Should I Wear Golf Shoes at the Driving Range? — (Where You Should Wear Them)
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Patrick Corley
- 06/21/2023
There’s no better way to work on your golf game than to spend time practicing at a golf driving range.
Have you wondered whether or not you should wear golf shoes at the driving range when hitting golf balls? Is it OK to wear athletic shoes like running shoes?
The Tell Me More Golf team will tell you if you should wear golf shoes at the driving range, where else it’s OK to wear them, and the best types for different driving range surfaces.
Golf Shoes at Driving Range
It’s common for golfers to wear golf shoes at the driving range, either soft-spikes or spikeless. However, when you go to a driving range or simulator, you’ll typically hit off two surfaces: mats or grass.
Hitting Off of Mats
If you’re going to a driving range that has mats, you can wear spikeless golf shoes, spiked golf shoes, and athletic shoes.
Depending on the type of mat, you might be fine wearing athletic shoes as some mats have a tremendous amount of natural grip.
Spikeless golf shoes are perfect for hitting off mats because the cleats will have good traction but won’t dig into the mat if you have a lot of torque with your feet.
In most cases, you’ll be OK hitting off of mats with soft spikes. But if you have a lot of foot torque, you’ll need to be careful that the spikes don’t catch in the mat, as you can pull the soft spike out of the shoe’s outsole.
It would be best if you did not use metal spikes when hitting off mats. You can get too much traction, limiting how much the shoe moves, resulting in injury.
Hitting Off of Grass
If you’re hitting off of grass, then you should wear golf shoes instead of regular athletic shoes.
Hitting off grass is as close as you’ll come to hitting golf shots during a round of golf out on the golf course, so you’ll want to get all the traction you can when practicing.
Feel free to wear spikeless golf shoes, soft spikes, or metal spikes when hitting off grass surfaces at a driving range.
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Where Should You Wear Golf Shoes
You should feel comfortable wearing golf shoes to and from your car to the golf course and driving range. However, be careful when walking indoors in golf shoes as they don’t have much grip on surfaces like tile and wood.
As a rule, spikeless shoes can be worn almost anywhere on and off the golf course.
Soft spikes are acceptable on most carpeted surfaces, but you’ll need to be careful on other indoor surfaces.
You should never wear metal spikes inside unless you walk on a carpeted surface. Not only do metal spikes get minimal traction on other surfaces, but they can also damage them.
While wearing golf shoes away from the golf course might be OK, you shouldn’t wear them too often. Just like you have dress shoes for work and running shoes for running, golf shoes are meant to be worn at and around the golf course.
Wearing golf shoes on surfaces beyond turf can affect how they wear down and impact their durability.
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Best Driving Range Shoes
The best driving range shoes are proper golf shoes.
Wearing golf shoes at the driving range will give you the same interaction with the turf that you feel on the golf course.
You can wear running and other athletic shoes, but they will not give you the same support, traction, and feel that golf shoes will.
Spikeless golf shoes and soft spikes are the best golf shoes for the driving range because you can wear them on both mats and grass surfaces.
Metal spikes are fine for hitting off the grass. Still, you shouldn’t hit them off of mats as they can bite into the mats, damaging the mats, and you can injure yourself if your shoes don’t release as they usually would.
Good Shoes For Driving Range
Traditional golf shoes like those made by Nike, FootJoy, adidas, and Puma are always good shoes for the driving range.
Look for a pair of golf shoes with spikeless or soft spike outsoles.
They provide more cushioning, stability, and traction than regular shoes when hitting golf balls.
Many golfers will use an older pair of golf shoes when going to the range and save newer shoes for playing actual rounds of golf. Alternatively, golfers with brand new golf shoes may wear them on the driving range to break them in before they play a round of golf to try and break them in, so they don’t get blisters.
You can wear running shoes and other athletic-style shoes like basketball shoes, but you’re not going to get the grip and traction you’ll get with golf shoes.
Can You Wear Golf Shoes On Concrete
You can wear soft spikes and spikeless golf shoes on concrete. However, you don’t want to walk too much on concrete, as the harder surface will cause the cleats and the soft spikes to wear down faster than they would normally.
If you can walk on a concert cart path or the turf when playing a round of golf, it’s usually better to walk on the grass to save your golf shoes the wear and tear of walking on concrete.
The grass is also much softer than concrete, and you’ll put less stress on your body.
You should avoid wearing metal spikes on concrete as they will wear down faster and have minimal traction on hard surfaces like concrete and asphalt.
FAQ Section
Do you need golf shoes at the driving range?
You don’t need golf shoes for the driving range, but it helps to have them. The golf swing produces a lot of natural torque between the feet, and the ground and golf shoes give golfers better traction during the golf swing.
What shoes should you wear to the driving range?
You can wear any athletic shoe to the driving range and be fine. However, wearing golf shoes, either soft spikes or spikeless, will give you a better grip when practicing.
The driving range is a great place to wear older golf shoes that you don’t usually wear when you play or newer ones that you want to break in before playing golf.
How should I dress for a golf range?
Old school golfers would say that you should dress the same going to the golf range that you would if you were going to play a round of golf at a club. Traditional golf attire includes slacks, shorts, a golf skirt or skort, and a polo shirt or collared shirt.
However, attitudes towards golf apparel have shifted dramatically over the past few years. As a result, more casual attire is acceptable in many places. For example, suppose you’re going to a stand-alone driving range. In that case, it’s OK to wear more casual, athletic attire like a t-shirt and leggings than typical golf apparel.
We’d advise that if you’re going to a range at a private club or a golf course, you dress like you would if you were going to play a round of golf out of respect for the game.
Many golf courses and clubs may have a dress code, so be sure to call the pro shop before you head out to the course. Private golf clubs rarely allow cut-off shorts, blue jeans, t-shirts, and boots.
Can I wear golf shoes off the course?
You can wear golf shoes off of the golf course. Specifically, low-profile spikeless golf shoes often look like everyday athletic shoes, and their cleats are safe to wear on most surfaces without fear of slipping.
You can also wear golf shoes with soft spikes. Still, you’ll need to be careful walking on surfaces like wood and tile where they don’t get excellent traction, and it’s easier for you to slip and fall.
You should only wear metal spikes at the golf course and the driving range if you can hit golf balls from the grass.
Just because you can wear golf shoes off the golf course doesn’t mean you should. It’s not an issue of style. It is an issue of protecting your golf shoes from unnecessary wear and tear so that you can play more golf in them.
Conclusion: Research by Tellmemoregolf.com
You should wear golf shoes at the driving range. Golf shoes are made for golf, and practicing at the driving range is integral to playing golf.
While you can wear running and other athletic shoes at the driving range, you won’t get the same grip and traction that you’d get wearing golf shoes. This is because the golf swing creates a lot of foot torque that golf shoes are designed to withstand.
Spikeless golf shoes and soft spikes are great for any driving range surface and will give you close to the same interaction with the turf you’d feel out on the course.
You can wear most golf shoes off of the golf course if you choose to do so. However, golf shoes are designed to play golf in, not to be worn around casually.
The driving range is a great place to wear older golf shoes or newer ones you want to break in before you play a round.
So, lace up your golf shoes, head to the range, and get to work on your game!
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