Adidas Ultraboost Golf Shoe Review
Adidas has been on a journey over the last few years to take some of the wider brand’s most iconic silhouettes and give them a makeover for the golf course. With Stan Smith, Samba and Superstar having already made that journey, it’s now time for the Ultraboost. It’s a silhouette I was thrilled to see made for golf and it’s another string to Adidas’ casual golf shoe bow that’s going up against similarly casual golf shoes like the Nike Air Jordan Low 1 G and Nike Roshe G. I was excited to see how the Ultraboost compared to these examples as well as some of the other best spikeless golf shoes on the market.
As you can see, the silhouette holds an identical likeness to its running counterpart, something that will no doubt go down well with admirers of the original sneakers. The materials are very similar too. It uses a Primeknit mesh upper - which is breathable and water resistant - as well as the sock-like material around the tongue of the shoe. There is plenty of padding around the ankle and there have been some reinforcements around the toe area.
The comfort from the Ultraboost is off the charts. Anyone who has worn the running sneakers will appreciate the softness and cushioning underfoot, and that has translated to this golf shoe. The Boost midsole technology is something that I’ve tested in a few of the best Adidas golf shoes, but when used in this lightweight, soft silhouette it really shines. The breathability of the mesh upper is outstanding too and adds to the supreme sense of comfort I felt throughout my testing.
While the heel cup has been enhanced to support this as a golf shoe, it’s not to say this is a particularly stable golf shoe. While the heel cup helps support the back of your foot during the swing, I found the lack of support on the sides significant versus a performance spikeless golf shoe like the Payntr X 003 F. However this lack of stability has to be expected. What I like most about the Ultraboost is that not pretending to be something it's not. It’s not a shoe to play your 36-hole club championships in, but it is perfect for a casual round.
A new addition to the original is the outsole. It follows the same pattern as the standard Ultraboost but has been made slightly more aggressive to suit the golfer’s needs. In dry and damp conditions the grip was solid and matched that of the Nike Air Jordan Low 1 golf shoe, which also has a slightly moderated outsole from the original to help in these sorts of conditions. I would by no means recommend wearing these in complete wet conditions, however, as the water resistance will only take you so far and the grip is much worse than on a proper pair of spiked golf shoes.
The true beauty of the Ultraboost comes in its ability to be worn off the golf course. With a silhouette so similar to that of the sneaker, they blend into pretty much any environment. I’ve worn them to work, to the gym and then straight to the golf course. Alongside the Cole Haan ZeroGrand Overtake, True Linkswear FS-01 and Air Jordan 1 Low G, they are the most versatile golf shoes I’ve ever worn.
As with most Adidas products, this shoe is made with at least 50% non-virgin polyesters and Parley Ocean Plastic, which is plastic that has been taken out of the ocean and off beaches to be repurposed into materials in shoe production. Adidas is by far and away the most conscious brand when it comes to its production methods and carbon footprint so, if that is top of your list, I wouldn’t be looking much further than the wide range of best Adidas golf shoes.
Interestingly, the $200 (£140) RRP is a little lower than the standard Ultraboost runner trainer, which was a bit of a surprise considering the enhancements Adidas has made to make these shoes more golf applicable. This represents a price around the middle of the spikeless golf shoes market. One final recommendation I’d make is to go half a size up - as I did - because they come up slightly small. As a sneaker nerd and an Adidas fan, I was suitably impressed by the Ultraboosts and was thrilled to see Adidas give this silhouette the golf makeover. While it’s by no means a performance spikeless golf shoe, the looks, comfort and wearability off the course make this a stand-out casual golf shoe that carries the Ultraboost name well.
