For maintaining the look, performance and comfort of your golf shoes, you need to take proper care of them. Thus, whether you’re a novice or an avid golfer, you should regularly clean your golf shoes in order for your shoes to last a substantial period of time.
Golf shoe care is simple. Today I’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of cleaning your golf shoes. The whole process of cleaning and keeping your golf shoes can be divided into a few broad steps such as:
- Pre-Round shoe care
- Post round shoe care and cleaning
- Cleaning Mesh shoes
Pre-round Shoe Care
It is recommended to use a shoehorn while putting on your golf shoes. Otherwise, you run the risk of potentially destroying the heels of your shoes which will lead to blisters and general discomfort.
Post Round Shoe Care & Cleaning
In this section, the cleaning is divided into two parts. Let’s talk about them.
Uppers
After each round clean the dirt and residue on the surface of your leather or synthetic golf shoes with shoe cleaner or mild soap and water. After this, the shoe is to be dried in room temperature.
For white shoes, you should apply white shoe cleaners. This will help you remove the scuff marks.
For dark colored shoes, you may use shoe cleaner with any applicable color crème to maintain the look and conditioning of the surface of the shoe.
There might be times when your shoes will get wet after a round. There are also procedures specific to cleaning golf shoes if they are wet. The wet shoes are to be cleaned very quickly and stuffed with newspapers for 8-10 hours to absorb the extra water.
After that, you need to replace the newspapers with FootJoy Cedar Shoe Trees. These shoe trees bring the uppers back to their normal shape and absorb excess water on the surface.
While cleaning the uppers of your golf shoes, it is recommended to keep certain points in your mind such as:
- The laces should be before cleaning
- The inner soles should also be removed unless they are glued to the base
- For drying your shoes, they must be air dried in a shady place, away from direct sunlight in normal room temperature. Using blow driers is also a big no in this case.
Outsole Care
If your shoes are synthetic, then the outsoles of our shoes must be wiped clean of dirt and residue. However, it is to be noticed that the cleats are secured properly in their respective spots. You should never tighten the cleats too much.
Moreover, you should also refrain from storing your golf shoes in damp places such as car trunk. This will decrease the lifespan of your golf shoes.
Cleaning Mesh Shoes
Among golf shoes, the mesh shoes happen to be popular, and for all the right reasons. The mesh on the shoes makes you feel cool and breezy in hot conditions. Cleaning these shoes, however, can be a tad bit tricky. With mesh shoes, you have the option of either hand washing or machine cleaning them.
- Hand Cleaning Mesh Shoes
First off you need to mix liquid dish soap or laundry detergent with warm water. Then you need to soak a soft cloth or soft-bristled brush in the solution. Next, use it to rub the dirt gently off the mesh.
After that, dab it against the mesh to soak out the soap residue from the mesh. Finally, you should air dry the shoes in room temperature while stuffing crumpled newspaper to soak the remaining water.
- Machine Cleaning Mesh Shoes
First off, you must remove the shoelaces and the sole if possible. Then you are to wipe the mesh gently with a clean cloth, soap, and warm water. In case of tough stains, scrub them with a toothbrush and detergent.
Finally, put the shoes in a mesh bag, and place them in the washing machine and wash on a gentle cycle. After washing, you are to air dry the shoes and stuff them with newspaper to absorb the excessive water. You may replace the newspaper with a shoe tree to maintain the shape of the shoes.
Storage
Storing your golf shoes can be equally important as cleaning them. For proper storage of your golf shoes, golf shoe bags and cedar shoe trees are a must.
The golf shoe bag will protect your golf shoes during transportation. Properly ventilated shoe bags can even regulate the moisture and bacteria build-up.
The Cedar shoe trees on the other hand, help absorb the extra sweat on the shoes and maintain the shape of the shoes.
Final Words
Cleaning golf shoes is a fairly easy task if you stick to the routine.
If you follow the above-mentioned tips and suggestions to clean your shoes, then it will increase the lifespan of your golf shoes and allow you to enjoy their service for years.