I love the comfort & traction of the code chaos BUT I have owned 2 pairs so far and have torn the sole on my lead foot in the exact same spot on both pairs after only a few weeks which is a disappointment.

Style is way too personal to be included unless your asking 1000 golfers from around the country. Point of proof, I think this years style winner is the ugliest shoe I have ever seen so I asked my entire golf team. 34 Wow I would never wear that and 2 I love its.

I bought the Inesis summer shoes based on your reviews – incredible traction for sure. Is it possible to say almost too good of grip? Excellent. Light weight, very comfortable – fits to length well – only thing is that they are a little wide and large in the fore foot.. Cranked down the laces to fix this but a little big. Overall excellent shoes and value.

I love the recent developments in spikeless golf shoes, they are a lot more comfortable and durable than previous models. It will be interesting to see where the industry goes over the next 3/4 years. They have changed a lot in the last 4 years.

Hope you guys are right about the NB FF Links SL; I prioritize comfort these days when pulling a cart even 9 holes after finding the 2019 Adidas Tour 360 XT only suitable for my achin’ feet with the minimal amount of walking associated with riding-cart golf. None of my local shops have the NB in stock, so I went out on a limb and ordered the NB FF Links SL from TGW.com (got 20% off for a price of 79.99 + 9.99 for 2-day shipping)….. If they are close comfort-wise to my NB FF 1080 running shoes purchased back in the winter,, then they should be a winner for me too.

Just purchased and wore the Adidas Codechaos for 18 holes and I have to say, they are by far THE most comfortable shoe I have played in. Even between shots, I was sort of walking around and saying to myself, how comfortable these things are – I could have been a commercial. I have a wide foot, and was able to secure a wide size, which really helped. I also happen to have incredibly sensitive (read: sore) feet all the time, due to Lyme’s disease. I had pretty much put the Skechers Go Golf at the top of the list of most comfortable golf shoes, but the Adidas just displaced them. In contrast, I have multiple pairs each of Nike, FJ, Adidias, Ecco, G/Fore, Skechers, ASICS, and over the last couple years have taken to using the waterproof trail running shoes as golf shoes, since they were stable, comfortable, dew proof and had excellent outsoles that seemed to even outperform some of the spikeless golf shoes. The Nike’s were most likely to breakdown the quickest, though comfortable in the store and for the first few rounds, the mid soles just didn’t last – junk. The Eccos are stupidly expensive, and have a nice wide toe box, and for a wide foot (like mine), they were good, though the mid soles were lacking in comfort and by far the waterproofing on such expensive shoes is practically non-existent. The FJ’s have always been satisfactory, just never anything that I’d call deeply gratifying. Under Armor, forget it, almost always too expensive and too narrow – and as cool as the Puma’s look, they don’t make wide sizes. Skechers are super comfortable, but they are in my opinion just plain ugly shoes. They are durable, I’ll give them that, and the waterproofing does hold up very well, but the traction is not necessarily the best. And as far as best looks, excellent grip, decent waterproofing, G/Fore’s, but you pay a hefty price for them and they take some breaking in time to get them soft enough to walk a full round. But, I would have to hand it to Adidas, they’ve been rapidly taking up more and more closet space and displacing the other brands more rapidly.. I’m going to pick up a couple more colors and may just double down on each size (yes, stockpiling golf balls, golf shoes, shafts, and clubs – now shoes), because so often, companies decide to “improve” the style, or manufacture them in another country and the quality changes dramatically – usually to their demise. I walk a couple hundred rounds a year, so I don’t have a problem spending money on the best shoes I can find. For some people, shoes are shoes, they can’t tell a difference between a high quality shoe and a cheap one, or they wear the same pair year after year, but then again, what do I care what they do, they’re also likely the same guys that don’t wipe their clubs down after each shot, are still playing Ping Eye 2 irons (just as good as anything out there), have a dinged up two-ball Odyssey putter with tattered original grip, Taylor Made bubble shaft fairway woods, have an old kitchen towel hanging off their oxidized, two-wheeled pull cart, hit Top Flites or any brand they fish out of the pond, and wear the same raggedy-ass, sweat stained, USGA members hat from 1999 that their kids got for Father’s Day. Sorry Brian, I couldn’t help it. Get some new shoes already.

