Adidas Spikeless Golf Shoes Pass The Test

Two things struck me when I first saw the adiSTREET golf shoes kindly given to me by the folks at Adidas:

1. Do I really want to be seen in white shoes with lime green soles and laces?
2. How will spikeless golf shoes perform on wet turf?

I overcame the first problem by using the thoughtfully-provided optional white laces. I couldn't do anything about the soles, but hey! if anybody wants to waste their day looking at the soles of my feet, I don't want to hear about it.

photo courtesy of Adidas

The traction question was a bigee, of course, but that was answered in short order when I played a round at Leewood Golf Club in Eastchester, NY. It's a great historic track where Babe Ruth once belonged. It was also wet that day, the area having received torrential rains the night before and more showers due to arrive shortly after I finished my round. In other words, prime conditions for slippin' and slidin' on the old turf.

I didn't slip a single time. Not on the tee when I was over-swinging and swaying like crazy. Not even trying to recover from side-hill lies in soaking wet rough (the place where you go when you over-swing and sway during your drive). If these shoes provided a stable foundation under those conditions, they'll be good anywhere.

The adiSTREET shoes use 124 strategically placed traction lugs in varying sizes for traction and grip. They feature full-grain leather uppers which are both lightweight and durable and there's a textured synthetic toe-cap for improved abrasion resistance. The shoes are offered in medium widths, and carry a two-year waterproof warranty. They are available in a choice of six color combinations with an MSRP of $190.

About the only improvement I could recommend would be to build more arch support into the shoe. Many of us older golfers have seen our arches fall at bit over the years (along with our jowls and few other body parts), so we need a little extra lift to go along with the comfortable feel of the spikeless style. I switched out the shoe lining for orthotic lifts, though, and my feet felt great at the end of the round.

In addition to writing about golf, Dave Donelson distills the experiences of hundreds of entrepreneurs into practical advice for small business owners and managers in the Dynamic Manager's Guides, a series of how-to books about marketing and advertising, sales techniques, hiring, firing, and motivating personnel, financial management, and business strategy.