It’s been over a decade since spikeless golf shoes became a thing on tour, and therefore in stores as well. And after plenty of spotlight, countless options from every major brand – and even new brands based solely around spikeless – it’s time to turn our attention back to the spiked golf shoe.

With the advancement of technology, the gap is closing when it comes to the biggest selling point of spikeless over spiked: comfort. So here’s a look at the long tradition of spiked golf shoes, why they still matter to golfers and how they’ve improved vastly over the past few years.

A Screwy History

After some painful experimentation with nails inside shoes, the first golf shoes with screw-in spikes were introduced in 1891. Fast-forward 100 years or so to the mid 1990s and that’s when metal spikes were replaced by softer nonmetal cleats, to help with damage on the greens and the clubhouse floors.

It was about 2010 when the demand for spikeless golf shoes began to soar, thanks to popular players like Fred Couples wearing them in majors. Golfers began to choose comfort and versatility – as in wearing them away from the course too – in favor of a little better traction.

A New Spiked Shoe Era

One of the main reasons golfers choose spikeless over spiked is for comfort, along with the potential option to wear spikeless shoes beyond the course to your next destination – although a lot of golfers would rather not keep wearing the shoes they just played 9 or 18 holes in.

But when it comes to comfort, look no further than the New Balance 997 Golf shoe as evidence that you can seriously have the best of both worlds, as it combines the look of a sneaker with the performance of a golf shoe. Similarly, the Ringer 2.0 Golf shoe from TravisMathew has the look spikeless fans like, and is built with SweetSpot Technology for comfort and performance.

Of course many golfers who stick with the spiked shoe do it because of the history – 1891 was a long time ago! – and they love that classic look. It’s a look that’s been done best by FootJoy through the years, and the Premiere Series Packard Golf shoe is a great option. It’s got that classic styling with a bit of a modern touch, complete with an Ortholite EcoPlush FitBed for step in comfort. Meanwhile, the Adidas Tour360 24 Boost Golf shoe has been improving upon itself for years, and has set a standard for combining comfort with a classic look.

There’s also a certain “cool” factor when it comes to spiked golf shoes that just can’t seem to be achieved with spikeless – like this recent release from the Jordan brand that we broke down for you. But there are some other great examples that fit this mold, like the Gallivan2R G/LOCK shoe from G/FORE, which is ultra lightweight but with fully locked-in stability. And the Nike Air Zoom Victory Tour 3 brings the cool via an old school look that has been updated. It offers style, comfort and extreme gripping power.

So next time you’re on the hunt for new golf shoes, don’t forget about the new and improved spiked options. But hey, spikeless shoes are cool too!