I wish the codechaos was made in a wide, not talking about that sport model without full length boost either. Only gripe i have against boost is it can hardly if at all be cleaned. I make sure to buy the color coated version when i get adidas shoes. Adidas needs to make a wipe clean coating for the white boost material

The Codechaos is £250 in the uk, $315! I can get 4 pairs of the Inesis for this.

Thanks for the info Harry! I haven’t played in a spikeless shoe in about 5 years because I would inevitably have that one or two times a round, playing in morning dew, where I would slip during a shot. It’s good to hear that some of these companies are figuring out how to get comparable traction in a spikeless shoe.

Given that, I would love to see a couple of things added to your shoe tests:
1 – either a separate post showing purely performance based numbers, which would be MINUS Style, or a way to manipulate the data to remove that factor.
2 – After both tests, a head to head of the top 5 spikeless vs. top 5 spiked shoes

I am pretty hard on my shoes. So I’ve had multiple pairs from different companies. I go by comfort/ fit first. Second is at least 2 year waterproof (that means probably one good year weather depending). Third would be style.

The Asics Glide does not have a waterproof warranty.
Thanks,
Chris

Interesting read, but I think that you should be custom fit for your shoes, so to speak. I have tried the top scoring shoes several times over the last few years and have never found that they are a good fit for my feet. It really depends on the design and last that the manufacturers use. I keep going back to Ecco shoes because I know that they are a good fit for my feet.

I may have missed it but curious why y’all didn’t test the Cuater Moneymaker. I have those and the CodeChaos and absolutely love both.

Inesis is a joke company. Have been trying to buy their shoe in size 10.5 (grey or white) for over a year since 2019 MGS test. ZERO availability since last year. Waste of time company.

Great job, calling out Nike for what it truly is a “lifestyle ” shoe. There was a time decades ago they actually made performance shoes.. There are some great choices for shoes. I’m not surprised by your winner given the history of success on your site by Adidas in years past.

I got the CodeChaos shoes for my birthday in March and they have been wonderful! They are perfect for Oregon golf. Kept my feet dry in the spring and coll and supported now that the weather is heating up!

It seems that we are missing 1 important piece of information, whether the insole is replaceable for toughs of use that that wear Orthotics ( either custom or aftermarket)

Wearing Skechers for golf or anything else is just a signal to the world that you have just completely given up.

We play on courses that are really wet and muddy in winter and I thought that only shoes with spikes could provide the stability and grip I need until I bought FJ SL Pro. Not sure what conditions they tested these shoes in but I do not agree with rating of 17. On a wet and muddy course they provide me with so much grip, I confidently walk down steep slopes with out fear of slipping.

The biggest issue I find with golf shoes is that most only cater for narrow feet (D).

I use Ecco Biom and Cage, depending on how dry the course is. But they don’t breathe that well. I see you recommend the Adidas SG2, but has anyone tried the Puma Grip Fusion? The look very breathable. I don’t want any waterproofing protection.

One full season and a bit wearing the Inesis… (still on the same pair, and I walk about 2×18 and 3×9 a week on average, in spring summer and fall, Only 3×9 a week in winter.) I must say that I’ve never had golf shoes as comfy as these, that the grip is hardly less (maybe even better when there’s a lot of mud) than my spiked FootJoyn and I think that in my experience its the most “long time waterproof” I’ve ever seen in a golf shoe. Crucial when you see other brands starting to leak a little after 6 month and you often play in the rain.

