Our correspondent, Philippa Kennedy, cannot resist buying a new pair of golf shoes but has been forced to rethink her wardrobe following a recent knee operation.
Are you a compulsive golf shoe buyer? Our correspondent, Philippa Kennedy, cannot resist buying a new pair of golf shoes but has been forced to rethink her whole wardrobe following a recent knee operation.
Not so long ago I was in danger of becoming the Imelda Marcos of golf shoes. I can’t resist them and as I play a lot of golf, I don’t see why I shouldn’t have a change or two....or three ....or four.
These days golf shoes are so attractive and so far removed from the clumpy, spiked brogues of yesteryear. I’ve got a pair of those at the back of my wardrobe, waiting for a rainy and slippery day, but I haven’t used them for years. I soon moved on to lighter, rubber spiked shoes and really lightweight bubble-soled shoes that you can wear to the supermarket without anyone looking at you as if you are in your pyjamas.
I acquired a gorgeous pair of silver ones in Dubai, but didn’t have the nerve to wear then back at my club in Surrey. My favourite are two-toned Al Caponestyle that always attract envious comments. And then there are the white ones with rainbow laces and a pair I bought at a golf tournament for £10 towards closing time.
I think it must be a syndrome - Compulsive Golf Shoe Buying Syndrome.
It’s all come to an end since my knee operation. In fact I’m rethinking my entire shoe wardrobe on and off the course. The physio didn’t quite sing ‘Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Dry Bones’’ to me but she pointed out the basics of the old spiritual song. The toe bone’s connected to the foot bone, the foot bone’s connected to the ankle bone and so on up to the knee and hip. Anyone who suffers from a bad back or aches and pains in their joints will know what I mean.
I went online to do some research and was thrilled to find there’s an entire industry out there devoted to golfing injuries of the feet.
The Americans call it “orthotics”. I was just about to click on ‘make an appointment’ when I realised the enormously helpful website was for a company in Seattle.
A golf pro put me on to a version on this side of the Atlantic called Foot Solutions, there are three outlets in the UK and one of them just happens to be down the road from me in Richmond, Surrey.
What a revelation! I can only compare it to having an MRI scan for the feet. They measure your exact length and width just like they used to do when you were a child and then put you on a machine that takes pictures of the areas you put most pressure on. The print-out showed a great big red patch on my right sole. The ball of my foot was clearly compensating for the strain on my knee. Comically, it appears that the toes on my left foot don’t touch the ground - years of squeezing broad feet into shoes that were too small.
Apparently about 80% of us wear shoes that are too small for us.
I am now wearing a pair of casual shoes that actually fit me properly, possibly for the first time in my life. And for my birthday, my husband bought me a new pair of golf shoes from the same company, with similar internal support.
I’m not suggesting they are the complete answer - physio sessions, a procedure that drained the knee of a small tub of fluid and a cortisone injection have pretty much banished the pain. And in fact top brands like ECCO, FootJoy and the gorgeous Duca del Cosma do provide shoes with excellent support. But I personally now feel more stable in my new footwear and that has to make a difference to my game.
If toes can be happy, I am pretty sure that mine are.
This is an extract from the latest Women & Golf magazine, out today. Never miss an issue, SUBSCRIBE HERE to Women & Golf.
