing sport.
Turf shoes are a great shoe to wear when you practice your swing at a driving range. Turf shoes are comfortable providing cushioning to your feet which can blister if you’re hitting repeated shots wearing unprotective shoes, and provide good grip on artificial playing surfaces.
Turf shoes are a great shoe to wear when golfing simply for the grip they provide and comfort. In this guide, though, we’ll be walking you through whether it is the correct etiquette to wear turf shoes on a golf course and how they compare to modern standard golf shoes. We’ll also be answering whether you can wear turf shoes on the driving range and whether baseball cleats are appropriate footwear for golf.
Turf shoes are good enough for Golf, but nothing will replace a real golf shoe. Take a look at the best golf shoes on Amazon here.
Can you use turf shoes for golf?
Generally, golfers will not be allowed to wear turf shoes at a high-quality golf course, but turf shoes with short stubble rubber studs are similar to spikeless golf shoes. Any baseball, soccer, or lacrosse turf shoes with short stubble studs that do not damage a golf course are typically okay to play golf in mid to low-range courses.
Golf is one of the oldest sports in the world. Steeped in history with values of etiquette that date back to the 1800s where players would compete with each other with what was known as ‘gentlemanly conduct.’ Today the game has broadened its horizons to capture a more modern audience of men, women, and children, doing away with old golfing etiquette and the stereotypical traditional golf fashions that went with the times.
But across the country, many courses still uphold some of the game’s traditional values to ensure golf is played properly, and one of those values is clothing etiquette. Aside from wearing smart trousers and polo neck shirts, if you’re looking to attend a proper, high-quality standard course, you will need to make sure you’re wearing proper golf shoes.
Many golfers don’t know the etiquettes and standards that go with golf, and it’s wise to brush up on your knowledge of the rules and how to play the course before you tee off on the first hole. Take a look at my in-depth guide on the rules and etiquette that go with the game of golf and how you can avoid getting kicked off the course.
Sometimes, players can get away with wearing trainers on a golf course, but if you want to avoid the disappointment of being turned away by any club staff or members, it’s wise to avoid wearing turf shoes at a proper golf course. Although turf shoes are comfy, they also won’t provide your feet with the same protection as a normal golf shoe.
A standard golf shoe, like the Adidas Tour 360 golf shoe that you can get for a typically provides greater support to a golfer’s Achilles and heel as they walk around the course compared to what you might find on a turf shoe.
This golf shoe also has more pronounced spikes on its sole to prevent you from slipping in wet conditions and is also waterproof, something that many turf shoes fail to guarantee. The Adidas Tour 360 shoe is available now for a bargain on Amazon it’s a very good investment if you’re looking to play more golf at proper golf courses.
Proper golf shoes that are fitted to the measurements of your feet are the best way to stop your feet from getting blisters while also helping you get enough traction on the floor to hit upwards on your shots and get more distance on the ball
I recommend you read my My guide on how to stop getting blisters on your feet will let you into a few tips and tricks on preventing blisters while you play golf, but ultimately the best way to stop your feet from rubbing on your shoes is by wearing high-quality, waterproof golf shoes.
Are turf shoes good for golf?
Turf shoes can be good for golf, but only for practicing or playing 9-holes in the summer months. Thanks to their spiked rubber soles, turf shoes with short studs do not cause damage to a golf course and can be a good substitute for golf shoes to help provide grip on hard, dry surfaces but are not advisable to use in wet conditions.
For practicing on astroturf surfaces, on hard ground, and for the occasional quick round at your local par three courses, turf shoes are a great shoe to wear as a substitute for your golf shoes. Particularly in hot weather, turf shoes have more airflow than golf shoes helping to keep you cool in dry heat.
Most golfers who are members of a proper course should keep a set of turf shoes in their locker at their club. It helps to change shoes at the end of a round to stop walking mud across the carpets of the clubhouse, and it allows golfers to practice on artificial surfaces they want to dial in their putting on a practice green.
For more information on what you should keep in your club locker, I recommend you take a look at my guide on what you need to keep in your golf locker?
I wouldn’t recommend using turf shoes when playing golf. If you want to get better at golf and start reducing your handicap on some of the harder 18-hole courses around the world, you’re going to want to use the right equipment to help you hit those low scores, which also means practicing and training in that equipment including the shoes you wear on your feet.
Especially at the driving range, using a set of shoes that you wouldn’t normally play in can alter how you swing the club and give you different results than you would normally see if you were playing with proper spiked golf shoes, which you can see in the above video.
Golfers need to practice and play with the right equipment to help them dial in yardages with each of their clubs. It’s also wise to attend a fitting session to understand better the different types of golf shoes available to you and how each can help enhance your performance. For more on what to expect from an equipment fitting session, I suggest you look at my article on what to expect from your golf club fitting sessions.
Can you use baseball turf shoes for golf?
Baseball cleats with metal studs on their soles are not suited for golf. Most golf shoes use only special plastic or rubber spikes, allowing golfers to walk across hard surfaces. A baseball turf shoe’s sole can cause damage to greens and fairways around the course, but turf shoes with short rubber studs are fine and are similar to spikeless golf shoes.
If you want to hit low cards and reduce your handicap, then I advise you to steer clear of using baseball turf shoes on the golf course. Turf shoes with rubber soles might sometimes be suitable for playing the occasional round on your local public course, but most 18-hole courses will not let you play with any footwear that is not a legitimate golf shoe.
Particularly when it comes to spiked baseball shoes with metal cleats on their soles, golfers can cause damage to the greens and fairways that surround the course if they wear metal spiked baseball turf shoes.
Although leniency is applied to many beginner golfers who haven’t played before and are perhaps going to their first lesson or time on the range. If you need more advice on what to wear to your first lesson please read my article on what to wear to your first golf lesson.
In my article, I discuss a little more on what is and isn’t acceptable for beginner golfers, and realistically, it’s not feasible to ask beginner golfers to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on new golf gear.
In these instances, rubber-soled turf shoes may be a good alternative to standard golf shoes. But ultimately, if you’re looking to play better golf and reduce your handicap, you’ll want to invest in a sturdy pair of golf shoes that will stop you from getting blisters but will also help you get a better grip on the ground as you swipe through the golf ball.
If you are curious about Golf investing in the correct equipment will improve your technique and your scores. Take a look at the fantastic Puma golf shoe down below on Amazon.