Golf and Podiatry

By Angela Jackson, Chartered Physiotherapist

Golf shoes and your feet are the foundation of your golf swing and therefore careful attention should be given to getting a correct foot position. Although golf is regarded as a sedentary sport it generates enormous forces through the body starting with the feet. The average golfer will spend 4 hours on the golf course each time he or she plays, walking on typically hilly and uneven terrain. Good supportive footwear is therefore essential to reduce the strain on the body particularly in older players.

According to Jack Nicklaus:

"All timing, distance, and direction comes out of the lower body with the feet leading the way”.

At address, your weight should be evenly distributed on both feet with slightly more weight on the forefoot as you lean over, and slightly more weight on the insides of both feet. During the swing the weight transfers from back to front foot and the feet roll in and outwards. Maintenance of proper foot alignment on the back swing is critical for control of the downswing and contact position. Shifting weight to the outer part of the foot may cause your hips to sway or slide excessively.

Lateral motion and pivoting are intrinsic to the golf swing so aany dysfunction in the foot that may prevent this weight transfer from occurring and affect knee, hip and spinal position causing a range of aches and pains and certainly affecting consistency.

Foot Pain

Painful feet are common amongst golfers. Common conditions include:

Heel Pain - This condition is also known as plantar fascitis and commonly occurs due to excessive pronation in the feet. Pain and stiffness are usually worse on rising in the morning and after periods of rest. Pain will be located in the centre of the heel and may radiate down the arch.
Metatarsalgia - This term refers to any pain in the fore foot region. This can be caused due or corns, hard skin or bony pain but is usually linked to tight calf muscles and imbalances in the lower limb musculature.
Achilles Tendonitis – The calf muscles attach to the heel via the Achilles tendon and it may become inflamed when the foot excessive pronates (rolls in) causing a twisting action on the tendon. It can also occur in golfers with high arches when the foot has little flexibility and shock absorption is compromised.

If you are experiencing pain when playing golf, first check your shoes:

Have they collapsed and distorted from the many miles walked each golf round?
Check the sole – is there uneven wear on the studs or is one missing?
Is the stud base uneven inside? Remove the inlay and run your hand over the inner surface. Sometimes the stud base can protrude upwards and cause you some considerable discomfort.
Check the inside of the golf shoe upper. If you experience rubbing and blistering around the toe areas it may be caused by ridges in the leather/stitching.
Check the heel cup at the back of the shoe. It should be firm and uniform. Often when the back of the shoe has broken down the plastic cup cracks and causes pressure on the Achilles tendon. It will also no longer control excessive roll in the foot during walking and swinging. This is often caused by not undoing your shoes and slipping them on and off.

It is very important to let the shoes dry out thoroughly after use.

Damp, airless, dark insides of shoes mean that they are a prime site for culturing foul organisms that can give you problems such as athlete’s foot, which is not very pleasant! Paper stuffed in to the shoe can help maintain shape as the shoe dries.

What do I look for when buying new golf shoes?

Before entering the shop have a good 20 minute walk to ensure your feet are fully expanded and warm. Some people advise buying golf shoes in the afternoon when your feet have expanded.
When trying on shoes, wear the same thickness of sock that you would on a golf course. Failure to do this could result in shoes that tighter or looser than normal, which could cause blisters or sore feet

First of all check your foot shape by putting your heel into the heel cup of the shoe but with your foot sitting on the top of the shoe. Look for how you toes will have to be squashed to fit the shape of the front of the shoe.

Look for inlays in the golf shoes that are contoured slightly to the foot and are removable.
Make sure the toe box area at the front of the shoe is deep enough top to bottom so that the toes are not crushed.
Check the insides of the shoes as above for uneven stud bases and irregularities in the uppers that may rub.
Make sure the golf shoes fasten firmly on to the feet without pinching or letting the heel lift out. Loose shoes will allow your foot to move excessively and affect your stable base.
Put the new shoe on and test your balance by standing on one foot. Compare with the other foot. Now stand on one leg and perform your swing with a club. Compare to the other leg. Loss of balance usually indicates that you might need a stronger more supportive shoe.

So...

Your shoes are fine but you are not! In-shoe devices known as orthoses/orthotics can help to support the foot and encourage the foot to move in a functionally improved way. Research suggests that orthotics can help golfers improve their balance, hit the ball further and obtain a lower golf score.

Insoles will also stabilise your feet, evenly redistribute weight and correct your entire body posture during the golf swing. .

How do I know if I need orthoses?

Pain can come from superficial areas such as blisters or corns and hard skin build up from too much foot movement within the shoes as you walk.
People with flat feet
Golfers with long term foot injuries that just don’t seem to want to settle such as Achilles tendonitis, metatarslgia and bunions can be helped.
Players who have poor balance particularly on uneven lies.
Golfers whose feet ache by the end of the round

It is essential to see a trained Podiatrist who has a special interest in golf and who understands the biomechanics of the golf swing. Some off the shelf products can be very effective but others are no more than an arch support which does not provide adequate support around the heel where you need it most. Others may be too rigid and prevent the roll and weight transfer during the swing.

Jilly Burrows is an experienced Podiatrist with an extensive knowledge of biomechanics and sports injuries. She is based at Angela Jackson Physio & Sports Injury Clinic in Alderley Edge. In conjunction with our Physiofit For Golf screening we are able to assess the stability and mobility of the foot through digital photography at various stages of the swing. See: