In Focus/Golf shoes: Padraig Harrington tells John O'Sullivan that he is driving the ball 15 yards further because of the shoes he wears. Honest.

Attitudes to golf shoes in Ireland are changing. Two or three years ago the average price paid for a pair was €60, but with a growing realisation of the importance of footwear golfers are now willing to invest €80-€100.

Traditionally golf shoes could be found at the bottom of the list when ranking golfing apparel in terms of importance. For many, the cheapest possible pair that looked semi-respectable would have sufficed, but that no longer seems to be the case.

It's not before time. Aching or wet feet are the staple diet of the parsimonious. In the past it would have been the case of golf shoes giving up on the golfer rather than the reciprocal arrangement, but according to Mick O'Kelly of Nevada Bobs, his customers are now looking to change golf shoes every couple of years. The maximum guarantee for a top-of-the-range pair is two years, while the norm is 12 months. Whisper it, but they're even getting a second pair.

"There is no doubt that people are willing to spend a little bit more money on golf shoes than they were say two or three years ago," he says. "I think it is down to being better informed, and an awareness that decent shoes are important when you're in them for four or five hours."

At the top end of the market people will pay €300 for a pair of Footjoy Classic, the choice of many of today's professionals. They are a little heavier (20 ounces) than the average, which weigh 15 ounces or less, and are made from "European calfskin leather with a temperature responsive membrane". Nevada Bobs would sell about half a dozen pairs a year.

The golf shoe has come a long way since the wing-tipped Oxford shoes - basically street shoes with spikes - that were cumbersome and heavy. The manufacturers devote significant resources to the development of a shoe, a process that generally takes some 18 months from concept stage to being available retail.

This is a reduction, by about six months, in the time it used to take to develop a shoe. The process starts with the compilation of research data that includes fashion trends. That is particularly notable in the styles that have emerged in the last 12 months that owe more to cross-trainer origins than traditional golf shoes.

While the funky look may be appreciated in the global market, Ireland is still conservative or traditionalist when it comes to golf shoes. "Black is still best," according to O'Kelly, who adds that the more colourful styles appeal far more in the women's market than that of the men.

Computer models become physical prototypes, and then the process takes a more practical turn. Golf professionals are asked to test the designs and provide feedback. Their evaluation is noted, and more prototypes are tested before the public has access to the finished product.

The latest golf shoe sensation centres on a proposed model to be released by the Hi-Tec company in January following a collaboration with world number eight Padraig Harrington. The Dubliner met a group of scientists to try to convey what his ideal shoe would be, and the prototype has been tested and approved by Harrington.

Believe it or not, Harrington is adamant he hits the ball further based not on a ball, not on a club, but these prototype shoes.

Harrington claimed: "The shoes have increased my ball speed from 166 m.p.h. to 173 m.p.h. Each mile per hour is the equivalent to about two-and-a-half yards, so that's an additional 15 yards on my drives.

"This has taken me from the top 100 in driving distance in Europe to being in the top 10 in the space of a year, which is amazing."

To support their theories on the new design, several Irish agents were taken to England where Harrington offered a demonstration, including hitting balls in his stocking feet, street shoes, current golf shoes and the prototype. Apparently the spikes are at a different angle and there are bits cut away and added (eh, that's the layman's guide).

Hi-Tec's most expensive shoe is the Custom Comfort model (€110), but their new shoe is set to retail for about €135. The company lacks the cachet of some of their rivals, and despite the claimed innovations do not want to price themselves out of the market.

At the top end of the market, alongside the Footjoy Classics, are Ecco Golf shoes, noted for their comfort, which retail at about €175, while the luxurious Golf Copenhagen range represents excellent value for a top product, starting at €125 per pair.

According to O'Kelly, the best-selling men's shoes at Nevada Bobs are the Footjoy Dryjoys (€159), while at the top end of the market in the women's are Cotswolds (€119) and Footjoy Europa (€139). The Stylo Genoa (€75) is also a big seller.

Among the older generation of male golfers the top end Cotswold shoe (€165) enjoys repeat business.