Cleaning your golf shoes is essential to getting a long life out of them. Many golfers may clean their shoes and even brush the dirt off the bottom around the spikes but what is left out is the dirt that is underneath the spike itself.
Back in January, I bought a pair of Adidas ZG21 golf shoes. I play golf about 4 times a week and recently started walking more. In the past week at some point, I lost a spike off of one of the shoes. I have been wearing Adidas golf shoes since they came out in 1997 and this is the first time I have ever lost a spike off a shoe. That is when I realized something I used to do with every pair of golf shoes that I have not done with this new pair.
Dirt will build up underneath the spikes no matter how much you may hose them off or use a golf shoe cleaning brush. As dirt gets into the track of the spike, it hardens. Once it hardens it acts as a wrench when you walk and during your golf swing resulting in loosening the spike to the point it can fall off. Just take a look in the picture below at how much dirt is in the shoe on the left compared to the one on the right I just cleaned. Some of those spikes were actually hard to remove due to the amount of dirt in the threads.
So, How Often Should Clean You Spikes?
There is no exact answer. It really depends on how often you play or the conditions you play in. If the course is wet or has areas where you walk through mud then the spikes should be cleaned more often. The same goes for if you play out of a lot of bunkers or sandy golf courses. Sand granules are small and will easily fit underneath the spike into the threads. The more you play the more you should remove the spikes and clean underneath them. If you only play golf once a month chances are you won't lose a spike or have to replace your spikes but if you play at least once a week then cleaning once a month would be good. For golfers that play 3 or more times a week then you may want to clean the spikes after every 4 or 5 rounds of golf.
Cleaning your spikes regularly will make it easier to remove them if/when your spikes become worn down and need replacing. This also keeps the track for the spikes in good condition. If a spike becomes difficult to remove due to dirt build-up then you risk a possibility of damaging the thread in the shoe when trying to remove the spike. If you damage the thread in the shoe you just gave yourself a reason to buy new golf shoes.
Tip: Before you even consider removing a spike to clean them make sure you have extra spikes in the event you may damage one while emoving them. Also, make sure you get the correct spikes that are for your shoes. There are many different types of spikes and not all golf shoes use the same type of spike thread. For example, if your shoes have full threads like screws have then the twist lock will not work.
For these reasons, alone golf shoes should come with extra spikes. Especially since soft spikes wear down quickly walking on concrete. Every golf shoe company should include extra spikes or at the very least sell the spikes as accessories so you can get the exact spike you need for your shoes. Sadly Adidas did not have their spikes for sale on their website but Worldwide Golf Shops had plenty of replacement spikes available.