The Sandal Scandal

It was the final round of a beautiful ten-day, 8 course trip in Thailand when the sandal scandal occurred. Every other day my toes were free to wriggle in the air, basking in the sun while making our appointed rounds. But this day at Chang Mai Highlands Golf Club the professionals at the course were whispering and then surrounded me, pointing to a sign on the wall. Sandals were not allowed. Toe cleavage was officially banned, and shoes were required. Luckily, I had a pair of golf shoes tucked in my luggage in case of rain, so I retrieved them from the travel bus and returned just in time to tee off, with full toe coverage.

Photo from https://lorisgolfshoppe.com/c/Golfstream.html

Unless it is raining or chilly, I live in my sandals. Some people besides Chang Mai Highlands folks don’t like that. Some people have podophobia, a fear of feet, and do not like to see any part of them exposed. Sorry. Some people love to wear sandals but not when golfing because if they get in the sand, it can sink into the sandal and stick. Stay out of the bunker or slip your feet out and flip them off while no podophobics are watching.

If you want to play in golf sandals, I highly recommend Sandbaggers for the ladies. They have a variety to choose from but my favorites for the support and style are Grace (very elegant for after golf). I haven’t tried Lola and Tango yet, but they too look support worthy and have pretty shades.

Several brands such as Footjoy, Etonic and Crocs offer sandals that look like ordinary hiking sandals, not so pretty after golf. I have not tried them to comment on the arch support aspect which is very important when you are finishing through your swing. Having said that, I have played with both men and women wearing flip flops. This is not recommended and probably banned in many places.

Photo credit to https://www.hersandbaggers.com/

Golfstream made sturdy attractive pairs but their website is defunct. I loved that their composition included an odor fighting feature. It saves on Febreze after playing. Recently I received a brochure from Greenleaf that promoted the same style of sandal and the Greenleaf fabric imprint is also the same as Golfstream sandals. Is it a coincidence? Did Phil sell his business or rename it for some reason? I’m waiting to hear but highly doubt it is another sandal scandal.