Innehållsförteckning för July 2024 från Golf Monthly

neil.tappin@futurenet.com My first Open Championship as a reporter for Golf Monthly was back in 2007 at Carnoustie. I walked the final round with Sergio Garcia and was just to the left of the final green as his putt to win kissed the lip and stayed above ground. This was an Open for the ages that was dripping with drama throughout that final day, including multiple visits to the Barry Burn by the eventual winner, Padraig Harrington. My abiding memory, however, was of the total silence as Garcia’s ball rolled towards the hole. I’d been to a few big sporting events by this point in my life, but nothing could match the tension and drama of that specific moment. The anticipation, the collective intake of breath, the disbelief and then the…

Nelly Korda has won six of the 12 LPGA Tour events to have taken place in 2024 – and she’s only competed in eight of them. Her most recent triumph on her truly remarkable run of form came at the Mizuho Americas Open, where the American pipped Hannah Green to the title. The pair were locked a 14-under heading to the 18th at Liberty National Golf Club, but a bogey by Green handed Korda victory. Korda’s streak began at the LPGA Drive On Championship at the end of January and included a win at the Chevron Championship as she clinched the second Major of her career. A T7 finish at the Cognizant Founders Cup brought her run of consecutive titles to a halt at five, but she ensured that was…

Troon has played host to some dramatic Open moments, but none as surprising as when Todd Hamilton walked off with the top prize. Bill Elliott’s words at the time remind us just what a shock it was… “Until the 133rd Open Championship, Oquawka in Illinois only had one claim to fame. Apparently there is an elephant which was struck by lightning buried underneath the main town square. Suddenly, however, this tiny place can boast not just a deceased jumbo, but the Open Champion himself… Frankly, until halfway through this Troon extravaganza, only the 2004 winner of the ‘Golf Anorak of the Year’ knew much about this guy, except that he had been out in Japan since 1992, that he had returned to the US last year and that he had…

TaylorMade’s latest additions to its P-Series of golf clubs have arrived in the shape of the Utility Driving Iron (UDI) and Driving Hybrid (DHY). While the UDI will certainly skew more to the better player, the DHY has been engineered with the higher handicapper in mind, plenty of whom want to benefit from adding this type of club to the bag. The shaping of both clubs has been designed to blend in seamlessly with the other P-Series irons. The UDI has been styled with a more traditional iron shape and a moderate sole width that is actually more compact than on the P790 iron. The DHY benefits from a slightly wider sole, slightly taller toe height and a lower face profile, which helps drive CG lower. Key P-Series technologies like…

Obviously, it’s all wind dependent. General playing requirements and individual holes will change dramatically in different conditions, as with any links course. I’m describing here the prevailing conditions which the pros are most likely to encounter at Royal Troon this July. And, this guide isn’t a look at the way an average amateur golfer would play the course, rather the way the modern professionals will look to negotiate the Old course here. Going out is vital at Royal Troon; a good front nine is key. If you haven’t gone out well, you almost certainly won’t find yourself coming back any better, is what I would say! The prevailing wind helps you on the front nine. It’s very much a course where it’s out and in, possibly the most so on…

This alignment-infused head increased our confidence over each putt Scotty Cameron’s mallet putter range combines the premium look and feel you expect with excellent attention to detail. There are some pretty outlandish head shapes and alignment features, too. For 2024, its range of ‘alignment infused’ designs have really caught our eye. The 9 shape is a mid-sized, angular mallet putter with two cavities and a dual-line alignment system, meaning this is a pretty drastic departure from what we’ve seen before from the team at Scotty Cameron. There are two neck options, but both have new shaft designs that mean the bend always points down the target line. Down behind the ball, the two lines positioned close together really work as a track system to help you see where the clubface…

Anyone who’s owned a Bushnell golf laser rangefinder, or one of its sports optics products for that matter, would probably agree the brand can usually be relied on to achieve best-in-class accuracy in a device that boasts a premium look and feel. This was certainly the case with the Bushnell Pro X3 laser rangefinder released in 2022, and we now have the Pro X3+ to add to that list. Although I can’t see owners of the previous model rushing out to buy its replacement, avid golfers who play on exposed links courses and those who want as much information as possible prior to playing a shot may have their interest piqued by the new wind speed and direction feature. This is the big new story – something that adds another…

