G/FORE don't do things quietly. Primarily known for making some of the best spikeless shoes on the market, it's only in the last couple of years that the brand has started to make spiked shoes. The Gallivanter G/Lock arrived last year, and this year, the new MG4+ O2 G/Lock has arrived as a more athletic spiked option to the range. Based on the incredibly successful MG4+ silhouette, this new model is ostensibly the same design built on a new spiked platform. I loved the MG4+ spikeless, so the new shoe must be impressive too, right?
Well, from a looks perspective, it ticks all the boxes once again. You could argue that G/FORE has dialled down its garishness since it was founded in 2011. Gone is the arrow branding it used to incorporate on the side of the shoe, now replaced with block colourways and subtle detailing you can only see close up, rather than from 100 yards down the fairway. It is still very much a fashion-forward brand, and I think that comes across in the looks of this new silhouette.
The white midsole area is a little chunky for my taste. Both from an aesthetic and practical point of view, it dominates this shoe. When you're wearing the shoe, you can really feel that you're a couple of extra inches off the ground. That's great if you're trying to break the 6-foot height barrier like I am, but it did make me feel a little like I was on a pair of those stilts you used to use at school. You know, the ones that are like little upturned buckets with strings attached to them you used to find in the playground? Google it if I've lost you here. Compared to the very low profile Payntr Eighty Seven SC it's an entirely different feeling when you're stood over the ball, one that took a bit of getting used to.
The spiked outsole is excellent. Truth be told, it is hard to get a spiked outsole wrong because soft spikes are so good at providing grip, but G/FORE has designed this well. It uses 10 Tour Flex Pro Softspikes, which is more than on the Adidas Tour360 24 or Under Armour Drive Pro, but it doesn't feel like overkill here. I always look out for the added spike right at the top of the foot by the toes, and I'm glad G/FORE has used an extra spike here. Comapre it to the six used on the new FootJoy HyperFlex, and you might think 10 is overkill, but the more spikes, the merrier in my opinion.
Though a touch ungainly, this midsole does have a very practical purpose. Built using EVA, known for its flexible and lightweight properties, it makes for a very comfortable underfoot sensation that contributes to an altogether lightweight shoe. The moulded external heel counter is excellent at keeping your heel where it needs to be during the golf swing, while the internal padding around the heel area makes what is a very stiff area of the shoe altogether very comfortable with a very pleasant fit for all foot shapes and sizes. On sizing, this shoe fits true to size.
A signature G/FORE piece of design is the insole, which is covered in small nubs that give your foot a massage as you walk along. This is something that has been on all of the best G/FORE shoes I've tested, and I love it. It's such a clever touch and one that genuinely does help with foot fatigue across 18 holes. If you're starting to ache and tire toward the end of the round, simply wiggle your toes or move your foot around in the shoe, and you can get a nice little massaging sensation. No other shoe has anything quite like it, and I don't know a single person who wouldn't enjoy it.
All in all, this is a solid spiked golf shoe and something a little different from the rest of the market this year. I'd say it sits behind the Adidas Tour360 24, Payntr Eighty Seven SC and Under Armour Drive Pro, but it is right up there when it comes to the best spiked golf shoes you can buy this year. The massaging insole alone is enough for me to highly recommend this shoe, even if the size of it takes some getting used to.
