Adidas: If golfers could play barefoot, they would

In the midst of pimping their new shoe line, an exec (more likely a hired actor) for Adidas makes the claim, "If golfers could play golf barefoot, they would." The truth is that they can, but the don't.

The Blazer's initial inclination was to zing Adidas for putting this line in their commercial, but instead decided to throttle back and research the subject.

I tried a number of combinations on Google: golf + barefoot; golf + barefoot + pga tour; "barefoot golfers"; "barefoot professional golfers." None seemed to give me the comprehensive piece I was looking for.

There was a number of sites talking about the merits of playing barefoot most talking about the extra feel that they had. But, these comments were likely from high handicap hacks who have no feel with or without shoes.

The best source found was a thread on golfwrx.com. Much of the commentary related around pesticides and the negative effect barefoot golfing could cause to your body. One commenter even told a partially related story about a player that used to put his balls in his mouth (clean his golf ball by putting it in his mouth):

Golfwrx member Artemicion:
"Apparently there's a documented case of a guy who liked to clean his golf balls by putting them in his mouth while others were putting. After a while he fell ill and was eventually hospitalized and diagnosed with two types of hepatitis, of which one was an unknown type. After an extended stay he was fully cured, returned to the golf course and his habit of gobbling golf balls, and after a while fell ill again with the same disease. Doctors hypothesized the ingestion of pesticides, fertilizer and other stuff found on greens might be the cause, and urged the man to give up his habit. Apparently he's been healthy since."

But certainly the funniest comment was, "Two words, Goose Dookie!" (click here for The Green Blazer's -- "Geese are the shits" piece)

The only pro referenced in the thread was Sam Snead, who was said to play and practice barefoot. He even played a few holes barefoot at Augusta one year according to some hump on wrx.

If golfing barefoot was really something professionals believed would improve their game and pesticides were the only thing keeping them in shoes, it is certain that some sort of extra sensitivity latex foot condom would have been designed. In fact, it would probably be designed by Callaway since they never miss an opportunity to put their name on some crappy product idea.



COMING SOON ... THE CALLAWAY TUXEDO FOOT CONDOM (ALSO AVAILABLE IN MAGNUM)