Poll: Spikes or Spikeless?

[ChuckZ 243]

Just depends on how I feel when I get up in the morning.  I am a FJ guy and the only brand I will wear.  This is based on over thirty five years of experience with great performance, fit, wear and customer service.  Still have a good collection of MyJoy DryJoy tours, MyJoy Icon, which are spiked shoes.  The new Premiere and Tradition shoes I have in my rotation are spiked are some of the best FJ has made in years.  Do play a lot of rounds in my many Pro/SLs.  Waiting on the new Fields in white/red to be released which are spikeless. Find all these styles grip well in all kinds of weather.  I have two pair of the Flex XP and five pair of the Flex but do not wear them to play golf in.  Some golfers do, but I wear them to work in, for casual wear and on the range.   They do have enough grip to play in on a dry sunny day, unless you are trying to swing out of your shoes. 

[mharr 23]

8 hours ago, Rchang said:

I’m still spikes. But curious for the spikeless converters, what made you switch and stay switched? I don’t play if actively raining, but do walk almost all my rounds in the dewy morning 

I originally switched because of back problems making it (a little) difficult to change shoes in the parking lot (I could swing ok, just problems bending over).  So I put my gold shoes on at home, and put on loafers after golf.  Then started wearing them in the clubhouse after golf, maybe restaurant or bar after that.  That just cemented me that was more comfortable and convenient to go spikeless.

Now, I also subscribe to Sam Snead's instruction on staying light on your feet, and in balance.  Snead would practice barefoot to make sure he stayed in balance, if his feet slipped, he was off-balance.  So, IMHO, if my feet slip, it's due to a bad swing, not bad shoes, and I need to stay in balance.   I see that the players that need spikes, also spray the ball all over the place, and I don't think that is a coincidence.

[HDTVMAN 167]

First, if it's sloppy and wet I'm home watching Judge Judy or at the store buying new golf stuff. I really love ECCO shoes with Gore-Tex lining, so they stay warm and no moisture. Today I played in ECCO tennis shoes on a very dry course, and they were great. Any shoes where you need to replace the soft spikes is a no go.

[Middler 3,798]

On 3/14/2022 at 7:34 AM, Rchang said:

I’m still spikes. But curious for the spikeless converters, what made you switch and stay switched? I don’t play if actively raining, but do walk almost all my rounds in the dewy morning 

I prefer to walk, and spikeless are more comfortable. I’ve found traction with spikeless is far better than I expected nowadays (probably not the case with older generations of spikeless shoes). I’m sure there are more comfortable spiked shoes nowadays too.

I was an FJ only guy for 40 years, until I bought a pair of Adidas CodeChaos.

[sirchunksalot 17,002]

I'm firmly a spikeless guy ever since I picked up a pair of Adidas CP Traxion about a year and a half ago. They're lightweight, comfortable, and give me plenty of traction even in the wettest conditions. 

I do have a pair of spiked FootJoy's I wore four years and loved, but the hassle of putting in fresh spikes is something that turns me off. I'll still wear them during those times in our in the yard SuperSpeed training. 

[drb1956 76]

Wear Footjoy Originals since last year, and before these, Footjoy Contours for over 10 years. So comfortable, waterproof, and stable footing. I like my spikes!!

[stevenbradley609 5]

On 3/13/2022 at 5:04 PM, Middler said:

Just for fun, it seems spikeless continue to gain converts - me for one after decades spikes only. I only wear spikes (FJ DryJoys) if it’s sloppy wet AND I’m in a riding cart. Walking or not sloppy wet, I’m fully converted to spikeless (2 pairs Adidas CodeChaos) It’s amazing how good they’ve become!

I went spikeless last year, I have a pair of callaway and a pair of puma.  They actually performed pretty well, although the white mesh callaways get dirty really easily and being mesh are impossible to clean.  I put them in the washer but only did a halfass job of cleaning them.

My biggest issue is the spikes wore almost completely off on the callaways and the puma's are about half worn down. I'm going back to spikes just because you can spend a couple hundred dollars on a quality spike shoe and use them for about 4 years, instead of buying a couple hundred dollars every year because you can't replace the spikes.

[MattWillGolf 2,734]

I mostly walk when I play and I also have feet that have been designed by a committee. So I have to wear a triple E width (Extra Wide) with a high instep. I’ve gone the spikeless. I live 3 minutes from my home course. I put on my golf shoes in the garage, hop in the car and off to the first tee. (My dream is to pull out of my driveway in a Finn Cycle. ) I have found Skechers to be the most comfortable. I wear Skechers Go Golf Elite Tour SL. 

