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We got our hands on a pair of Adidas ZG23 golf shoes to see how they perform on the course
Adidas have always made great looking golf shoes – they might even be the best in the market on that front – and the ZG23 range is no different. But do they do the job?
The Adidas ZG23 is not only a great looking golf shoe, but an incredibly comfortable one at that.
But they aren’t just a pretty face. Technological advancements mean they provide plenty of stability both on the course and during your swing.
A spiked shoe that performs like a spiked shoe but feels like a spikeless shoe.
PROS
CONS
STAR RATING – 5 OUT OF 5
Ever since my junior days, I’ve always had at least one pair of Adidas golf shoes in my wardrobe. They are always comfortable and always great looking. My teenage years were spent wandering the fairways in a pair of the original 360s, and now I’m in my 40s I’ve been rocking the EQTs.
The ZG23s are certainly eye-catching and the “cloud white and lucid blue”, as the box describes them, are perhaps not the colourway I would have chosen, but it’s OK because I’ve got a lovely Adidas Classic Club midlayer in a similar colour. And as Ian Poulter always says: “Look good, feel good, play good.”
Another reason for choosing Adidas is because I am cursed with being the owner of two enormous plates, and it’s one of few brands who cater for those of us who suffer from the dreaded flat foot syndrome.
Out of the box, I knew these would be no different. I slipped them on and of course there’s that initial tightness that comes with trying on any new pair of shoes for the first time, but once I had worn them around the house for a few hours – don’t pretend you don’t do this too – they started to mould to my feet and I couldn’t wait to get them out on the course.
I’m always a bit nervous when I’m putting new golf shoes in play. It’s the one piece of equipment – if we can file them under that – which you can’t really test on the course before you buy. That’s pretty important, given you use them for every single shot.
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And if you’ve forked out the best part of 200 notes and they turn out to not work quite how you want, what do you do?
But the ZG23 proved just as comfortable when walking the fairways as they did skipping up and down my stairs on my several tea runs throughout the day.
The ZG23s have what Adidas call “Lightstrike cushioning” and “Insite sockliner”, which is really just a technical way of saying they keep your feet snug. But don’t underestimate the importance of that, by any means. You’ll be surprised at how grateful you are when you’re 13 or 14 holes deep into your round.
On the outside, you can expect to find yourself telling your golfing pals about the “Sprintskin synthetic upper with 3D stability wing” and the “Thintech contruction with D-Traxion outsole”. This is what keeps you nice and sturdy through your swing.
Something else of which I was wary was the fact I haven’t worn spiked shoes for probably three years. I’ve always felt like I really know I’m wearing spikes, if that makes sense, while my feet have always appreciated a more trainer-style spikeless shoe.
I need not have worried. It’s remarkable when you go back to a pair of spiked shoe just how much more in control you feel when swinging your club. Try it. It’s really noticeable.
The ZG23 is a spiked shoe that performs like a spiked shoe but feels like a spikeless.
I tested these at Alwoodley which, the 10th and 11th holes aside, is a relatively flat piece of land. So the next test for me is to try them somewhere with a few more hills.
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For now, though, I simply cannot fault them. (Apart from I would have gone with them in white and grey – sorry, “cloud white and dark silver metallic” – but beggars and choosers and all that.)
As a spiked shoe, you can’t wear these in the clubhouse or drive home in them, of course, but I certainly wasn’t walking off 18 and gagging to get them off and would be absolutely fine if you were, say, hanging around on the patio for a post-round pint.
Fit: True to size
Style: Athletic
Out-of-the-box comfort: 10/10
Stability: 10/10
Value for Money: 10/10
Available: Now
RRP: £160 / $180
Sizes: UK 6.5-14.5
Colours: Cloud White/Dark Silver Metallic/Silver Metallic; Cloud White/Lucid Blue/Silver Metallic; Cloud White/Core Black/Semi Solar Red; Cloud White/Collegiate Navy/Solar Gold; Core Black/Dark Silver Metallic/Silver Metallic
More info: Adidas website
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