I first met Bite golf shoes some years ago on a trip to Canada and I was immediately struck by their shape...it was foot shaped! As a Podiatrist of some considerable years I had been very concerned that for some time before that I had not been able to find a golf shoe that looked remotely comfortable to somebody with problem feet so, dear reader, I bought a pair and, since then, I have felt duty bound to visit Canada for every new pair! That is, until Petron started to import them.

I am so impressed at the depth and breadth of the toe box, the quality of the materials and especially the removable footbeds. I now have many patients who have custom made orthotics and it is a simple task to remove the Bite footbeds and replace them with their own prescription insoles. I also like the blanks that are supplied for this purpose, as when I tried to modify golf shoes in a previous life I had to make my own. For those with foot deformities or those, like diabetics, who need to take special care of their feet, their design takes into account the extra space needed for the forefoot. There are 26 bones in a human foot and all of them have to be able to work efficiently in order for us to make forward progress and surely being comfortable on a golf course where we walk in excess of 3 miles every round should lead to better scores and happier players. A foot has to be a loose bag of bones as it swings forward but also a rigid lever for forward propulsion, these two things within micro-seconds. The shoe needs to be supportive, comfortable and able to stand the rigors of the golf swing and cover the miles of ground on the course.

I'm also very interested that the new Biolite range are actually made on an in-flared last which means that the foot can naturally pronate, but instead of coming against the side of the shoe it goes into a space and no pressure is exerted on the toes or any of the forefoot. I'm not able to produce any figures which would support this fact but it seems to me that nearly all shoes are made on an out-flared last but not all feet are out-flared shaped.

I love my Bite shoes; I have several pairs and when wearing them I have never given my feet any thought other than how comfortable they always feel.

If only all shoes were Bite shaped I could well be out of a job!

Sue Phillips - D.Pod.M, M.Ch.S, AHP Registered.