The Strange Trend Of Barefoot Golf

If you’re not on social media, you might not even know that this is a trend but, shockingly enough, it is.

More and more people are showing up to the golf course, jumping in their cart, taking off their shoes and socks, and playing their round barefoot. Trust me, I was as bewildered as you when I first heard about it. Why someone would want their dogs out on the golf course is beyond me but I’ve decided that it has to be some type of fetish.

If you take a look at every sport, golf should be the one that avoids weird stuff like this but golf is trendy right now. Seemingly everyone wants to play golf and the game is growing at a beautiful rate. That being said, you can’t have the good without the weird.

Having said all that, I decided to give it a go.

My experience

Before you come after me, I tried it out on a $14 executive course in Utah at a bachelor party. Most of the guys, except me, were new to golf. It felt like a good time to see if there was any weight to the claim that barefoot golf is worth trying.

While it was mostly good, there were some definite cons. Let me explain.

The cons:

• You better keep your ball in the fairway at all times. If you miss and end up in the rough or worse, you’ll be tiptoeing around every little obstacle.
  
• The chemical risks are much higher than anyone should be comfortable with. You’ll be shocked to find out how many different chemicals are used to maintain a golf course. Do your research.
  
• If you’re used to wearing spiked golf shoes, you’ll have a considerable drop in traction. Be aware.

• Your dogs are on constant display. I don’t like when people look at my feet but you do you, I guess.

The pros:

• This only counts as a positive factor if you believe in the effects of grounding. If you do, the grounding aspect is awesome. For those of you that don’t know what grounding is, it’s the idea that being connected to the Earth can ease tension and anxiety. I struggle with anxiety so I liked trying barefoot golf out for this reason.
  
• Your feet will stay less sweaty on the course. If you hate the feeling of your feet being trapped, sweaty and gross, barefoot golf is a pretty easy fix to this problem. Just make sure you bring sunscreen!

• If you like minimal shoes that try their hardest to give a barefoot feel, this solves the issue without buying barefoot shoes.

Let the dogs out? Or keep them on a leash?

Whether you decide to give into the trend of barefoot golf is entirely up to you.

If you’re going to give it a try, pick the right course. No guest should pull up to Pebble Beach, TPC Sawgrass or your local country club showing off their naked feet. Besides, you’ll look much cooler in a brand-new pair of golf shoes.

I have zero expectations for barefoot golf to become the next big thing but I do think it’ll stick around for years to come. This isn’t a new trend; we’re just seeing more of it because social media makes trends more accessible.

You may call barefoot golfers crazy but they might call you crazy for wearing shoes. Like I said, you be you.