[Tincuptim 3]

Love Footjoy spiked shoes. Traditionalist I guess but afraid to pull the trigger on spikeless. Some tour guys still using metal. Need to get a pair of spikeless and put them in the rotation to see how they work with my ugly swing. 

[John Bachman 55]

I decide on course and weather conditions or just how I feel on that day. 

[GaDawg 1,776]

2 hours ago, drb1956 said:

Wear Footjoy Originals since last year, and before these, Footjoy Contours for over 10 years. So comfortable, waterproof, and stable footing. I like my spikes!!

[Ben_Howell34 687]

Wore spikes till last April when I forgot my golf shoes in the trunk of my car as I left on my golf trip So I had to use my tennis shoes for 72 holes. Noticed zero difference and my feet felt awesome, whereas before they would feel tired. Now I wear spikeless FJ Coastal Flex golf shoes and they are great. Never slip at all. 

Edited March 15 by Ben_Howell34
Typo

[Tom the Golf Nut 8,798]

For the most part I wear spiked Puma's. My area of TN has some pretty nasty red clay soil. I am also a dew sweeper. You need all the traction you can get. Ocassionally with several dry days in a row or an afternoon round the spikeless come out.

[Greenside 8]

Spikes only - it prevents disaster.

Tried cute plastic nubbies circa 1998 when metal spikes were being phased out. Was taking a golf lesson, my left foot gave way with nubbies, I did a standing split, tore a thigh muscle, and couldn't exercise at all for 6 weeks. Needless to say, golf season was shot.

Courses I play on normally have a few holes with hillside fairways or greens that are cliff hangers. In last decade:

• Playing a casual round in traction sole cross-training shoes, left a ball halfway up a steep bunker bank. Had to take unplayable lie penalty because I couldn't get a stance on the hillside.
• A beginner I was playing with was playing in street shoes with softish shoes. Takes a shot from a damp area in the rough, his foot slips and he sprains his wrist breaking his sprawl.
• Hitting out of a cliffhanger pot bunker, one foot below and the other above, I bail out backwards and twist my knee badly. I withdraw after ninth hole. And this was with decent soft spikes.

Our area has two fairly flat par 3 courses where I might play with spikeless or even cross-train shoes. But everywhere else I want spikes!

[RickyBobby_PR 10,290]

West both about the same although ive bought more spiked shoes lately.

[ChitownM2 769]

On 3/14/2022 at 4:09 PM, Middler said:

I prefer to walk, and spikeless are more comfortable. I’ve found traction with spikeless is far better than I expected nowadays (probably not the case with older generations of spikeless shoes). I’m sure there are more comfortable spiked shoes nowadays too.

I think this is a point a lot of people overlook when comparing the two.  Certainly spikeless shoes are going to be way more comfortable than an old school set of heavy soled FJ Dryjoys, but when I was last shoe shopping a season or so ago, pretty much all of the advancements people talk about for spikeless shoes also apply to spikes.  I have a pair of Pumas, Adidas and UA shoes and all are very comfortable and I didn't notice a huge weight difference between those and spikeless shoes.  In general, I think all golf shoes have just gotten better.

[Middler 3,798]

10 hours ago, ChitownM2 said:

I think this is a point a lot of people overlook when comparing the two.  Certainly spikeless shoes are going to be way more comfortable than an old school set of heavy soled FJ Dryjoys, but when I was last shoe shopping a season or so ago, pretty much all of the advancements people talk about for spikeless shoes also apply to spikes.  I have a pair of Pumas, Adidas and UA shoes and all are very comfortable and I didn't notice a huge weight difference between those and spikeless shoes.  In general, I think all golf shoes have just gotten better.

I don’t doubt that. Spikes have gotten more comfortable, and spikeless have WAY better traction and stability than previous models. Those judging based on their experience in 1998, or similar, might want to reconsider - their opinions are just out of date. That said, you can still buy (less comfortable) old school FJ spikes (some people still prefer them) - you can’t buy spikeless shoes as bad as those sold in 1998.

[CarlH 8,679]

6 minutes ago, Middler said:

 their opinions are just out of date. 

This is a very common theme, regardless of the topic

 

[MacTourney 90]

My tomato juice and golf shoes are always spiked.

[Headhammer 3,348]

Wet Conditions: Spikes

Dry Conditions: Spikeless