5 Guaranteed Ways To Stop Golf Shoes From Smelling

Any sports enthusiast knows that playing their favorite sport comes with the risk of sweating through their clothes and gear. The harder we play, the more we tend to sweat which can lead to stinky clothes and odor build-up.

You may think that playing golf is not strenuous enough to cause these unpleasant odors, but that is unfortunately not the case. A round of golf takes a long time, often in warm weather, so there is plenty of time for your feet to sweat. It doesn’t take long for fresh shoes to start smelling.

Fortunately, there are ways to combat this odor build up. In the article below, we are going to cover all you need to know about smelly golf shoes. From what leads to smelly golf shoes to how best to clean them once they develop an odor.

What Causes Golf Shoes To Smell? 

If you have played any amount of golf, you know that smelly golf shoes are a real issue. Stinky golf shoes can be so unpleasant that you may not want to wear them and ultimately just throw them away.

Golf shoes are expensive and are an important part of the game. Smart golfers know that proper maintenance and care of their golf shoes can greatly extended their lifespan. So how do we prevent our golf shoes from smelling and what causes golf shoes to smell?

Golf shoes start to smell mainly due to exposure to moisture. This happens in two ways. First and most commonly, golf shoe odor comes from sweat from a golfer’s feet.

Your feet produce sweat as you move with your golf shoes. After a while, the moisture from the sweat in your golf shoes promotes the production of bacteria. This leads to odors and unwanted smells. 

The other way odors occur is exposure to wet and rainy conditions. We will cover that in the section below.

5 Guaranteed Ways To Stop Golf Shoes Smelling

The obvious thing to do when you golf shoes start to smell is wash them. There are many ways to wash your golf shoes that can remove the smell so how do you chose? We have found that the five methods below work the best. 

1.) Wash Your Shoes Thoroughly With Soap And Water

To remove the smell, the obvious thing to do is to wash your golf shoes. We recommend washing your golf shoes by hand using hot water and dish soap. After washing them, leave them out to dry in a warm and dry place.

Place you shoes near a fan, when possible. Areas with high air circulation can help speed up the drying processes.

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2.) Use Baking Soda To Get Rid Of The Smell

Baking soda has long been used for odor and smell removal. If washing your golf shoes with soap and hot water doesn’t work, then you could try using the age-old method of applying baking soda.

Simply put half a cup of baking soda into each shoe and leave it sit overnight. The idea is that during this time the baking soda will absorb the moisture which is causing the smell.

If you do choose to use this method, start by applying a tiny amount of baking soda to an insignificant part of the shoe. If the soda reacts badly with the shoe, which is unusual but not impossible, then consider going down a different smell-removing route. 

3.) Try Vinegar For Odor Removal 

Used in kitchens across the world, vinegar is a cheap and easy to obtain condiment that can work wonders when it comes to removing the smell from golf shoes.

You should first clean your shoes, remove any glaringly obvious mud stains, and give them a good wipe over.

After you’ve done this, spray distilled vinegar into the areas where the smell is coming from, before leaving them to dry. Again, it’s best if you can leave them to dry outside in warm weather, or dry weather at the very least. 

4.) Use Odor Removing Products

In addition to the methods above, you can always use odor removing products, of which there are plenty.There are deodorizing sprays, deodorizing pads, as well as powder.

Each of these options should remove that pungent pong that often emanates from golf shoes, leaving them ready for use. We would recommend Febreze as it is formulated to remove odors, not mask them.

5.) Leave Them Out To Dry (Preferably In Direct Sunlight)

As we covered above, odor is typically caused by wet or damp shoes. Drying your shoes out after using the cleaning methods above or just letting them dry is a great way to remove odors.

Once you’ve washed your shoes, it is imperative to dry them correctly. They must be left to dry in a dry place.

Leaving them to dry outside is ideal, especially if they’re in a place where they will receive direct sunlight. Drying your shoes in direct sunlight will allow them to dry as fast as possible, meaning that they are unlikely to retain the unpleasant odor.

How To Get The Smell Out Of Wet Golf Shoes? 

If you are a lover of the wonderful game of golf, you’re probably going to play a lot. Depending on where you live, chances are, you’re going to spend some time playing in the rain. At the very least, you’ll play when the ground is wet after it’s been raining. This means that your golf shoes will get wet, and when shoes are wet, they are prone to develop odors. 

The first thing you want to do is let the shoes dry out after every round. If the weather is nice, you can do this outside. Any dry place should do the trick.

Drying your shoes immediately after they are wet should help prevent any odor build up. If smells have developed, follow the tips below for odor removal.

Can I Put Golf Shoes In The Washing Machine? 

Yes, you can put most golf shoes in the washing machine. Before using this method, make sure your golf shoes are machine washable. The labelling inside the shoe should say whether they can be washed in a machine.

In most cases, washing your golf shoes in the machine on a standard wash will not only clean the shoes, making them look fresh, but they ought to come out smelling fresh too.

One trick that many people adopt when washing shoes in a washing machine is to put them inside a pillowcase. Washing the shoes inside a pillowcase helps to protect any delicate parts. 

When To Buy New Golf Shoes?

Sometimes there is no fix for smelly golf shoes. In some cases, it may be time to upgrade to new golf shoes.

This might be a hard fact to accept given that golf shoes are expensive, and you can become attached to a particular pair of shoes. So how do you know when it is time to buy new golf shoes?

If you are unable to remove the odor from your shoes, it is time to buy a new pair. Summarily, if you keep having to clean your shoes and use some of the above methods on a regular basis, then it may be time for new shoes.

Lastly, if your shoes are showing considerable signs of wear, or are severely damaged, then a new pair is probably your best option. 

Final Thoughts

Nobody wants to have smelly golf shoes but they are a part of the game of golf. Walk 18 holes and navigate a wet course both leave your golf shoes prone to develop odors.

Use the five methods discussed above when dealing with smelly golf shoes. All methods are tried and trusted ways of killing the bacteria that causes golf shoes to smell, leaving them ready to wear. 

Hopefully you liked this article and found it informative. Check out our other blog posts if you liked this one!