I agree with many of the previous comments. Not having True Linkswear in this test is a glaring omission. Next time I hope! I have taken the True OGs out of the box and straight into a day of 36 holes on a hilly course. Legs and back were tired but my feet were feeling good. I brought two pairs to Scotland for two weeks and also felt great walking on the golf courses, on trails, and through the city.

I think style should be taken away as a consideration next year because I think the Adidas CodeChaos are some of the ugliest shoes I have ever seen. But if people say they are comfy I will try them once the stores open back up.

CodeChaos are the most comfortable shoe I’ve ever worn. Usually, I buy a half size larger in Adidas shoes. However, my CodeChaos fit to my true shoe size.

Would a spikeless shoe be a good choice for use on driving range artificial turf.?
Also are the Inesis products the same you reviewed in the 2019 MGS Spikeless Shoe test or have they been updated?

While the list is fairly comprehensive, not having True Links and FJ Contour Casuals in the review is akin to conducting a Driver review w/o Titleist and Ping. Agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and MGS should consider removing “stylishness” as a component of the review process.

and wgere does TRUE fit in to your evaluation–they’ve been around 10+ years and make the most comfortable, innovative, great looking spikeless on the market. Shame on you for this glaring omission–and you claim to be performing equal unbiased assessments ???

Have the Skechers GGE4. Got them online for a smokin’ deal. I read reviews which said they might run a half size big if anything, so I ordered the same size I wear in my regular skechers. When I first got them, I thought they seemed a bit snug in the toe box and I was concerned. BUT, after the first round with them they streched out nicely and are now super comfortable.

Bonus is, after the round I wiped them down with soapy water and a scotch brite sponge and they look almost brand new again (and I played HORRIBLY that day, and was in the mud/trees A LOT)

Have to agree with everything said about the Code Chaos. Until I tried them, the ORIGINAL True Links were the most comfortable I’d ever worn. Good thing I tried them on before buying as the DO run 1/2 size small. Easiest to clean, EVER!!!

You guys got this one right. The code chaos is the most comfortable golf shoe I have ever owned. I wear a 13 and the fit is true to size for me. With a closet full of sneakers I actually still wear these to walk the dog because of the comfort.

Code Chaos has perfected the boost. In the previous versions boost I would remove the insole because it made the shoe too bouncy and unstable (The boost by itself still makes for the most comfortable shoe). By putting a heel cup over the boost it’s added stability so I can keep the insole in the shoe. They are by far the best traction shoes I’ve had as well and that includes all “spiked” shoes I’ve owned.

Not to be critical, but without True Linkswear it feels like a truck shootout without the Ford F-150. Glaring omission of the category leader.

I would be curious to know what the rankings would be without “style” as one of the components. Let the buyer decide what “style” he or she likes the most and give us pure performance metrics, like with your clubs most wanted testing!

Also on that note, is elements essentially how waterproof the shoe is? How easy it is to clean? Traction, stability, and comfort are all intuitive but I’m not 100% on what elements is.

Great article guys. I have been thinking about a spikeless design shoe that has good stability. With a trans-met amputation of the left foot (from a motorcycle wreck) and resulting reconstruction – lateral stability on that side is marginal at best.. Going to look into the winners here to see if there is a good fit (pun intended for me). Thanks again for all the reviews you provide.

And where is True golf ? The company that makes only golf shoes . Easily the winner. Also absent is F.J.

I went out on a limb last year and got the Inesis after the MGS review. At that price, and as fast as I wear them out (I’m walk three or four rounds a week in season) I thought what do I have to lose. Ended up getting a second pair – again at that price I was still money ahead. Already planning on getting a new set for this year. The “spikes” or nubs on the toes and heels have finally worn down enough to warrant replacing. I don’t know why they don’t rank better in the comfort column, but I suppose everyone has different expectation. I’m an over pronator, and insert my own orthotics – and I’m ready for my third pair.

I wish you would also post the weight of each shoe in grams, I think those sketchers that scored 1st for comfort are the lightest shoe Ive tested, I love them