Why Viktor Hovland is switching to an old pair of golf shoes to help with his putting(?)

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[PHOTO: Michael Owens]

“In my opinion, I suck at it right now.” That’s what Viktor Hovland said about his golf game less than two months ago. And in that time, the world No.15 has been messing around with his bag to put things on the right track.

First, he switched to a Ping PLD Oslo prototype for the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines, and now, with the Arnold Palmer Invitational quickly approaching, he’s reverting to the Ping prototype DS-72 putter. The putter is one thing, but Hovland has also now decided to take matters into his own… feet?

“I’ve gone back to some old Nike shoes,” Hovland told Eurosport’s Espen Blaker. “I feel I can read the slopes of the greens better with my feet. They are so light, and actually a bit unstable, compared to the Puma shoes I’ve been using for a while now.

“These are the ones I’ve played with for much of my career, so I’m very familiar with them. I feel like I read the greens much better, which makes me much more comfortable with the ball.”

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Hovland rocking Nike at the Korn Ferry Tour Albertson’s Boise Open in August 2019. [Photo: Jonathan Ferrey]
That’s right. Hovland is changing up his shoe game to get a better feel of the greens, despite an exclusive shoe-only Puma deal in April 2024. These Nike Roshes are what he wore when he made his PGA Tour breakthrough in 2019, so it’ll be interesting to see how they fair once again with his always-controversial AimPoint green-reading technique. Perhaps this “back to basics” move will fix his game, which he has been struggling with since his last win at the 2023 Tour Championship.

After a freak holiday injury to start 2025, Hovland has had less-than-stellar performances of a T-36 at The Sentry, a T-22 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a missed cut at the Genesis Invitational. The question is, can the shoes repair his putting woes, à la “Like Mike”?

At the very least, Hovland feels like he’s moving in the right direction, even if his game isn’t “quite where it needs to be yet”. There are also some big events upcoming from this week’s $US20 million bout at Bay Hill to next week’s Players Championship to the here-before-we-know-it major season. Hovland’s doing everything he can to put his best foot forward (pun certainly intended).

“I’m starting to get a little more stability, and I understand what I’m doing when I practise,” Hovland confessed. “I feel a little more confident now.”