SOFT SOFT SOFT….apart from the heel. That’s my summary of the new Adidas MC80. I didn’t think I was going to like them as much as I do. Having bought all the main traditional style golf shoe this summer, this one has got a lot going for it. And it helps that I won my very first competition while wearing them…so of course that was down to the shoes and not my unexpected ability to keep the ball in bounds.
But while I wait for my name to be engraved on my first piece of golfing silverware, I want to let you know how these shoes fit, feel and perform, to help you decide whether they’re right for you.
The MC in the name stands for modern classic,and the 80 is for that 1980’s styling and that name hits the nail on the head. Ah the 80’s, I was living possibly the best years of my life, my mum was making some questionable hairstyle choices, and golfers were still using clubs made of wood.
With the MC80 you have the classic silhouette and stylings of the era, a golf shoe with the seriously soft leather upper and classy little touches like the metal bar on the laces, the contrasting leather grains on the upper, not to mention the patterned styling, and the metal logo at the heel,
But then there’s plenty of modern technology to make this a shoe this feels as good to walk in as it looks (apart from the heel, for me, that needed some plasters while walking the course and I think will take a good few rounds to break in, it was just the same with other leather adidas golf shoes like the Tour 360 XT – after a few rounds they’re like slippers, but you have been warned).
I also found I had to go up half a size in these shoes, which is what I normally do with adidas. It was a very close call, and I probably could have gotten away with going true to size, but I just preferred the feeling of having that little bit of extra room in the forefoot. They’re not hugely wide, so if you have wide foot, you should probably look at the wide and extra wide options in the Footjoy range instead.
But the combination of Lightstrike foam in the forefoot midsole and boost in the heel means there’s are the softest feeling classic shoes underfoot that you can currently buy. The spineless outsole not only provides good traction on the course while also allowing you to drive home in them afterwards, not to mention the vibrant colour choice on this style that got a lot of comment out in the course when I wore them. I was a little considered looking at the outsole as the pimple design seems pretty simplistic and the pimple are quite large so I wondered if they were going to give me enough traction…but they held up well in slightly damp morning conditions for me…I don’t think id trust them on a real wet course, but then, why would you want to take these out on a muddy course.
The Torison bar through the middle is adding much need stability to the soft midsole, but they still feel quite squishy underfoot during the swing – a footjoy premier field or a GFore gallivanter is going to feel a lot firmer, and more connected to the ground in comparison.
I like that adidas have set the price at £140 – it feels just about right for a shoe like this