Distance-measuring devices (DMDs) have become an essential part of the modern golfer’s arsenal, helping to inform club selection and general strategy during rounds. There is a huge variety of DMDs on the market, from watches to laser rangefinders, handheld GPS devices and even speakers. Lasers provide instant, straight-line accuracy, while GPS-based devices can offer more information, such as full-hole mapping. This can be invaluable on an unfamiliar golf course. Manufacturers are getting more and more creative with how they are packaging DMDs, with many now offering GPS distances in speakers, which can add a different element to your round. This year, we’ve even tested some wireless earbuds that can provide yardages at the click of a button! Hopefully, our carefully considered selection of DMDs will give you a better idea…

Situated about as far to the south and east as it is possible to journey in Europe, Cyprus is an ancient and mountainous island offering history, culture, cuisine and more. For a long time it has been a popular holiday destination, with many even choosing to up sticks and relocate here. Unlike some such locations, golf hasn’t yet fully taken off in terms of the volume of courses on the island, but what Cyprus lacks in numbers on the golf course front, it makes up for with an eclectic mix that is also on offer at more favourable rates than in many more famous golfing hotspots. The country itself has a chequered history with conflict a regular feature, perhaps ironic as it is, by legend, the birthplace of Aphrodite, the…

A seagull’s eye view of the must-hit target on the par-3 5th at Rockliffe Hall, where the only walking access is via the path beyond the green Rockliffe Hall – 5th GF: £90 Mon-Thurs, £110 Fri-Sun Running beside the banks of the River Tees, this strong test of golf is suited to both tournament play and to engaging golf of a more informal nature. There are plenty of memorable holes, with water making regular appearances to add to the drama and visual appeal. The greens on the par-5 3rd and the very tough 4th are protected by water, but at the short 5th (129 to 181 yards) you have no option but to fly the ball to the green, which has the added protection of two attractive bunkers. With its…

When club golfers are struggling with their games and the red mist descends, it may seem logical to opt for a swing overhaul and roll in a raft of changes. That might be a little hasty, however, with some of these top tips and drills perhaps paving the way to big improvements without the need for radical change… 1 Focus on the strike When hitting the ball, especially with the driver, you might miss the sweetspot by the smallest of fractions, which causes the ball to have an undesirable shape to its flight. This doesn’t necessarily mean you made a bad swing, even though the result clearly wasn’t what you wanted. The first thing to do here is to determine if the strike or your technique was the cause. This…

Tour Edge Hot Launch C524 driver – £179 The Hot Launch C524 makes this list due to its all-round performance, along with a very appealing price tag. The impact feel is lively and the address profile is excellent, while the speed and distance output is not far behind drivers more than twice the price. Very impressive. Cleveland HB Soft 2 Retreve putter – £139 Golfers shopping in this market may well play a firmer distance ball, which will match up perfectly with the soft feel off the face in this putter range, which comes via the deep and progressive milling. This design also keeps speed up on off-centre strikes, something that will benefit inconsistent golfers. Ram FXT iron – £249.99 (5-PW) The Ram FXT is an exceptionally good-value iron. High-quality…

Cockermouth This James Braid cracker in the hills above Bassenthwaite is Cumbria’s equivalent of East Lothian’s Kilspindie in the ‘short but fun’ stakes. Every hole provides a thrill, but the 6th along the side of a hill to a small green cut into the slope is one of the standouts, as is the 16th, where you must drive over two dry stone walls to the fairway below. Morlais Castle This wonderful course near Merthyr Tydfil opens with a generous downhill par 5 towards the Brecon Beacons, before turning left for a tempting short par 4 towards rocky outcrops where the never-quite-finished Morlais Castle once stood. The pick of the newer holes (it used to be nine) includes the dramatic par-5 16th that hugs a quarry. Durness Since it opened in…

With golf’s popularity showing no signs of waning as prices creep higher, the demand for cut-price equipment is soaring. It seems fraudulent manufacturers have identified this as the perfect opportunity to upscale the production of counterfeit clubs. There are an estimated two million of them in circulation and the idea of securing a ‘bargain’ online is leaving many golfers short-changed on finding out they’ve bought fake equipment. This is by no means a new problem. However, spotting fakes has become increasingly difficult with better paints and materials, along with greater attention to detail being employed to create counterfeit clubs that look even closer to the real deal. To help golfers spot a fake from the genuine article, we spoke to Andrew Masterson from the US Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group,…

