This collection’s shoes, shirts, pants and hats are at home in the fairway and the skatepark.
At first glance, golf and skateboarding might seem like polar opposites. One is all about tradition, quiet courses and polite applause, while the other revels in street style, tricks and a bit of rebellious flair. But strip away assumptions and preconceptions, and you can start to see that when it comes to apparel and footwear, the two cultures have more overlap than you might expect.
These days, public courses are filled with players wearing flashy sneakers, colorful socks and hats that wouldn’t look out of place at a skate park. Whether you’re rolling down the fairway listening to Coldplay or bumping at a half-pipe to Cage The Elephant, style is key.
With the release of the Rolling Links line of apparel and footwear, Adidas is trying to tie golf and skate culture more closely together, merging relaxed-fitting shirts, sweatshirts and tops with mix-matched socks and street-style footwear that could be at home on the tee at Torrey Pines or a few miles away at the Carmel Valley Skatepark.
The venerable Adidas Superstar sneakers, which were released in 2020 as golf shoes for the first time to mark the shoe’s 50th anniversary, are one of the stars of the Rolling Links line. Adidas’ three-stripe logo is presented in two colors on this spikeless shoe, while the removable kiltie is a nod to golf shoes that might have been worn 50 years ago.
The Rolling Links Mock Neck polo is made with a thicker, 100 percent cotton material and designed with a loose, relaxed fit, while the Rolling Links Crewneck Sweatshirt is made using 88 percent recycled polyamide with elastane and slipping it on feels retro and hip at the same time.
You can expect to start seeing Adidas Code Chaos 25 on store shelves beginning August 1.
For golfers who want high-performance, traditional-looking golf shoes, Adidas has offered the Tour360 for years. It has been updated numerous times to add more cushioning, stability, traction and comfort, but it still looks like a traditional golf shoe.
In 2020, Adidas debuted something different for golfers who want a sportier, fresh look without sacrificing performance: the original Code Chaos. Made using multi-layer mesh, the shoe was breathable, light and waterproof.
Like previous generations, the new Code Chaos is designed for people who want a golf shoe that offers higher performance than casual spikeless golf shoes but is more youthful and versatile than a traditional spiked shoe.
What should I know about the Adidas Code Chaos 25 golf shoes?
The biggest goal for Adidas with the Code Chaos 25 was to increase traction and stability without sacrificing comfort.
While Code Chaos remains a spikeless shoe, Adidas achieved that by adding a piece to the outsole (the shoe’s bottom) that it refers to as a 3D Torsion Plate. This rigid area between the forefoot and heel areas reduces bending in the midfoot area and heel slipping as you swing.
In addition to the 3D Torsion Plate, Adidas updated the positioning and side of the TwistGrip lugs on the outsole so more of their surface area comes into contact with the ground. According to Adidas, they increase traction by up to 40 percent over the previous Code Chaos.
Adidas Code Chaos 25 has a rigid plate in the center of the outsole and traction-enhancing lugs. (Adidas)
Adidas created a hybrid midsole piece by combining its Boost and Lightstrike materials so the Code Chaos can provide more cushioning and comfort as you walk the course. The top of the upper (top portion) of Code Chaos is made using a flexible, multi-layer knit material. It has a transparent polyurethane film that makes the shoes waterproof while also creating a see-through look at the mesh and upper.
There is a traditional lace-up version of Code Chaos 25 for both men and women, but Adidas is very excited about a BOA version. After putting your foot in the shoe, a zip-up piece covers the tongue to encase your foot fully. Then, by turning a small dial on the side of the shoe, golfers can gently tighten a wire system to achieve a personalized fit. The system is called BOA PerformFit Wrap, and it is meant to give players a ‘locked-in’ feel on the course.
When you are done playing, pulling the dial out instantly releases the wires and relaxes the shoes.
The BOA PerformFit Wrap system encases your foot in the shoe and allows golfers to personalize their fit. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Who It’s For: Serious golfers who want more cushioning and comfort from a shoe designed to provide elite levels of stability and traction.
The Skinny: Adidas has updated its flagship spiked shoe for 2024 by adding more cushioning and stability to a shoe that already had tour-level stability.
The Deep Dive: As golfers’ attitudes about footwear have evolved and changed over the last decade, Adidas has been making more and more shoes based on popular sneakers that also have golf-specific features. For example, the classic Stan Smith, the Samba and the iconic Superstars have all been released as golf shoes recently, including special-edition offerings. However, for serious golfers who demand tour-level stability and traction, Adidas has been offering the Tour360 for 19 years. For 2024, the Tour360 has been upgraded to deliver more cushioning and comfort without sacrificing the features that make it the shoe of choice for Collin Morikawa and several other elite players.
Adidas Tour360 24 has seven replaceable spikes and a rigid outsole for extra traction and stability. (Adidas)
To help the Tour360 24 fit better, Adidas changed the insole and the sock liner and added a sleeve that is attached to the tongue so your foot stays wrapped in soft material as you walk over uneven ground, sand and dirt. The shoe’s last, which is a footwear term that relates to its overall shape and fit, has also been designed in both medium and wide width for men. (The women’s Tour 360 24 comes in medium only.)
Adidas has added a foam material it calls Jet Boost to the heel to provide cushioning. It is firmer than some other materials used in golf shoes, so it enhances stability. In the forefoot, Lightstrike, a softer cushioning material, helps to make walking more comfortable.
To enhance stability further, the three stripes designed into the side of the Tour360 24 wrap under your arch and have been integrated into the lacing system, so tying your shoes brings extra support. That area of the midsole floats above the outsole and a rigid plate that Adidas calls a Torsion Bridge. It is made from a thermoplastic polyurethane and helps to keep the seven replaceable spikes and the other traction elements locked to the ground as you swing.
The updated BOA system allows golfers to make micro-adjustments to the fit of the Tour360 24 (Adidas)
The Tour360 24 is waterproof and is available with traditional laces and a ratcheting BOA system that allows golfers to turn a small dial on the side of the shoe to gently tighten the shoe before zipping up the top of the shoe and hiding the BOA wires.
