I started playing golf when I was 11. I’ve played the beautiful game ever since. But long before I was a golfer, I was a sneakerhead. I remember getting the Nike Air Trainer SC High’s when I was much younger. They were a bribe for going to a home decoration exhibition with my parents without causing a fuss. I currently own over 150 pairs of sneakers (or trainers as we say in good old Blighty).  Animal print. Fluorescent. Air bubbles. Boost. Swooshes. Stripes. You name it, I’ll have a pair in the collection. It’s like the new Limited Edition adidas Stan Smith Golf shoes were made just for me. 

MyGolfSpy recently tested the best spiked and best spikeless golf shoes on the market. These are not those. They aren’t meant to be. Some golfers aren’t looking for performance or the ultimate in traction. Stability is something other golfers need. They just want to look fly on the course. These are the golf shoes they’ll want to flex in this summer. 

An Icon

In the pantheon of all-time great sneakers, the adidas Stan Smith is right up there. Over 70 million pairs of Stan Smith’s have been sold. It’s one of their biggest ever success stories. Kanye West might be the adidas figure head, but it’s fair to say Stan Smith is as important to adidas as Michael Jordan has been to Nike.

The first leather tennis shoe from the iconic three stripes, they first launched in 1965 as the Haillet, named after French player of the era Robert Haillet, only becoming the Stan Smith in 1978 after adidas had identified they needed an American name to grow their appeal.

Stan Smith won two Grand Slams and is a former world Number #1. But his shoes have had a far more significant impact on history than he has. His book is even called Stan Smith: Some People Think I’m a Shoe! It would have been like Andy North becoming the face of the Callaway Big Bertha. the partnership worked though and his moustachioed face can be seen on nearly every pair of adidas Stan Smith’s to this day. The greatest marketing masterstroke though was ending production of the shoe in 2011. By the time they were brought back in 2014 anticipation was at a fever pitch, and they went on to become the biggest selling sneaker of the decade. 

The Golf Shoes

For their first attempt at a Stan Smith Golf adidas has ditched the traditional leather upper. adidas are on a mission to become more eco friendly, with a specific target of ending the use of virgin polyesters by 2024. Made from PRIMEGREEN, the upper of the shoes features a minimum 50% recycled fabric. Taking the iconic green trim colour, and flipping it to become the upper colour, the Stan Smith Golf is both instantly a Stan Smith, and something new. 

Performance is not the key selling point for the adidas Stan Smith Golf. But it is a consideration. The shoes feature a rubber spikeless sole, inspired by the original’s sole design but with raised lugs for added grip. But they’ll be just as comfortable in the bar afterwards. A PU sockliner, and additional PU in the midsole help make these more comfortable than the traditional Stan Smith. 

They’ve included a removable white kiltie with these. Why are kilties still added to make a non-golf shoe look remotely golfy? The appeal of a pair of sneaker-inspired golf shoes is that they don’t look like golf shoes. We can’t imagine anyone using them, but it’s a thing you can do! They also come with an Originals blue box, and dust bag to keep these super fresh off the course.

adidas Golf being able to use adidas Originals silhouettes was the forbidden fruit for the longest time. With the Superstar, ZX8000, and now the Stan Smith Golf, they’ve proven they can be trusted to do right by these three striped icons.

adidas Stan Smith Golf Availability

The Limited Edition adidas Stan Smith Golf costs $140 and is available exclusively from the adidas Creators Club in the US, and adidas.com and select retailers worldwide from Wednesday 7th April.