“THINGS DIDN’T FEEL VERY GOOD AND WHEN THEY DON’T FEEL GOOD, IT’S LIKE WHAT’S THE POINT OF GOING AND PLAYING?”Viktor Hovland on nearly withdrawing from the US PGA “I DON’T THINK IT HIT ME UNTIL THIS MORNING WHAT ACTUALLY TRANSPIRED YESTERDAY”Scottie Scheffler reflects on a chaotic US PGA Championship week and his tough round on Saturday “I’VE WORKED REALLY HARD TO HAVE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHO I AM A LITTLE BIT BETTER. YOUTUBE HAS BEEN A GREAT PLATFORM TO HELP”Bryson DeChambeau felt the love from the Kentucky crowd “FRUSTRATING WEEK IN KENTUCKY. LOST TO A GUY WHO WAS LITERALLY IN JAIL ON FRIDAY MORNING”Max Homa sees the funny side of his disappointing T35 finish at Valhalla…

Short-gamebenefits This drill can also help you become a more consistent chipper. Use it to hit some shots – it can be really effective in stopping the scoop. 1 This drill is going to help with your ball-striking no end and get you to compress the ball as you should. Set up and place your lead hand on the grip as normal, but with the palm of your trail hand open flat and pressing against the grip, as demonstrated below. 2 From here, make some gentle half swings. Make sure your trail hand’s palm keeps the pressure on the side of the grip all the way through. Start by just rehearsing half swings. You can add balls to the drill when you’ve got used to the feeling of having that trail…

Dominican Republic GF: $325 to $450 Stats: Chavon – par 36, 3,303 yards; Lagos – par 35, 3,268 yards; Marina – par 36, 3,286 yards The Dominican Republic is one of the largest countries in the Caribbean and is blessed with a tropical climate that makes it a year-round tourist destination. There are miles of golden beaches along its coastline, which is also home to the majority of its highly regarded golf courses, including the world-famous Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo. This Pete Dye masterpiece has been a bucket-list favourite for more than half a century. Not so widely known is that the vast Casa de Campo, with its huge array of accommodation and recreational facilities, has further options of a quite different nature for travelling golfers,…

Tommy Fleetwood once told the Open Championship podcast that if he lifted the Claret Jug he would be happy never to hit a golf ball again. But he admits that is just not going to happen, although the Claret Jug part may well do, of course, because his Open record suggests there is a very strong possibility he will be acclaimed as the Champion Golfer of the Year before too long. It could easily happen at Troon this year, given that Fleetwood’s last four Open starts have included a runner-up finish, a share of 4th and a tie for 10th at Royal Liverpool last year. You can also throw in a top 12 at Carnoustie six years ago to underline the Southport star’s love of links golf, an environment he…

Phil Mickelson partnered Henrik Stenson in the final pairing in the closing round of The Open in 2016 at Royal Troon. The American, the Open Champion of 2013 at Muirfield, began the day one shot behind Stenson’s 54-hole lead. On the first hole, Mickelson set the tone for this duel, delivering an 8-iron from the 1st fairway that only just missed the cup. He birdied while Stenson dropped a shot and the championship lead was immediately overturned. Mickelson marched onwards to shoot a bogey-free six-under-par 65. On any other day, it would have been a convincing tournament-winning performance to leave Sweden still longing for its first men’s Major Champion after a decades-long catalogue of near misses, but Stenson was undeterred. He birdied the next three holes, reclaimed the lead and…

In association with 1 BALL FLIGHT Typically, amateur golfers think they need to hit the golf ball much higher than they actually do. If you were trying to throw a ball from A to B, you probably wouldn’t launch it as high as you could to cover the distance. If anything, you would actually launch it fairly flat. The golf ball you use should impact your decision on ball flight, as height will help if you are playing with a rock-solid ball. Ideally, you should be looking for a golf ball that you can have some spin control over, which will allow you to bring the ball flight down. This will give you the best of both worlds, as spinning the golf ball will give you stopping power and the…

