I am planning on ordering my first pair of bowling shoes that have interchangeable soles and heels, hoping to relieve some soreness in my knees when going from center to center. My current shoes, regular $40 KR Strikeforce, they are mainly flat from sole to heel.

For those who have these kind of shoes, is there any sort of heel height difference from sole to heel?

I am planning on getting the Dexter SST 6 Hybrid.

While your current shoes may have a flat surface going from toe to heel, I guarantee there is a height difference between your heel and your toe. They haven't made truly flat shoes for may be 3 or 4 HUNDRED years.

I am not sure if you just want to see a flat surface from heel to toe or you actually think you want a shoe with zero height difference between toe and heel.

FYI there is a difference in height between the heel and the toe in some manufatcturer's brand.
For example: in the Brunswick TPU-x the difference in height between the heel and the toe was about 3/8" larger than the difference in the height between heel and toe of the Dexter SST-8.

EG--Here is one factor you need to identify.  Are you a whole foot slider or a up on the ball of your slide foot? 

I am a whole foot slider being a mature bowler in my late 60's we learned to bowl ala Mike Durbin style shoulders more back and not thrown forward to gain maximum leverage next to our slide foot with rubber, poly, urethane and then resin. Mike Durbin bowling Firestone 1983.  Video should explain what I mean.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0fyZMxja2E  (BTW wood approaches and Linds Classics made sliding whole foot much easier once you got the Linds Classics rubber heel worn a bit.)  Back then bowlers needed to create the hook with technique....different era different lane conditions but that's why you will see many mature bowlers slide with their whole foot.  Now the equipment creates the hook.  The modern game is more shoulders forward and majority of bowlers sliding on the ball of their foot hence heel height becomes less of a factor. 

I tried TPU-X's and got rid of them as I could not get used to the higher heel height same with Dexter's.  I went back to 3G Tour Ultra's as that design is the least difference between slide sole and heel. 

If you are using a less expensive shoe then you are probably used to a flat sole/heel.  I would try on some 3G's at a pro shop and see if they might work for you.  They come in various price points but I'd look at the interchangeable soles (Tour Ultra's and Sport Ultra's).  See http://3gbowling.com/  you can see from the images on the site there is less sole and heel height difference than Dexter's or TPU-X or whatever they are called now. 

Hope that helps!

Quote from: charlest on September 04, 2018, 03:43:43 PM

Quote from: EG on August 31, 2018, 09:16:32 PM

I am planning on ordering my first pair of bowling shoes that have interchangeable soles and heels, hoping to relieve some soreness in my knees when going from center to center. My current shoes, regular $40 KR Strikeforce, they are mainly flat from sole to heel.





For those who have these kind of shoes, is there any sort of heel height difference from sole to heel?

I am planning on getting the Dexter SST 6 Hybrid.

While your current shoes may have a flat surface going from toe to heel, I guarantee there is a height difference between your heel and your toe. They haven't made truly flat shoes for may be 3 or 4 HUNDRED years.

I am not sure if you just want to see a flat surface from heel to toe or you actually think you want a shoe with zero height difference between toe and heel.

FYI there is a difference in height between the heel and the toe in some manufatcturer's brand.
For example: in the Brunswick TPU-x the difference in height between the heel and the toe was about 3/8" larger than the difference in the height between heel and toe of the Dexter SST-8.

Do you think that going from a shoe like the Brunswick with the higher heel down to a shoe like the Dexter would affect your slide?  I'm asking because I went to a Dexter shoe after years of using Lind's.  There is noticeable difference in the heels between those two shoes and I seem to have a problem sliding as much as I used to.  I don't have the Lind's anymore so I can't make a comparison.  Probably not the reason but I'd just like to have another's opinion.   Thanks.

Unlike Scott, I had no problem with the height of the TPU-Xs over the Dexters. Make no mistake: I still liked the Dexters; I just like the TPU-Xs more.
I am also a full shoe slider, with lots of arthritis in both feet. So I always use a special sole insert to provide better support of the arch and the whole foot in general, in every shoe.

The extra height of the heel can push your toes more forward in the shoe if you wear your laces on the looser side. PLUS a lot depends of the actual internal physical structure of your foot; like hands and faces, everyone's is slightly different.
Yes, the height can affect the slide, for the above reasons and also just because of the nature of the human being.

You might want to try a friend's shoe, to play totally on the safe side. Just trying it one won't tell you all the potential differences. I think you have to actually slide a game or two to see if the new shoe feeling disappears and you are comfortable, and don't give them a 2nd thought while bowling. That's true of every bowling shoe.

Try some 3G's. They feel lower to the ground and more balanced. The heel's don't stick up as high either. My uncle used Linds for years and switched to the 3G's too.