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Your golf shoes are costing you speed. Here’s what you should know

Johnny Wunder visited the FootJoy Lab at the Titleist Performance Center and learned why finding the right shoe is more important than you think.

Published: Monday, 12 October 2026 at 5:28 PM
Your golf shoes are costing you speed. Here’s what you should know
Key Things to Know
  • Wearing the correct size and structured golf shoes can prevent foot slippage and increase swing speed.
  • Foot slippage during a swing forces players to make subconscious compensations that bleed power.
  • A proper shoe fitting showed a 2 mph boost in swing speed, equating to about 3 extra yards of carry.
The Story in 60 Seconds

Properly fitted golf shoes with adequate traction and structure prevent foot slippage and preserve swing speed, according to equipment testing conducted at FootJoy. Slipping even a few millimeters during a downswing forces golfers to subconsciously compensate, disrupting hip rotation and leading to a loss of power and consistency.

Testing multiple models, including the FootJoy Premier Series and ProSL, revealed that dropping down a half size into an accurately fitted shoe generated a two-mile-per-hour gain in swing speed, which translates to roughly three yards of additional carry distance.

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