UNDER ARMOUR PHANTOM SHOE £114.99 This new version of the brand’s popular on/off-course trainer-style shoe boasts familiar Under Armour technology in an updated silhouette. The heel counter is well disguised at the back and supports the heel as you swing, while the outsole offers ample grip in dry and even damp weather. The membrane covering the shoe will help keep morning dew out, but we wouldn’t recommend the Phantom for properly wet weather. It looks as good off the course as on. BRIDGESTONE TOURB RXS BALL £44.99 Bridgestone’s extensive range of premium balls has been extended with the B RXS, which is aimed at driver swing speeds below 105mph. A new cover promotes a strong yet high flight, while the higher spin characteristics offer a little more carry, if a…

There is a vast array of choice on the market for low handicappers looking to upgrade their irons in 2024, so figuring out which is the right option for you can be a very confusing process. We have rigorously tested dozens of models and picked out our favourites in a variety of categories to try and help you narrow down your options. Looks Arguably one of the most important categories for low handicappers when selecting new irons is the looks. Sometimes, a strong-performing iron can fail to make the cut if it doesn’t sit well and frame the ball nicely at address. Unlike woods, which generally live under the comfort of a headcover, irons are predominantly on show in the bag so the aesthetic from the back is also a…

Since it entered the golf shoe space in 2015, Skechers’ wider reputation has only increased among golfers around the world. Using a host of proprietary technologies, alongside a number of different styles and outsoles, the 2024 Go Golf collection offers one of the broadest ranges of golf shoes on the market, all packed with technology to improve both performance and comfort. THE TECHNOLOGY The brand’s 2024 Go Golf collection covers a huge number of options for men and women, with new and enhanced styles that feature Skechers’ wealth of footwear technologies for enhanced comfort and performance on the course. Its shoes are designed to meet the needs of every type of golfer. One of the chief new design elements is the Slip-In technology that gives golfers an easier, more comfortable…

OPINION It’s a funny old game, golf. You may have noticed. Some of the worst rounds I’ve ever played have followed, by my wistful standards anyway, a couple of days of fairly intense practice and preparation. Silly me, thinking I could sharply hone a game that wasn’t really there in the first place. Meanwhile, some of the best have followed shivering hangovers, late arrivals on the tee or early morning disagreements with the nice woman who shares our home. In golf, as in life itself, we can often overthink the simple things – job interviews or a first date spring to mind. Too many of us end up rather robotic, and instead of revealing the amusing and interesting sides to our characters, we talk a weird kind of gibberish as…

Investing in the latest golf equipment can mean an expensive outlay and if you’re upgrading every area of your bag, the cost can run into the thousands. Fortunately, it doesn’t need to be this way, as there is no shortage of value and quality on offer in the pre-owned market. If you know where to look and what to look for – and don’t make the common mistakes golfers make when trying to save money on golf gear – you can grab yourself a fantastic deal. As Europe’s largest retailer of pre-owned golf equipment, it’s safe to say that golfclubs4cash is well positioned to offer golfers the best advice. With around 25,000 clubs in stock, covering everything from the latest releases to decades-old collectors’ items, dealing with second-hand clubs and…

CHAIR Give yourself a break from all those emails and stand up from your chair. Turn it round and take your stance so your rear end is touching the back of the chair. Then make a golf swing. The idea of this drill is that you can feel yourself staying connected to the chair throughout to prevent early extension in the golf swing, i.e., to stop your hips moving forward towards the ball through impact. TOWEL One of the best training drills to help improve ball-striking with long-irons is to place a towel on the downswing side of the ball just out of the corner of your eye. This drill will help if you’re not getting your weight into your lead side as you strike the ball. Remember, with long-irons…

So, I’m at Europe’s largest retailer of second-hand golf clubs – golfclubs4cash – and I have £250 to spend. I still frequently hear how golf is a really expensive sport to take up, which it undoubtedly can be. However, it doesn’t have to be, not when you have a choice of over 30,000 pre-owned golf clubs from which to select. My mission is to fill a golf bag with a set of clubs for just £250 – decent second-hand products that are going to give me solid levels of performance at a great-value price. £30 TAYLORMADE R360 Ti DRIVER I start off by heading to the driver rack. This really is like Disneyland for golfers and I can spot plenty of old favourites including a Titleist Pro Titanium 905T. However, eventually…

This is a question many golfers consider, especially as equipment manufacturers regularly produce new models that promise even more distance and forgiveness than the previous generation. How much of a difference do the technical developments make to the overall performance and, if you choose not to invest in a new driver for a few years, what are you giving up? There are a number of factors to consider when deciding whether or not upgrade… LOOKS This is obviously subjective, but one thing to note is that sometimes the more eye-catching designs that were popular at the time can quickly look dated. Remember when square drivers were all the rage, and then white clubheads made an appearance? The TaylorMade M1 is another good example. This was released in 2015 and the…

