In continuing our series of looking at the changes in golf since the era when the first PGA Championship was played in 1916 -- and why those changes came about -- this week we turn our attention to another important piece of equipment, the golf shoe.

The forces used to create the movements necessary to propel a golf ball have actually not changed since the invention of the game, but how we harness the forces are completely different. Consider what connects the golfer's feet to the ground. Jim Barnes, who won the PGA Championship in 1916 and 1919, as well as the 1921 U.S. Open, wore the footwear of his day -- high top boots with firm leather soles.

The boots added ankle support, and in many of those early cases, nails were driven through the soles to provide additional traction -- precursors to the spikes that would become standard on all golf shoes.

As equipment and golfers' swings changed over the years, so too did their shoes. In the 1940s, Byron Nelson, in search of greater comfort and heel support, went to England to have his leather soles made. About the same time Ben Hogan added a 12th spike to his shoes to help with stability.

Today we find golf specific footwear built for the ground reaction forces that the players of today develop. The goal of the modern golf shoe is to allow different foot movements thru the different phases of the golf swing while keeping the foot stable. Today's high-tech shoes, many of which were on display at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando last week, have soles and mid-soles, up to eight spikes placed for shear factor control, power channels, swing dams, water protection membranes, and weigh about half what the leather boots of Jim Barnes era did.

All this support and control leads to the ability to swing with more force and less loss of balance, which equals greater control. Clearly the size, strength and power of today's professionals requires footwear that is in fitting with their swings, and the same goes for you, the amateur player, who also needs footwear that supports and provides control of the movements necessary to play the game.

As with all aspects of golf equipment, it's always best to consult an expert before you buy, and that expert is your local PGA Professional, who understands the relationship between your equipment and your golf swing better than anyone.

To find a PGA Professional near you, visit www.PlayGolfAmerica.com and use the Zip Code search tool. Meanwhile, if you'd like to get a copy of Jim Barnes' book, "Picture Analysis of Golf Strokes: A Complete Book of Instruction," originally published in 1919, for your home library, visit the pga.com store at www.PGA.com.

Until next time, here's to better golf!

Rick Martino is Director of Instruction for The PGA of America. He teaches at the PGA Learning Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and is ranked among the Top 50 instructors by Golf Digest Magazine. The author of the PGA Manual of Golf (Warner Books/$34.95), Martino can be reached at (800) 800-GOLF or by email at pgalearningcenter@pgahq.com.