Xander, congratulations on winning your first Major at the US PGA. How does that feel? I am very satisfied. I’m tired. It’s just a whirlwind of emotions. It feels amazing. There are just a wide range of emotions for me. Looking up at the leaderboard, I knew I had to birdie the last hole. I was trying to squeak a birdie in there somehow just to have some kind of cushion. It was a hectic birdie, as well, but it was awesome. During the final round, I kept telling myself, ‘I need to earn this, I need to prove this to myself, and this is my time.’ Were you looking at the leaderboard during the final round? A lot was going on around you… I was looking up at the…

We’re closing in on a year since you won The Open. Did it prove life-changing for you? Life-changing? No. Career-changing? Maybe. At least in the sense of being recognised a bit more often at restaurants and airports, and probably how I’m viewed by my fellow players – and how I see myself, I suppose. I can tell you for sure that life as a Major Champion is better than life before I was a Major winner. First of all you’ve got all the exemptions into the signature events on the PGA Tour sewn up, and the guarantee of playing in all the Majors for the next five years. And in The Open, pretty much for as long as I can stand up and swing a club. It’s a heck of…

The changing face of hospitality means the majority of those enjoying the hospitality packages at The Open will not be guests of businesses engaged in corporate hospitality, but individual golf fans or groups of golfing friends looking for enhanced spectator experiences. For some fans, the attraction of a hospitality package is one of the best seats in the house; or, indeed, simply just a seat at The Open as there will be record crowds at Royal Troon, with tickets selling out after an unprecedented number of ballot applications. Only limited hospitality packages remain for those wanting to see the action in person. For others, the attraction is the chance to meet legends of the game while watching the championship unfold from a place of luxury, which offers not only some…

How should I play the 30-yard bunker shot? By GM Top 50 Coach Murray Patterson The longer greenside bunker shot is renowned for being one of the toughest in golf. A common fault I see is club golfers automatically reaching for a sand or lob wedge to play this shot. That means a really long swing is required to get the ball to travel the necessary distance, which makes it a lot harder to judge the strike. Instead, take a gap wedge or even a pitching wedge and just use your typical greenside bunker shot technique. There is still enough loft to get over most lips and it will be much easier to control the distance and spin. Take a nice, wide stance with the weight favouring your lead side,…

FROM THE TOUR BALL MOVED BY NATURAL FORCE ON PUTTING GREEN The combination of slick greens and breezy conditions often forms a tricky duo to play in, and sometimes the wind can be strong enough for a ball at rest on the putting green to move. This is exactly what happened to Gary Woodland on the iconic 16th hole in round two of The Masters at Augusta National this year, as David Wilson, rules manager at The R&A, explains. Woodland had an 8ft putt for par and as he took his stance, the wind caused the ball to move, eventually rolling back down the slope to around 50ft from the hole. First, under the definitions of the Rules, wind is deemed a natural force and is an effect of nature,…

The SkyCaddie Pro 5X is a digital course guide that the brand is claiming to be the closest device to a tour player’s yardage book on the market right now. Around the size of a standard smartphone, it’s pre-loaded with 35,000 courses and uses an ultra-fast multi-core processor that’s designed to give exceptionally fast response times on the touchscreen. The first thing I noticed when taking it out of the box was the new larger 5.5in screen, up from 4in on the SX400 model. Given the level of detail the Pro 5X provides, this is a welcome and necessary upgrade. In terms of features, the Pro 5X is jam-packed. There are too many to go into great detail about here, but one of my favourites - Dynamic Holevue technology -…

Next up in our Retro Review series is the TaylorMade R7 Quad driver. Introduced in 2004, this was the first driver with adjustable head weights that allowed you to alter the CG and ball-flight bias of your big stick. Before then, you could only do this via self-adhesive lead tape, so this was a leap forward in driver design. What was the tech? The big story was the four weight ports that facilitated the adjustability. Two heavy (10g) and two lighter (2g) weights allowed multiple possible configurations to promote a draw or fade bias, high or low spin or a combination of a couple. The head is a compact 410cc and it was available in 7.5˚, 8.5˚, 9.5˚ and 10.5˚ lofts. The head arguably looks a little smaller than 410cc…

Essentials Strandhill Golf Club, Golf Course Road, Strandhill, Co. Sligo Stats: par 70, 6,187 yards GF: €160 Strandhill is a links renowned for its quirk and sense of adventure. You’ll be tossed about at will, tested and teased and yet you will always leave with a smile on your face. Set across the bay from the mighty Co. Sligo Golf Club in Ireland’s north-west, Strandhill was always the smaller, little-known cousin. Much of it was designed by passionate members with horse and plough, which gives you a sense of its mood and playfulness. In places it is mercurial, in others simply magical. It has unique qualities, too, with two borders brushed by the sea, a giant dune looming on one side and the towering Knocknarea Mountain on the other. This…

The amount of money being thrown around in golf right now is frankly eye-watering, with PGA Tour pros jumping ship for millions. But despite the ugly divide in men’s professional golf causing many fans to turn off, the game remains resurgent at recreational level. Those leading practitioners are playing new drivers that cost over £500 and iron sets worth more than twice this, meaning the price of a full bag of premium clubs (and balls) from the tour brands is a significant outlay at a time when disposable income is shrinking. It’s worth pointing out that these products are obviously very good, but you don’t need to be shelling out this sort of cash to play the game to a decent standard. In fact, there are many more affordable routes…

If you’re thinking about taking up golf or perhaps returning to the game, you’ll need to figure out the right way to kit yourself out. Broadly speaking, you have two options – buy a package set with everything from driver to putter (and even a bag), or make up a set by selecting clubs on a more individual basis. To help you make the right choice, here are the main factors to consider… PACKAGE SET Most leading brands have offerings in this department, but you’ll also find more affordable options from lesser-known manufacturers. Simplicity is the key and, with relatively little homework, you should be able to find something that meets your needs. The package set route is the easiest, most stress-free option. Yes, it pays to do some research…

1 Buy second-hand golf clubs If you’re new to the game and need clubs, or if you’re looking to upgrade an area of your bag, one of the easiest ways to save money is to buy second hand. And that buying process is far less daunting these days thanks to reputable companies like golfclubs4cash, who will take your old clubs on trade-in, which further reduces the amount that you actually part with. 2 Make your glove last longer A glove should feel like a second skin – snug but not too tight. One that’s too big leads to friction inside, causing the glove to wear out faster. After play, return it to its original packaging laid out in the same way it was when you took it out for the…

KNOW YOUR GAME 1 This is a vital part of the iron-buying process that needs a bit of self-reflection. If you’re a 20-handicapper, it’s no use buying a set of blades with a view to getting down to single figures as quickly as possible. Ultimately, they won’t be right for your game and you’ll be selling them for a significant loss pretty quickly. Whether it’s a cavity-back iron, a players’ distance iron or a blade, make sure you buy irons that best suit your game. Admittedly, it becomes a bit trickier to judge this when there’s an element of future-proofing to consider, especially if you ideally want to keep them for a number of years. For example, if you’re currently using fairly deep cavity-back irons, how do you know when…

Golf doesn’t have to be expensive. It can be, of course, and just as with all the best things in life, the very best golf courses tend to cost the most, especially when they sit the comfortable side of the supply and demand equation. However, there are ways to enjoy the experience for less… SHOULDER-AND LOW-SEASON RATES AT TOP COURSES Let’s start at the top with some of the very best courses that many golfers want to experience at least occasionally. If you’re prepared to play out of season, the savings can be considerable. Many will offer reduced rates for winter play, and an increasing number also now offer a shoulder-season rate for the months immediately either side of the peak playing season. True, the courses might not be in…

USE SHOE TREES A shoe tree should help your shoes last two to three times longer, but it’s an underused tool. Over time, the leather wants to curl up, but a shoe tree will ensure your shoes remain stretched out, preventing cracks and keeping them in shape. The shoe especially wants to curl up when the leather gets damp during the winter months. CLEAN THEM REGULARLY Cleaning your shoes after every round will help to prolong their lifespan. If you have leather shoes, use leather softener and a shoe cream (or shoe whitener if you have white shoes). Also, seal the shoe with a protective spray. Make sure you wipe your shoes down with a damp cloth after every round, and change the laces once they get grubby and worn…